Yes. Although you can represent yourself, the insurance companies are in the business of making money – they do this by limiting their costs. They may meet their legal obligation to assist you, but they will work hard to settle your case for as little as possible.
They spend time and money training their employees to work for them. You need an attorney who will fight for you and protect your rights. You need a personal injury attorney who has the experience and resources to stand up to the insurance company to ensure you get what you are entitled.
An attorney will also handle all of the correspondence and negotiations with the insurance company. In addition, a lawyer will ensure that all the legal requirements, such as the statute of limitations and notice requirements, are satisfied for your case. If you miss a single deadline or fail to notify the proper parties, you may not be able to bring a claim at all. Simply put, an attorney will protect your rights.
There is no easy answer to this question. The value of your case will depend on a large number of factors. For example, the extent of your injuries, the length of your treatment, the severity of the crash, if your own negligence contributed to the accident, if you have any lifelong injuries and if you lost time from work. These are only a few of the factors that will be considered. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to properly evaluate your case to determine a fair value.
You should contact a lawyer shortly following an accident. There may be evidence that an attorney can obtain or preserve that would otherwise disappear as time goes by. An attorney can also assist you with the process and ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible from the very beginning. If you do not call an attorney from the beginning, many times, it will be too late when you realize you needed one to ensure that your rights were protected.
The time frame in which you have to file a lawsuit will vary. It is set out by what is called a statute of limitations. In general, in Connecticut, you must bring a lawsuit for injuries sustained in a car accident within two years of that accident. (See Connecticut General Statute § 52-584.)
But, there are situations that have different rules. The most frequent example is a car accident where an individual dies. In that scenario the lawsuit must be brought within two years of the date of death and not more than five years from the date of the car accident that caused the death. See Connecticut General Statute § 52-555. Please note that the two year statute of limitation does not mean you should wait a month, six months or longer to seek medical treatment. Your failure to seek medical treatment immediately for your injuries will have a negative impact on your case.
In addition, any claim against a town or the State of Connecticut is subject to severe restrictions which limit the time to bring a lawsuit. Similarly, there are strict notice provisions that are extremely time sensitive that must be complied with in order to assert a valid lawsuit. These limitations and requirements are another reason you should hire a lawyer.
We will meet with you for no fee, and at no obligation, to evaluate your claim.
If we pursue your claim for you, there is no upfront, out of pocket cost for you. You are not responsible for any fee to us unless you recover money damages. We do not make any money unless you win. This is called a contingency fee agreement.
If you do recover money damages, our fee will be a percentage of those damages (the percentage is specified in our retainer agreement). In a typical personal injury case, you will not be responsible for any costs associated with the case. Our firm will pay all costs including court filing costs, marshal costs, and expert costs just to name a few. As with our fee, the costs we pay during your case are only recouped by us if you recover monetary damages.
We have the experience, knowledge, skill, resources and determination to ensure your rights are aggressively protected. See our Results page.
Our firm is dedicated solely to representing individuals. We do not represent any insurance companies. This means we do not feel any pressure to settle a case unless it is in the best interest of our client.
In addition, we pride ourselves on the customer service we provide our clients. Our Connecticut personal injury attorneys take the time to answer your questions, explain the legal process, and review all your potential options. Our staff will guide you through every step of the process and make sure you, as our client, are comfortable with the decisions that are made in your case. We are well aware that our clients have put their faith and trust in our firm and therefore we go out of our way to make sure that all their needs are met.
The process begins with an initial interview where you will meet with one of our attorneys (either in our office or at your home or hospital if you cannot leave).
Our personal injury lawyers will ask you questions about the accident, your injuries and treatment and other background information. After getting this information, they will explain your options and answer any questions you may have. If we determine you have a case and you decide you want to retain the Law Office of Kevin C. Ferry, LLC, our attorney will have you sign a retainer agreement.
Once we have all of the information we need to fully assess your case, we will then begin to negotiate with the insurance carrier. If we are unable to resolve your case with a mutually agreed upon settlement, the case will be put into suit. This is when a lawsuit is actually filed with the court. As a part of this process, you may have to answer written questions (also known as interrogatories) and attend a deposition (where the attorney for the insurance company will ask you questions). During this process, our attorneys will continue to work with the insurance carrier and try to resolve the case. If it cannot be resolved, the case goes to trial.
Throughout the process, it is important that you keep your attorney updated in regard to your medical treatment and contact information. It is also important that you respond to communications from our office as soon as possible. Although we will do everything we can to make the process as easy as possible, we cannot do it entirely alone. This ensures that we have the information we need to aggressively fight for you.
In a typical personal injury case, the process can range from a few months to a few years. It depends on the extent of your injuries, your medical treatment and whether the case can be resolved by entering into an agreed upon settlement or must be resolved with a trial.
