Connecticut’s Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
If you have been involved in a car accident, slipped and fell, or suffered some other form of personal injury in Connecticut, it is likely that you have only TWO years from the date of the injury to file a claim. Most types of personal injuries are the result of one party acting negligently. For instance, motor vehicle wrecks in Connecticut usually occur because one party failed to operate his or her vehicle with a reasonable amount of care. Regardless of whether another driver was texting, speeding, eating, or had been drinking while driving, that party has acted negligently. Under theses scenarios, a plaintiff’s ability to assert a cause of action for negligence to recover for damage to his or her personal or property is most likely limited by Connecticut General Statute 52-584. This statute of limitation is titled – Limitation of action for injury to person or property caused by negligence, misconduct or malpractice – and requires a plaintiff in Connecticut to file suit within two years of discovering an injury, but not more than three years from the act complained of. The statute is listed in full below.
Even though an injured party has 2 years to file a claim, it is important to meet with an attorney and get the process started as early as possible so that all expenses (lost wages, medical bills, etc.) can be properly documented. Additionally, it is important to meet with an attorney because your particular type of injury may be limited by a statute other than Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-584.
Sec. 52-584. Limitation of action for injury to person or property caused by negligence, misconduct or malpractice. No action to recover damages for injury to the person, or to real or personal property, caused by negligence, or by reckless or wanton misconduct, or by malpractice of a physician, surgeon, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, hospital or sanatorium, shall be brought but within two years from the date when the injury is first sustained or discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered, and except that no such action may be brought more than three years from the date of the act or omission complained of, except that a counterclaim may be interposed in any such action any time before the pleadings in such action are finally closed.
cateogories: Personal Injury