A car accident can leave you with short or long-term injuries that may not be apparent immediately. However, your symptoms can quickly become debilitating, keeping you from working and enjoying your life.
Although many people prefer to put the unpleasantness of an accident behind them, pursuing a claim may be the appropriate path.
Can you receive damages if you are partially at fault?
Under Connecticut law, anyone less than 50% responsible for a car accident may pursue damages from the other driver’s insurance company. Two basic categories of damages are possible.
Economic
Economic damages may compensate you for:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Physical therapy
- Assistive devices
- Transportation
It is necessary to submit all receipts for the expenses relating to your claim to the other driver’s insurance provider.
Non-economic
Non-monetary losses include:
- Pain
- Suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
Although these damages are more challenging to obtain, the Connecticut court calculates non-economic damages using two methods. The multiplier method for long-term injuries multiplies economic damages by a number between one and five that reflects an injury’s severity. The per diem method applies to short-term injuries and calculates the non-economic damages by multiplying the number of days necessary to achieve full recovery by the economic damages.
Is it always worth pursuing damages?
Absolutely! You may not know your degree of responsibility for a car accident that causes your injury. Still, if you determine that you have less than 50% of the liability, you can receive damages that will help with your financial recovery. In addition, Connecticut does not cap non-economic damages. Therefore, the upside for pursuing damages far outweighs forfeiting compensation.
A car accident that causes your injury can be devastating to your finances. Therefore, it is always worth finding out what your case is worth.