A recent “study” stated that Ridgefield had the worst drivers in the state of Connecticut. The “study” was published by a company that compared insurance quotes and extrapolated data from those that had used their service. I was intrigued by this report especially since it bestowed this very negative honor on Ridgefield.

The nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to fall. Once again we are experiencing autumn in New England. This is also a time of the year that road conditions become more dangerous and require us to consider a great number of things.

Slow down! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that speeding accounts for more than 25% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents on US roadways. Speeding will greatly increase the risk for becoming involved in an accident and also the prospect of causing a fatal accident given the damage that results from a higher impact collision.

Our Connecticut personal injury lawyers have been contacted about a number of pedestrian accidents that have occurred in areas where you might otherwise not expect them to happen. Unfortunately, due to the very nature of a pedestrian accident whereby some type of motor vehicle hits someone who is walking, the injuries sustained by the victim can be quite significant.

This past Saturday night I was walking down Austin St. in Forest Hills New York on my way to see Jethro Tull at the Forest Hill Stadium. As is the case on most Saturday nights in Queens, the sidewalk was quite busy with all the people coming and going. As I looked down the street, I noticed a man walking two rather ferocious looking dogs. I made a mental note of that and continued on my way.

Generally speaking, when someone mentions distracted driving, people think of someone using their cell phone. There are a great number of activities that encompass distracted driving. I have personally witnessed, now that school is back in session, how often people engage in activities that compromise the driver’s ability to concentrate on the important task of operating a motor vehicle. This is especially true with newer drivers who might not understand the great risks that can result from distracted driving.

Connecticut’s dog bite statute can be found at 22 –357 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The statute provides that if any dog does damage to either the body or property of another then the owner or keeper of the dog shall be liable for such damage. There are few exceptions that could include, but are not limited to, teasing or tormenting the dog or trespassing on the property where the dog is located.

After someone has been involved in some type of an accident or has been injured in some way, through the fault of another, we are typically contacted by the injured party and one of the first questions they want answered is what is my case worse. If you do a search on line as to how to determine the value of your case you will find a number of websites that have an injury settlement calculator.

Many of us use our motor vehicles on a daily basis to commute to and from work, to visit friends and family and to run a great number of errands. As we drive our vehicles on the roadways, we should be on constant alert for hazards, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, animals and other motor vehicles given the fact that we might be traveling at rates of speed which would make it very difficult to stop rather suddenly.

Scooter accidents across the country are on the rise. If you are ever thinking about buying or renting a scooter please consider the following:

The Zebra’s 2019 State of Auto Insurance Report was recently published and analyzes more than 61 million motor vehicle insurance rates to determine how certain risk factors affect insurance premiums. One such factor included motor vehicle tickets, accidents and insurance claims and how they affect your insurance rates.

3 Common Mistakes Loved Ones Make After Suffering a Wrongful Death

Our firm has been representing people who have been involved in accidents for decades and there is one thing that can greatly complicate any motor vehicle accident case. If you make this mistake then you can greatly complicate your Connecticut motor vehicle accident claim and can make it very, very difficult to maximize the amount of money that you can collect for your injuries and damages. This mistake not only applies to motor vehicle accident cases but could apply to a dog bite injury case or a slip and fall and trip and fall accident. It would even apply to a hit-and-run case or a pedestrian accident case.

It is not at all uncommon for a person who is been involved in a motor vehicle accident to have delayed or latent symptoms. There are many different types of injuries that do not present any type of pain or discomfort for hours- or even days- after the accident. Some of the more common forms of injuries that can present delayed symptoms include:

Speeding 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit may not seem like a big deal, especially when it seems like the consequences for being late would be way worse than being on time because you sped a few miles more. But it is when you consider that 1 out of every 3 car accidents are considered fatal. Below you will know why speed limits exist in the first place, how speed limits are decided by government professionals, who is most at risk when you want to speed and how to prevent situations where speeding might seem like the only option and more.

If you have been seriously injured as a result of some type of accident in Connecticut, then you want to make sure that you are hiring the “right” accident attorney for you. Connecticut injury lawyers are precluded from claiming that they are the best Connecticut personal injury lawyer or best Connecticut accident attorney as a result of the rules of professional conduct. If you come across any attorney that makes this type of claim then it is highly suggested that you not even interview that individual. The “right” lawyer for you is one that you feel comfortable with, who you feel will properly represent your interests, is someone that you can openly communicate with, who is responsive to your needs, and is someone that you feel is the proper fit for you, your personality, and your particular Connecticut injury case.

We are frequently contacted by people who have been hit by a car while traveling as a pedestrian. Some of these individuals have very serious injuries given the fact that they are unprotected and are struck by vehicles that are many thousands of pounds and are sometimes traveling at a high rate of speed. In fact, one recent study found that approximately 6,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in a recent year. Additionally, over 137,000 pedestrians were injured and treated in emergency rooms in this country, according to a study by the CDC a few years ago. These numbers seem to be increasing with the epidemic of distracted driving.

Yesterday, we just experienced our first snowfall of the year in CT. It started to snow around the time of the evening commute and the roads were quite treacherous. Sidewalks, parking lots and other pedestrian areas were also covered in snow and ice. Every year we are contacted by people who have slipped and fallen on icy walking surfaces who want to know if they have a case. The answer depends on a great number of circumstances including but not limited to: what caused them to fall, how long the hazard had been there, whether the person that owns, maintains, or controls the property had notice of the defect or whether there was a sufficient amount of time where they should have notice of the defect.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It is a time when family and friends get together to enjoy each other’s company and give thanks for all of the blessings they have experienced. A lot of the time spent during this holiday season will be in the kitchen where a great deal of activity will occur in preparation of the Thanksgiving feast. The National Fire Protection Association wants to remind you that Thanksgiving is the day of the year where homeowners experience the greatest number of house fires. These occur most frequently around the major holidays so it is important to understand the busiest days of the year for house fires and fire fatalities.

This weekend marks the end of daylight savings time when we will turn our clocks back one hour. It is also a great time to replace the batteries in our smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. There are a great number of other safety issues and inspections that can be addressed at this time. For example, when was the last time you emptied the lint trap on your dryer which could create a fire risk? You could also perform some long overdue repair or maintenance items around your home that could rectify some type of hazard or safety risk. Do you have outdoor lights that have burnt out and need to be replaced? What other items around your home could be addressed that could help to prevent some type of accident or injury?