Berkowitz and Hanna LLC is a well-known personal injury law firm that routinely and successfully handles many car accident cases every year. With a long history of experience, our Bridgeport car accident lawyer regularly obtains substantially favorable settlements and verdicts on behalf of car accident victims throughout Bridgeport and the State of Connecticut.
If you or a loved one were injured in a vehicle wreck, it is crucial to seek legal representation as soon as possible. The Berkowitz and Hanna LLC legal team possesses the tangible and intangible skills necessary to recover the compensation that you and your family deserve. No one deserves to suffer injuries in a car crash; but, when you are injured as a result of someone else’s fault, you deserve financial compensation for what you endure.
Here at Berkowitz and Hanna LLC, our Bridgeport car accident lawyers and legal team are known for tenacity, integrity, knowledge, and experience. We are also known for our successful track record of obtaining favorable resolutions for our clients. We pledge our commitment to helping our clients obtain positive outcomes in their cases. We also promise to help clients get through the process each and every step of the way.
We recognize and do not take for granted the difficult personal and financial struggle that a car accident victim faces – both in the short and long term. With so many burdens to overcome, we seek to lessen that load by operating on a contingency fee basis. That means that our clients do not pay us unless and until their cases result in a settlement or favorable verdict. And, just because we operate on a contingency fee basis does not mean that we do not work extremely hard on our cases. In fact, Berkowitz and Hanna LLC spares no expense when preparing for settlement negotiations, conducting pretrial matters, and preparing for full-blown litigation and trials.
Many auto accident cases involve similar factual evidence and legal issues. However, every case is unique to some extent, even in “basic” car accident scenarios. To a client, a “routine” car accident case may be the most devastating and trying time in life. We treat each case with the personalization and attention to detail that it deserves. With all of our clients, we seek a timely resolution of their cases; however, that does not mean we will jump at the first offer presented by the insurance company. Through intensive scientific, medical, and legal investigations, we formulate an estimated valuation of a case. We focus our strategy and efforts to obtain the amount you deserve. We understand the complex nuances of insurance rules and regulations, and we always go toe-to-toe with attorneys and other representatives of insurance companies.
Our Bridgeport auto accident legal team knows how to pursue claims by first identifying all parties responsible for your injuries. The initial step involves the determination of the cause of the accident. While vehicle accidents occur in many different ways, there are a number of common causes. Here is a list of the most common types of auto accidents occurring in Bridgeport:
If one of these factors leads to your car crash, you and your legal team may be able to bring a negligence (personal injury) lawsuit against the other driver(s). There also may be other parties liable for your damages, including the negligent driver’s employer, a bar that served alcohol to the driver, etc. Our car accident lawyers at Berkowitz and Hanna LLC use their vast experience and financial resources to your advantage. They also have extensive relationships with various economic, medical, and accident reconstruction experts, which are used to determine the “value” of your damages, as well as the exact cause of the accident. We want to ensure that we hold each and every responsible party accountable for their actions.
We are tough negotiators and skilled, successful litigators. Therefore, our reputation often provides a very good incentive to defendants and their insurance companies to work together to reach favorable settlements before we ever need to go to trial.
As mentioned, there are numerous ways for people’s actions (or inactions) to directly cause unnecessary car crashes, and negligence is no defense. As drivers on Bridgeport’s roads, every one of us has a duty to other drivers on the road to drive in a safe and reasonable manner. We must act and drive in a way so as not to cause injuries to others. When a driver acts or fails to act safely and reasonably, and the direct result is a vehicle accident that leads to someone else’s injuries, the offending driver is negligent.
In other words, in order to recover damages resulting from your car accident in Bridgeport, you must prove the following:
If you suffer injuries in a vehicle accident in Bridgeport, CT, we can explain your rights and how Connecticut law operates to protect them.
In addition to sufficiently demonstrating liability, you must be able to show that you suffered physical injuries. This is accomplished through your medical records, and if necessary, through medical expert testimony. Even a minor fender bender may have lasting effects on your body that you should not take lightly.
In many cases, you do not need an expert witness to prove a successful negligence claim. However, there are certain cases that involve complex scientific evidence. In these cases, the defendant’s insurance company will often dispute an injured party’s theory of liability. Therefore, use of an expert witness may be necessary in order to obtain the best possible settlement or a winning verdict.
The Bridgeport car accident attorneys at Berkowitz and Hanna LLC have good working relationships with many accident reconstruction experts, economic experts, and medical experts that we may call upon to help you establish your car accident claim. Our experts are experienced in reconstructing accident scenes (and can determine speeds, the direction of travel, etc.) Moreover, our medical experts can testify as to the nature and severity of your injuries. Toxicology experts may also be called upon to demonstrate a defendant’s intoxication at the time of the accident.
If the defendant who caused your car accident does not have any insurance or they do not have enough insurance coverage to fully pay your claim, your only option may be to file a claim with your own automobile insurance policy. Essentially, when a defendant is uninsured or underinsured, your insurance policy steps into the shoes of the defendant’s policy. The liability limits of your insurance policy set forth are the maximum amount of coverage available for your claim. Your insurance company may then sue the defendant individually, but that is not your concern at this stage.
It is very beneficial to have competent legal representation when attempting to work with your insurance company to seek payment for your claims. Your insurance company, although “working for you,” will attempt to settle your claim in as little time as possible for the minimum amount possible. “Your” insurance company may turn into a formidable opponent during these situations. We are very experienced in bringing uninsured and underinsured motorist claims against our clients’ insurance policies.
In cases where more than one driver is to blame for causing an accident, Connecticut follows the rule of “modified comparative fault.” Under this rule, anyone who is 50% or less at fault is still entitled to recover fault-based compensation. However, drivers who are deemed partially at fault are not entitled to recover their full damages. Instead, their financial recovery is calculated by multiplying the sum of their losses by the inverse of their percentage of fault.
For example, if a driver who suffers $250,000 in total losses is deemed to be 10% at fault, then his or her recovery would be limited to $225,000. However, if that same driver was deemed to be 51% at fault, then he or she would not be entitled to any financial recovery under Connecticut law.
As you can see, comparative fault can play a crucial role in auto accident settlements and litigation, and insurance companies will routinely try to blame accident victims for their own injuries. Our attorneys have significant experience in cases involving allegations of comparative fault. And if you are being accused of playing a role in your accident, we can use the available evidence to maximize your financial recovery.
Due to the numerous complex issues involved in seeking financial compensation after a car accident, it is important that you speak with a lawyer promptly. While you can go ahead and report the accident to your insurance company, you should avoid discussing the details of the accident with your adjuster. Simply state where and when the accident occurred, provide the other driver’s insurance information, and then let the adjuster know that you need to speak with a skilled Bridgeport car accident attorney before doing anything further.
It is also extremely important that you see a doctor right away. If you did not go directly to the hospital from the scene of the accident, go now. You can see your regular doctor if you can get in, but you should not hesitate to go to the emergency room or an urgent care center if necessary. The reasons for this are twofold: First, and most importantly, you need to make sure you do not have any internal injuries that require immediate treatment. Second, seeking medical attention promptly will help to prove that your injuries resulted from the accident and not from some “intervening” cause.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in an auto wreck, do not wait to take legal action. The Bridgeport accident and injury attorneys at Berkowitz and Hanna LLC have decades of experience practicing personal injury law – and, we specialize in representing individuals injured in car accidents. We are very familiar with many local and nationwide insurance companies and their representatives, and our reputation as successful and serious negotiators carries significant weight. Schedule a consultation with a Bridgeport car accident lawyer today.
Berkowitz Hanna
