Connecticut car accident law: deadlines, fault and your claim

Filing deadlines in Connecticut#

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584, a lawsuit for injury or property damage caused by negligence must be filed within 2 years from the date the injury is first sustained or discovered. There is also an outer limit: no such lawsuit may be filed more than 3 years after the act or omission that caused the harm, which in a car case is usually the crash.

For an injured child, the rule is strict: § 52-584 has no exception that pauses the deadline for children. That is different from states such as California and Texas, which pause, or tollTolling. Pausing the limitations clock, for example while the injured person is a child. Glossary, the deadline while the injured person is a child.

Claims against the government depend on who was involved. If a state employee was driving, a person hurt through the negligence of a state official or employee driving a motor vehicle owned and insured by the state can sue the state directly. Otherwise, most other claims against the state must be presented to the Office of the Claims Commissioner within one year after they accrue, and never more than three years after the event. Claims against a town or city, or over a defective road, have their own notice rules; a licensed Connecticut attorney can tell you which apply and when notice is due. These rules are exceptions to sovereign immunitySovereign immunity. The rule that governments cannot be sued unless a law allows it. Tort claims acts allow some claims, with limits. Glossary.

How fault is shared in Connecticut#

Connecticut's comparative negligence statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572h(b), reduces your damages by your percentage of fault. You can still recover as long as your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the people you sue. Your share of fault is compared with the combined fault of all the defendants you sue, not each one separately.

Because the comparison is with all the defendants together, who is named in the lawsuit can matter. Try the fault-rule explainer to see how Connecticut compares with other states.

Insurance in Connecticut#

Connecticut drivers must carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage. Connecticut is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their insurer, pays for the losses.

• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverageUninsured motorist coverage. Coverage under your own policy that pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance, or too little. Glossary: Required: $25,000/$50,000.
• Personal injury protection: Not required.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that 11.8% of Connecticut drivers were uninsured in 2023, below the national estimate of 15.4%. Our guide to uninsured driver accidents explains how these claims work. The Connecticut Insurance Department takes consumer questions at (860) 297-3900; 1-800-203-3447 (Consumer Affairs).

After a crash in Connecticut#

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-224, a driver involved in a crash that causes injury, death or property damage must stop, give help where needed and give their name, address, license number and registration number; if that is not possible, they must report to the police.

For a crash handled by the State Police, a free online Accident Information Summary is available for 30 days after the crash, but it is not the official report. To get the official report, buy a simple report online through BuyCrash, or request other reports through the State Police Reports and Records Unit's online portal. Requests through the Reports and Records Unit carry a non-refundable search fee of $16, charged even if no report is found. If a town or city police department handled the crash, ask that department. Our guide to police reports explains how insurers use them.

Special rules in Connecticut#

Double or treble damages for reckless drivers

Connecticut has an unusual rule for the worst driving: a jury may award double or treble damages if the other driver deliberately or with reckless disregard broke certain listed traffic laws, such as those on speeding, reckless driving, drunk driving, following too closely or hand-held phones, and that was a substantial factor in the harm. The injured person must specifically plead the violation in the lawsuit, and the decision is up to the jury or judge. Owners of rental and leased cars are generally not liable for these extra damages.

Bars and liquor stores

Under Connecticut's dram shop lawDram shop law. A law that can make a bar or store liable for serving alcohol to someone who then causes a crash. Glossary, a seller who sells alcohol to an intoxicated person can be liable to someone that person then injures. Recovery from the seller is capped at $250,000, whether one person or several were hurt. The injured person must give the seller written notice within 120 days of the injury (longer if the person died or was incapacitated) and sue within 1 year. See our guide to drunk driver accidents.

Crashes on Connecticut roads#

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counted 310 crash deaths in Connecticut in 2024. That is 8.4 per 100,000 people, below the US rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people. Speed stands out: 41% of the deaths were speeding-related, against 29% nationally. Only 13% happened on rural roads, and IIHS estimates that 32% of the passenger vehicle drivers killed had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher.

Finding a lawyer in Connecticut#

The Connecticut Bar Association runs a Find a Lawyer directory, and its page on hiring a lawyer lists lawyer referral services run by county bar associations: Hartford County at (860) 525-6052, New Haven County at (203) 562-5750 and New London County at (860) 889-9384. Read how lawyer referral services work before you call.

Before you hire anyone, search the Connecticut Judicial Branch's Attorney Firm Look-up, which lists attorneys admitted to practice in Connecticut along with their license and discipline history.