If You Were Hurt in a New Year’s Eve Car Accident, You Should Call an Attorney Immediately

For many people, New Year’s Eve is a time for gathering with friends and family, reflecting on the year behind them, and making plans for the year to come. In addition, the holiday has become synonymous with drinking and revelry, and many people overindulge in alcohol on December 31st, intentionally or otherwise.

While having a few too many on New Year’s Eve is perfectly acceptable for many people getting behind the wheel of a car is not. Unfortunately, many people do exactly this, despite increased police patrols, DUI checkpoints, and the knowledge that they are putting everyone on the road at risk.

Drunk Driving Accidents Usually Entitle Victims to Compensation

If you became the victim of a drunk driver this past New Year’s Eve, there is a very strong chance that you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. Under Connecticut law, individuals who are hurt by the negligence of others can recover compensation, and driving drunk would be considered negligent in almost every conceivable case.

Do NOT Settle Your Case Without First Speaking to an Attorney

As a victim of a drunk driver, you may be tempted to represent yourself in the claims process, as the drunk driver’s insurance company is almost certainly going to settle. Doing so would almost certainly be a mistake. It’s important to understand that insurance companies do not have any obligation to settle a case for a fair amount and will do everything they can to pay you as little as possible. When you don’t have a lawyer, they will take advantage of the fact that you don’t know the real value of your case and engage in tactics that are designed to get you to settle for less. These include:

• Waiting for your medical bills to pile up before making a settlement offer
• Demanding that you provide a recorded statement to process your claim when one is not required
• Requesting authorization to sift through all of your medical records in an effort to find anything in your past that could justify calling your injuries a “pre-existing condition”
• Misrepresenting your legal rights (for example, telling you that you are not entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering)
• Making an unreasonably low initial offer so that a subsequent, but still insufficient, offer sounds sufficient
• Advising you against retaining a lawyer

Call Polito & Harrington Today to Speak with a New London Personal Injury Attorney

Car accident victims should always retain legal counsel, no matter what the circumstances. At Polito & Harrington, we work closely with accident victims and provide aggressive representation that gets our clients the compensation they deserve under Connecticut law. We are never afraid to take a case to trial and are qualified to stand up to the largest insurance companies in the country. To schedule a free case evaluation with one of our injury lawyers in New London, Connecticut, call our office today at (860) 447-3300 or contact us online.