FAQs

• Do not admit fault – this could be damaging for your potential case.
• Seek medical attention for injuries, even if you feel fine. You must see a doctor for your injuries to be confirmed.
• Get a police report and call 911. Write down the police officer’s name and badge number.
• Avoid speaking with the other driver. Don’t offer your opinion or accept blame.
• Gather the following information:
  • Driver’s name, address and phone number
  • Witness names and contact info
  • Insurance company and policy number
  • Vehicle make, model, year, registration info and license plate
  • Date, time and location of the accident
  • Direction both vehicles were traveling in
  • Weather and driving conditions
  • Take photos from different angles with your phone
• Call and open a claim with your insurance within 24 hours.
• Do not speak with the other party’s insurance company. Avoid speaking with the other party’s insurance company until you have first spoken with a car accident lawyer.
• Call the Connecticut car accident attorneys at The Flood Law Firm.

Avoid giving any statements until you have first spoken with an attorney. Remember: insurance companies are often out to protect their own interests, not yours.

In Connecticut, most people have two years to file a lawsuit for personal injury cases. This is known as the statute of limitations. There are also other requirements for notice within several months of an incident for certain types of cases, which is why it is important to speak with a Connecticut attorney right away.

Each case is vastly different, and your projected case value will depend on several factors. Keep in mind, case value or car accident “calculators” on law firm websites do not consider these variables and can’t offer accurate answers. Only an attorney can give you a reliable estimate once the facts have been understood.

Factors that impact your case include:

1. Injury Severity – This will include the duration and kind of treatment, damage and whether you lost a loved one. Pain and suffering are also determined and counted in your damages.
2. All Related Medical Bills – All medical expenses, including ambulance rides, medication, surgery or anything else are added into the value of your case. You must see a doctor immediately following your injury for it to be verified.
3. Missed Work or Income – When an injury interferes with your ability to provide for yourself, a lawyer will factor the monetary value of this into your case.
4. Emotional Pain and Suffering – Bereavement, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and any mental or emotional distress you’ve undergone are non-physical damages you are able to claim in a lawsuit.
5. Property Damage – This will apply largely to car accident cases but also counts for any lawsuit where insurance isn’t enough to cover lost or damaged personal belongings.

There are more than a few ways to find the right lawyer for your case. Here are our best tips on what to keep in mind as you search for your attorney:

• Choose a lawyer who has trial experience. Remember that not every lawyer you’ll talk to has courtroom experience, and it’s possible your case will need to go to trial. Be prepared for this and make sure your lawyer has a successful track record with handling your type of case.
• Hire a lawyer with relevant experience. There are many different types of law, and your lawyer should have past examples of successful outcomes for cases similar to yours. If you hire a lawyer who focuses on family law, for example, he or she may not understand the nuances of litigating a car accident case.
• Meet them in person. It’s important to not only discuss your potential claim before hiring a lawyer but meet him or her in person to have a better feel for working with them.
• Find a lawyer you feel comfortable with. You’re likely going to be working with this person for months, or even years in certain cases. For this reason, make sure you feel confident about the lawyer you’re working with. At The Flood Law Firm, we’re honored to call many of our past clients family.
• Check referrals from friends or family. If you hear of a lawyer through a friend or family member, check to see if they have experience handling your case type (personal injury). Instead of taking someone else’s word for it, make sure the attorney is right for you.
• Ask a lawyer you know. If you’ve used a lawyer in the past, their experience may not be a good fit for this new case. Having a previous connection to a lawyer does not guarantee a favorable outcome. Ask the lawyer to refer your case to the right law firm.

It’s best to know what to look for when choosing a lawyer. Start with asking the questions below:

• How much experience do you have with this type of case?
• Are you prepared to take my case to trial if necessary?
• What is your success rate at trial?
• How much is my case worth?
• What potential challenges do you see with my case?
• Will I owe any fees if my case loses?
• Which attorney at your firm will be handling my case?
• How is your law firm different from others in the area?
• Do you provide client references?

Meeting with a lawyer for the first time can be intimidating, but there’s no need to feel nervous. At The Flood Law Firm, we offer to meet with you and discuss the details of your potential case completely free of charge. We won’t speak to you in “legalese” or legal jargon and you’re encouraged to ask us anything without hesitation. Follow these tips to make the most of your free legal consultation:

• Be honest. Above all else, be completely honest with your lawyer. It’s natural to want to paint ourselves in a positive light, but glossing over mistakes will only delay your case progress. Your lawyer is trying to determine if you have a case, and can only do so by knowing the facts. Don’t start off on the wrong foot by lying to your lawyer and ruining your credibility. Let your lawyer help you by being as honest as possible.
• Be ready to provide details. Before you meet, take a moment to write out the timeline of the events, collect photos, gather medical records, hospital bills, prescriptions and anything else that will help your lawyer understand what happened.
• Stay focused on the facts. Sharing about an injury can be an emotional experience. Your lawyer has helped many people in your situation and understands this. However, it’s best to try and spend your free initial case review focusing on the facts of your case, rather than processing through your emotions. Try to provide the facts apart from your feelings as much as you can, and it will help you both know how to proceed.
• Ask for clarification. Occasionally, your lawyer may mention a term or concept you aren’t familiar with. Ask for clarification! This shouldn’t happen often, but it’s important that you understand the process and it is your lawyer’s duty to help you with that. Now is the time to ask questions – your lawyer is expecting you to!
• Go with your gut. Your free case evaluation is also meant to help you and your lawyer assess your potential working relationship. Not only are you evaluating them, but your lawyer is also looking to see if it will be a fruitful partnership. If you don’t feel comfortable or vice versa, go with your instinct and choose a lawyer you feel confident about.

It’s impossible for us to make this call without personally assessing your case, so please call us for a free consultation. Lawyers often view cases differently, so simply because one law firm won’t accept your case, it doesn’t mean another law firm won’t be able to successfully represent you.

We are happy to come to you – whether it be in the hospital or in your own home – if your injuries prevent you from traveling.

If you were hit by an unidentified vehicle or an uninsured driver, you may still be able to recover for your damages. In Connecticut, your auto insurance policy provides for uninsured motorist coverage to take care of you in this situation. Call our offices to learn more.

You do. Of course, our legal insight and recommendations are available, but you are ultimately the one to decide whether or not to accept or reject an offer made in your case.

At The Flood Law Firm, we prepare to take every case to trial, however, over 90 percent of our cases settle before then. This aggressive approach is what helps set us apart from other law firms, and you will not catch us unprepared. We know this can mean the difference between mediocre and maximum results.

Each case is different, but most resolve within 18 months to two years on average. Several factors can determine the time it takes for a case to resolve. Please call us for a free case review and we will be happy to discuss your potential case.

All consultations are complimentary! Call us for a free consultation to evaluate your case. If you hire us to represent you, there is still no upfront cost. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means if we don’t recover money for you, you don’t owe us anything.

To be clear, you don’t have to hire a lawyer. But it is entirely in your best interest to do so. It’s hard to imagine that a simple fender bender could turn into a lawsuit, but we see it happen every day. Insurance companies, sadly, are often out to protect their bottom line – not yours. When this happens, do you know your rights? Do you know the laws surrounding them? Here are a few ways a lawyer can help:

• We deal with the drama. Let us field the phone calls from insurance adjusters, bill collectors and anyone else who may try to harass you during this stressful time. We will take care of it.
• We handle the paperwork. There will be minimal participation necessary from you, but rest assured that we will be the ones to request important documentation, reports, records, witness testimonies, meet time-sensitive deadlines and anything else your case might require. The legal process can be daunting and time-consuming. We will take care of it!
• You receive fair and just compensation for your losses. Studies show that victims of serious injuries who hire a lawyer receive on average 40% more for their claim than when not hiring a lawyer.

Hiring an attorney releases the burden of a lawsuit into the hands of an experienced litigator. Our law firm will do all the work while your only job is to heal.

Our results speak for themselves. We are compassionate attorneys who care about winning our clients the best results possible. Every law firm says they will fight for you, but we have the verdicts to prove it.