No one wants to be involved in a car accident but there’s only so much you can do about the drivers around you. When someone else makes a mistake, causes a collision and you’re injured in the process, you may wonder what you should do about it. If you’re considering a lawsuit, time is a factor.
The statute of limitations can stop you
Connecticut requires every driver to operate their vehicle with a reasonable amount of care – they must drive safely, so as not to hurt anyone. When someone fails in this duty, and injures you, they are considered legally negligent and can be held responsible. Connecticut gives you the means to do so by filing a personal injury lawsuit.
However, although Connecticut gives you the right to sue, it also puts a time limit on that right. This is known as the statute of limitations and the clock lasts for 2 years, counted from the date you were injured. If you don’t file your lawsuit within that time, you lose the right forever.
There’s an even more pressing consideration
Most personal injury lawsuits require an investigation. Why? Because the strength of your case and its ability to succeed depends on evidence, which must be identified and collected. Witnesses must be interviewed and documents or other tangible things need to be gathered.
An investigation is what accomplishes this task and the problem is that the more time passes, the more likely it is that evidence becomes stale or nonexistent. The sooner the process begins, the more likely your case will be a strong one and the negligent party will be held accountable.
