It can be hard for a Connecticut resident who has been injured in a car accident to know what comes next. If the accident is serious enough to cause significant injuries, the injured victim may face days, weeks or even months of hospital stays, treatment, surgeries and rehabilitation or therapy. Who pays for all of this care? Well, if the accident was caused by someone other than the injured victim, it may be possible to pursue compensation for these costs in a personal injury lawsuit.
But, some of our readers in Connecticut may be wondering, what is the typical progression of a lawsuit based on a car accident? Well, for starters, it will be important for the injured victim to have a lawyer analyze the facts of the case to ensure a valid claim exists. If so, before the case is filed, as much evidence and factual support as possible will need to be collected, typically in the form of eyewitness accounts, photos of the damage that the accident caused and copies of all medical bills that the injured victim incurred as a result of treatment for injuries suffered in the car accident.
Next, the lawsuit can be filed. A complaint for damages will identify the parties to the case — the plaintiff and defendant — why jurisdiction in a particular court is appropriate and the preliminary reasoning the plaintiff has for why the defendant is responsible for the accident.
After that, as the case proceeds either toward a trial or mediation, the parties will conduct “discovery,” which means that they will submit written requests for information to one another to flesh out how each party intends to attempt to prove their case. Most cases get settled out-of-court, but, if need be, the case will proceed to trial, where each party will attempt to sway a jury on their point of view in the case.
