Category: Car Accidents

Connecticut Car Accident Settlement With Little Visible Property Damage

Attorney James Sabatini has reached another settlement for his client involved in a car accident that left little visible property damage.  Cases involving little visible property damage are challenging.  The lack of visible property damage provides the defense lawyer with a simple and easy argument- if there is no significant property damage, how can there be a real injury?  There are multiple ways in which to counter such an argument.  One, while there may be little visible property damage, has there been an inspection of the vehicle behind the bumper cover.  In many instances, the damage from the collision is covered by the bumper guard. Two, did anyone hear a noise caused by the impact? If the answer is yes, then the impact was significant enough to cause a noise. Three, did the impact cause the body of the occupant of the vehicle to be moved. If yes, then the impact was significant and real. Four, was the defendant surprised by the lack of damage to his car. If yes, then the impact was significant. Five, did the injured person have any prior injuries/accidents or subsequent injuries/accidents involving the same body part claimed to be injured in the present collision. If the answer is no, it is a powerful argument that through a process of elimination, only the subject collision could have caused the injuries. Six, do you have a credible doctor supporting the person’s claim of injury? If you do  not, the chances of success are seriously if utterly damaged.  These are some but not all of the items used to take a case that is perceived to be weak by the insurance company and transform itin to a case of strength resulting either in a strong settlement or well positioned for a successful outcome at trial.

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Law Firm’s Personal Injury Attorneys Retained By Man Injured In Car Collision

Connecticut man seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision that occured in Windsor Locks has retained the personal injury lawyers at Sabatini and Associates, LLC to represent him in his case.  For over the past 35 years, the firm has been representing clients injured in car crashes.   The type of motor vehicle collision cases are various.  For example,  we have represented pedestrians struck by a motor vehicle, single car accidents caused by a defective highway, truck accidents, collisions caused by drunk drivers, defective air bag cases, hit and run accidents, motorcycle accidents and work-related motor vehicle collisions.  The cases are taken strictly on a contingency fee basis – no fee or costs to the client unless we obtain a successful monetary recovery either by way of settlement or jury trial. Consultations are free of charge so if you have been injured in a car accident, contact our injury attorneys today.

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Another Tragic Case of Teenage Drinking & Driving

In the early morning hours of August 25, 2010, a Connecticut teen driver lost control of her SUV while on the on ramp to I-91 N in Enfield and collided into a tractor-trailer.  A half empty bottle of vodka was in the car.  The teen driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.065 per a blood test taken at Baystate Hospital following the collision. Tragically, one of the teen passengers was killed in the collision.  Reports indicate that the teen driver had been drinking vodka shots at a house party before the fatal collision.  The teen driver is now facing numerous criminal charges including negligent homicide with a motor vehicle. 

This is unfortunately another sad case involving driving while under the influence of alcohol.  Despite the media attention to the issue, greater education on the perils of drinking and driving, and enhanced civil and criminal penalties, teen drivers continue to drink and drive.  Will this latest tragedy change anything?  – Hopefully it will.

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Fully Disclose That Prior Injury

Sitting in the doctor’s examination room for the first time following a car accident, your attention will be focused, understandably so, on the injuries from the car accident.  However, make sure when the doctor asks you about your prior medical history that you tell the doctor about any prior problem to the same or similar body part that is now injured from the car accident.  For example, if you are complaining of left knee pain following the car accident and five years earlier you suffered from a left knee problem, make sure you disclose that information to the doctor.  By disclosing the information, the doctor will include the information in his treatment records and more importantly the doctor will be able to determine what injuries were caused by the car accident, what pre-existing conditions may have been aggravated by the car accident, and what conditions may be unrelated to the car accident.  If you do not disclose the information, you will face two large problems in your personal injury claim.  Problem one – the defense attorney for the insurance company will paint you as a liar.  The insurance lawyer’s argument will be that you intentionally failed to disclose the information to your doctor because you wanted the doctor to connect all your health problems to the car accident so you could get more money.  Problem two – your doctor may have to change his opinions about what injuries were caused by the car accident after he already committed to certain opinions in his medical records.  So avoid all of this by fully disclosing any prior injury or condition.  If you do forget to tell your doctor about the prior condition or injury, as soon as you remember the prior history, contact the doctor and disclose the information.  When it comes time to settle or go to trial on your car accident you will be happy that you made the full disclosure.

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Fatal Car Crashes Decrease Nationwide For The Fourth Consecutive Year

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently reported that fatal car crashes have decreased for a fourth consecutive year since the statistical high in 2005. There were 33,963 motor vehicle fatalities in 2009, a decline of 8.9% from 2008 when there were 37,261 fatalities. The difference between 2008 and 2007 was even more dramatic, with 41,259 wrongful death accidents in 2007 reduced by 10.5 % in 2008. From 2005 to 2009, traffic fatalities dropped significantly, by approximately 22%.

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