Connecticut Car Accident Settlement Calculator
In Connecticut, you generally have 2 years to file an injury lawsuit, you recover nothing if more than 50% at fault, and drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 in injury liability. Enter your numbers below to see what a Connecticut claim may be worth and what you would actually take home.
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Connecticut rules in 30 seconds
Details & exceptions
Connecticut uses modified comparative negligence: an injured person can recover as long as their negligence was 'not greater than the combined negligence of the person or persons against whom recovery is sought' (so 50 percent or less), with damages reduced by their percentage of fault. At 51 percent or more, they recover nothing (Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-572h(b)). No 2023-2026 change was found.
Details & exceptions
Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-584: an action for injury to the person or to real or personal property caused by negligence must be brought within 2 years from the date the injury is first sustained or discovered (or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered), and in no case more than 3 years from the date of the act or omission complained of.
Details & exceptions
Property damage minimum: $25,000. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-112(a): $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for injury or death of more than one person in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Public Act 17-114 raised the minimums to 25/50/25 (and the UM/UIM minimums to match) effective January 1, 2018 (per the legislature's Office of Legislative Research act summary, seen in search results; the page itself could not be loaded). HB 6130 of 2025 ('An Act Concerning Minimum Automobile Liability Insurance Coverage') proposed raising the minimums; no evidence was found that it was enacted.
Details & exceptions
No general cap for typical car accident injury claims. No statutory cap on noneconomic (pain and suffering) damages in Connecticut personal injury cases, including car accidents. No 2023-2026 enactment creating one was found.
Details & exceptions
Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-336(a)(1)(A): every automobile liability policy 'shall provide' uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. By default the UM/UIM limits equal the liability limits purchased; a named insured may choose lower limits only in writing on an informed consent form, and never below the 14-112(a) minimums of $25,000/$50,000 (38a-336(a)(2)). Insurers must also offer UM/UIM limits up to twice the bodily injury liability limits. Full rejection is not provided for.
Worked example: a typical Connecticut car accident claim
Another driver turned left into you at an intersection in Connecticut: $15,000 in medical bills, $5,000 in lost wages and a moderate injury that healed in a few months. The insurer says you were 20% at fault for speeding slightly, the other driver has a $100,000 policy, and your lawyer takes 33%.
- Economic damages$20,000Medical bills + expected future treatment + lost wages.
- Pain and suffering$20,000 – $40,000Multiplier method: economic damages × 2–3 for a moderate injury, minus the economic part itself.
- Total claim value$40,000 – $60,000Economic + pain and suffering.
- After your share of fault$32,000 – $48,000Connecticut uses modified comparative negligence (51% bar): you recover nothing if you are 51% or more at fault; otherwise recovery is reduced by your 20%.
- Limited by available insurance$32,000 – $48,000At-fault policy limit $100,000 + your UM/UIM $0.
- Estimated take-home$20,440 – $31,160Minus attorney fee (33%), case costs and medical liens.
You would take home about $25,800 ($20,440 – $31,160), after the 33% fee and $1,000 in case costs.
- At 51% fault instead: you would get nothing from the other driver under Connecticut's fault rule.
- If the other driver only had the minimum policy: the $25,000 limit caps the claim, so you would keep about $15,750 unless you have underinsured motorist coverage.
Typical figures (midpoint of a moderate injury multiplier), no medical liens. Run your own numbersor see the same crash in every state.
How much time do you have to file?
General personal injury deadline only. It can be shorter for claims against a city, county or state agency (often a written notice within months), and longer for minors. Check with a lawyer before relying on it.
Deadline traps in Connecticut
The 2-year lawsuit deadline is not the only clock. These are the ones people miss:
Crashes caused by a road defect need written notice within 90 days: to the town/city clerk or selectman, or to the Transportation Commissioner for state highways. Claims against a town employee require notice to the town clerk within 6 months. State-vehicle crashes are sued directly within 2 years.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 13a-149, Damages for injuries by means of defective roads and bridges (FindLaw mirror)Conn. Gen. Stat. 13a-144, Damages for injuries sustained on state highways (FindLaw mirror)Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-465, Assumption of liability for damage caused by employee (FindLaw mirror)Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-556, Actions for injuries caused by motor vehicles owned by the state (FindLaw mirror)
Connecticut generally does not pause the deadline for children: the same 2-year limit (3 years at most from the crash) applies, so a parent or guardian should act on the child's behalf.
How fast a Connecticut insurer must respond
Connecticut's Unfair Insurance Practices Act sets no day count for auto claims: insurers must acknowledge and act on claim communications with 'reasonable promptness' and affirm or deny coverage 'within a reasonable time' after proof of loss.
Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-816(6), Unfair claim settlement practices (FindLaw mirror)
If an insurer misses these deadlines, you can file a complaint with the state insurance department. Compare all states:insurance claim deadlines by state.
Next steps after a Connecticut crash
- Got an offer? Check if it's fair in Connecticut
- Write a demand letter
- How Connecticut's fault rule compares
- Whiplash claims
- Broken bone claims
- What a lawyer would cost
Frequently asked questions
- What is a typical car accident settlement in Connecticut?
- It depends on the bills, the injury and fault. Worked example: with $15,000 in medical bills, $5,000 in lost wages and a moderate injury, 20% of the fault, a Connecticut claim against the other driver is worth about $40,000, and the injured person takes home about $25,800 after a 33% attorney fee and costs. At 51% fault, the same claim pays nothing in Connecticut.
- Is Connecticut an at-fault or no-fault state for car accidents?
- Connecticut's car insurance system: At-fault (tort).
- Is there a cap on pain and suffering in Connecticut car accident cases?
- No general cap for typical car accident injury claims. No statutory cap on noneconomic (pain and suffering) damages in Connecticut personal injury cases, including car accidents. No 2023-2026 enactment creating one was found.
- What happens if I was partly at fault for an accident in Connecticut?
- Connecticut follows modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar: you recover nothing if you are 51% or more at fault, and otherwise your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
- How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Connecticut?
- Generally 2 years for personal injury and 2 years for property damage. Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-584: an action for injury to the person or to real or personal property caused by negligence must be brought within 2 years from the date the injury is first sustained or discovered (or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered), and in no case more than 3 years from the date of the act or omission complained of.
- What is the minimum car insurance in Connecticut?
- $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-112(a): $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for injury or death of more than one person in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Public Act 17-114 raised the minimums to 25/50/25 (and the UM/UIM minimums to match) effective January 1, 2018 (per the legislature's Office of Legislative Research act summary, seen in search results; the page itself could not be loaded). HB 6130 of 2025 ('An Act Concerning Minimum Automobile Liability Insurance Coverage') proposed raising the minimums; no evidence was found that it was enacted.
- What is the deadline to file a claim against the government in Connecticut?
- 90 days (road defects) / 6 months (town employees). Crashes caused by a road defect need written notice within 90 days: to the town/city clerk or selectman, or to the Transportation Commissioner for state highways. Claims against a town employee require notice to the town clerk within 6 months. State-vehicle crashes are sued directly within 2 years.
- How long does an insurance company have to respond to a claim in Connecticut?
- Connecticut's Unfair Insurance Practices Act sets no day count for auto claims: insurers must acknowledge and act on claim communications with 'reasonable promptness' and affirm or deny coverage 'within a reasonable time' after proof of loss.
Related
- How much of a settlement you actually get
- Personal injury lawyer fees and fee calculator
- Pain and suffering calculator
- Compare car accident rules in every state
Official sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 13a-149, Damages for injuries by means of defective roads and bridges (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 13a-144, Damages for injuries sustained on state highways (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-465, Assumption of liability for damage caused by employee (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-556, Actions for injuries caused by motor vehicles owned by the state (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-584 (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-816(6), Unfair claim settlement practices (FindLaw mirror)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-572h (FindLaw mirror, current as of 2025-01-01; secondary copy because cga.ct.gov refused connections)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-112 (FindLaw mirror, current as of 2025-01-01)
- OLR summary of PA 17-114 (HB 5963) (Connecticut General Assembly; seen via search, site unreachable during research)
- HB 6130 (2025), An Act Concerning Minimum Automobile Liability Insurance Coverage (Connecticut General Assembly bill text)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-112 and 38a-336 (FindLaw mirrors): required coverages are liability and UM/UIM; no PIP requirement