Most people who are injured in some type of an accident in Connecticut wonder whether or not they can represent themselves or do they need to hire a Connecticut personal injury lawyer. The answer to this question is; of course you can represent yourself in your Connecticut accident or injury case as there is no requirement that you hire a CT accident attorney. That of course is the easy answer. You could also attempt to remove a bad tooth without hiring an oral surgeon or a dentist but that might not be in your best interest. It is possible to represent yourself in your accident or injury case and it may also be possible to remove your tooth but most intelligent people would not try to do these things on their own but rather, would hire an expert.

1. What is cerebral palsy?

Legal malpractice typically is an action a client makes against a former attorney for professional negligence. In these cases, the client is claiming that the attorney has failed to use the necessary skill and diligence lawyers usually possess, along with failing to perform and execute the task for which they were hired. When an attorney acts in a negligent manner or fails to exercise reasonable care when providing legal advice or representation, it could be the basis of legal malpractice.

It is important to know of and understand the most common causes of CT motor vehicle accidents so you can hopefully avoid becoming the victim of the negligence of another. Those causes can be summarized as follows:

The Women’s Center of Danbury has been helping thousands of individuals in the northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield Counties who have been affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.

Our office recently received a telephone call from a woman who had been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Connecticut and was looking to have our CT personal injury lawyers represent her. She advised me that she was a passenger in a vehicle that hit another car head on. She advised me that she sustained a number of injuries not the least of which was a concussion that continue to affect her memory and cause her frequent headaches. She was also experiencing panic attacks and was having a great deal of difficulty in driving as a passenger in a car. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a number of accident related problems. By all accounts, this would seem like a case that might interest most CT accident lawyers.

A CT dog bite injury or animal attack can completely disrupt your life or the life of your loved ones. The way in which you engage in your daily activities may be greatly altered.

Wrongful death can be defined as the death of a human being as the result of a wrongful act of another person. If a person dies through the fault of another then a cause of action can be brought by the Estate of the decedent. Wrongful death actions were brought into existence to ensure that the surviving spouse and children of the deceased were financially compensated, as well as providing an incentive for people not to behave in such a manner that might result in the death of another. The wrongful act of another person can be either intentional or can occur through negligence. An example of an intentional wrongful act is the murder of the deceased. A negligent wrongful act may have resulted from a driving error or a medical error, resulting in a medical malpractice claim, causing the death of an innocent person.

In an article published in July, 2008, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (“AHRQ”) reported sponges, needles or surgical instruments are left in a patient’s body an estimated 1 in every 7,000 surgeries which could be the basis for a surgical malpractice or medical malpractice case.

Once it is time to attempt to resolve a Connecticut personal injury, accident or medical malpractice case, the insurance adjustor generally prefers to make the initial offer, but sometimes a demand is warranted prior to making an offer. Claims representatives generally argue the facts and try to shy away from arguing dollars and cents. The strengths of the case are generally pointed out when negotiating. It is helpful for a claims representative to know all of weaknesses of the case so there are no surprises and it is easier to counter a particular attorney’s arguments. Claims adjustors like to chip away at a claimant’s case, pointing out such issues as:

Many insurance companies currently use a computer software program called Colossus to evaluate the value of personal injury claims. How Colossus works is a mystery to the general public. Neither the insurance companies nor the developer of Colossus will divulge exactly how they determine their baseline values.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, issued a news release on December 4, 2009, with national statistics for “non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2008″.

Find out about class action lawsuits and see if you have a class action lawsuit and determine whether or not you may be entitled to compensation. A class action lawsuit is a lawsuit brought by one or more Plaintiffs (“Representative Plaintiffs”) on behalf of a larger group of others who have a common interest. These large groups can be businesses, consumers or injured people.

Understanding the Patient’s Bill of Rights will enable you to take a pro-active role in your medical care, understand your rights as a patient and minimize the occurrence of medical errors resulting in hospital malpractice or doctor malpractice. The Patient’s Bill of Rights has three major goals:

Typically, discovery is the process by which attorneys for both sides “discover” all the facts, witnesses, and testimony regarding your accident, injury or personal injury case. During discovery, attorneys for both parties share information about your injury lawsuit. This is accomplished through written and verbal questioning, as well as through documents, records, and physical examinations. In most personal injury cases, this information will help convince the parties to reach some sort of out-of-court settlement instead of going through the long, drawn-out process of a trial. Attorneys proceed to gather evidence in many ways.

Typically, discovery is the process by which attorneys for both sides “discover” all the facts, witnesses, and testimony regarding your accident, injury or personal injury case. During discovery, attorneys for both parties share information about your injury lawsuit. This is accomplished through written and verbal questioning, as well as through documents, records, and physical examinations. In most personal injury cases, this information will help convince the parties to reach some sort of out-of-court settlement instead of going through the long, drawn-out process of a trial. Attorneys proceed to gather evidence in many ways.

The causes for a case resulting in a death claim are potentially unlimited, but there are four major categories which have the highest probabilities.

When the hospital staff in Connecticut engages in improper or negligent medical care or treatment of a patient resulting in harm or injury to the patient, it is a case of hospital negligence. When a patient gets admitted in a hospital, the staff and employees owe certain duties to the patient. Health care employees and staff owe a primary duty of reasonable care. Employees and staff of the medical facility despite their good intentions, skill and training, may and do commit mistakes. But those staff members and employees of the hospital are expected to be attentive, competent, and careful in administering their services. The lives of people are at stake. Failure to exercise the minimum standard of care can result in medical negligence.

A traumatic brain injury or “TBI” refers to damage caused to the brain that results from an open or closed head injury the results of which are expected to continue indefinitely and creates a substantial handicap to the individual. A person is said to have a traumatic brain injury when that person has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function.

It is extremely helpful, at the appropriate time, to discuss the settlement strategy that your lawyer may wish to use so you can give your input into this process so as to get you more money for your serious Connecticut personal injury case.

An independent medical examination is set up by the Defendant’s insurance carrier to help bolster their claim that you are either not injured or that your personal injuries are less than what your doctor states.

When insurance companies evaluate your Connecticut personal injury case, they consider your medical care and treatment and how the injury has affected you. In order to increase the value of your case, it is important to keep in mind a number of points. Insurance companies thoroughly examine an injured party’s medical records. It is extremely important to make sure that all of your injuries, symptoms, problems, and restrictions on activities are expressed to your health care professionals so that these factors are recorded in your records.

Approximately 95 percent of all personal injury claims are resolved before trial. Experienced Connecticut personal injury attorneys know that the best way to settle an injury case is to prepare it for trial. Therefore, attorneys for both parties follow a heavily scripted process in which documents are exchanged; questions are posed; witnesses, including experts, are disclosed; depositions are conducted; and evidence is gathered to build a case. This process can be divided into the following categories: the filing of pleadings, discovery process, pretrial conference, and trial.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

If the parties cannot settle their medical malpractice, hospital malpractice or doctor malpractice case after a pretrial conference, a judge will set the case down for a trial date. The trial process attempts to ensure that both plaintiff and defendant receive a fair trial.