As winter arrives, many of the roads in Connecticut become hazardous and present significant dangers for drivers. Sometimes, a road may look perfectly safe, but ice can be hidden under snow or hard to spot, as in the notoriously dangerous “black ice.” When a car loses control due to ice, it can be a scary situation for a driver, as it can lead to very serious consequences.
Whether you have been involved in a minor accident that was caused by icy roads, or if you suffered serious injuries in a major collision, you will need to make an insurance claim. Before doing this, it is important that you understand how the law works here in Connecticut.
Your legal obligations after a crash
Connecticut has some mandatory actions that you need to take regarding collisions and insurance claims. First, drivers are legally obligated to have the mandatory minimum insurance requirements of $20,000 to cover a single-person accident, $40,000 for a multi-person accident and $10,000 in property damage. You must also have the minimum $40,000 coverage for uninsured or underinsured motorists.
In addition to having the minimum insurance coverage, you are also required to report an accident within five days if there was more than $1,000 of damage to persons or property.
Car insurance settlements in Connecticut
Fault is a consideration here in car accident settlements. The cause of the accident will be weighed, so in an icy road accident, it is entirely possible that no party will be found at fault. Instead, adverse weather conditions will be blamed. However, if one vehicle’s driver was speeding or acting recklessly by disregarding the weather-related hazards, they may be deemed to be partially at fault for the car accident.
If you are suffering from injuries or property damage after an icy road accident in Bridgeport, it is important that you learn all that you can about the Connecticut laws that affect your right to pursue financial compensation from any at-fault parties. You should also take action as soon as possible after the accident to ensure that you comply with all reporting statutes. Failing to act could make you ineligible to file a claim for damages.
