Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Connecticut?
Every rule below is quoted from Connecticut law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
The short answer
We can't tell you whether you need a lawyer. We can show you the Connecticut rules that usually decide it: how fault is split, how long you have, and how injury lawyers are allowed to charge. Many people with only car damage settle directly with the insurer. People with injuries, disputed fault or a claim near a deadline often talk to a lawyer first.
How fault changes your claim
If you were partly at fault
Connecticut uses modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar. You can recover damages if your share of fault is 50 percent or less. If your fault is greater than the combined fault of the people you are suing, you cannot recover anything.
“if the negligence was not greater than the combined negligence of the person or persons against whom recovery is sought”
How long you have
- 2 years (3-year outer limit)
- to sue for injuriesConn. Gen. Stat. 52-584
- 2 years (3-year outer limit)
- to sue for car or property damageConn. Gen. Stat. 52-584
- 2 years (5-year outer limit)
- for a family to sue after a deathConn. Gen. Stat. 52-555(a)
- 90 days (state) / 6 months (municipal)
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedConn. Gen. Stat. 7-465(a); see also 13a-144 (state highway, 90 days) and 13a-149 (municipal road defect, 90 days)
Deadline to sue for injuries
You generally have two years from the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered your injury to sue, but never more than three years from the date of the crash.
“shall be brought but within two years from the date when the injury is first sustained or discovered more than three years from the date of the act or omission”
If a government vehicle or road was involved
If a town or city vehicle or employee is involved, you generally must file written notice with the municipal clerk within six months. If a defective state highway is involved, you must give the state Commissioner of Transportation written notice within 90 days.
“written notice of the intention to commence such action has been filed with the clerk of such municipality within six months after such cause of action has accrued”
How injury lawyers charge in Connecticut
Contingency fee rules
Connecticut caps injury and property damage lawyer contingency fees on a sliding scale: 33 and one third percent of the first $300,000 recovered, 25 percent of the next $300,000, 20 percent of the next $300,000, 15 percent of the next $300,000, and 10 percent of anything over $1.2 million. A client can waive this cap in writing for an unusually complex case.
“Thirty-three and one-third per cent of the first three hundred thousand dollars; twenty-five per cent of the next three hundred thousand dollars”
Questions to ask any lawyer before you sign
- What percentage do you charge, and does it change if the case goes to trial?
- Who pays case costs like records and expert fees if we lose?
- Will you handle my case yourself, or pass it to someone else?
- How long do cases like mine usually take here?
- What is the deadline for my claim, and when will you file?
If the insurer is the problem
File a complaint with the state
You can file a complaint against an insurance company with the Connecticut Insurance Department online, by email, or by calling the consumer helpline.
“(800) 203-3447 or (860) 297-3900”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-572h(b)
- P.A. 93-297; Office of Legislative Research Report 2008-R-0493
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-584
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-465(a); see also 13a-144 (state highway, 90 days) and 13a-149 (municipal road defect, 90 days)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-251c(b)
- Connecticut Insurance Department, Consumer Affairs
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.