Connecticut Car Accident Laws

Connecticut's deadline has a distinctive two-part structure: a two-year window from when you were injured or discovered the injury, but never more than three years from the accident itself, no matter what.

Even if an injury takes time to surface, Connecticut law draws a hard line at three years from the accident — the discovery rule only stretches so far.

Statute of limitations: 2 years, 3-year outer limit

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. §52-584, you generally have two years from the date the injury was sustained, or reasonably should have been discovered, to file a lawsuit — but never more than three years from the date of the accident, regardless of when the injury was discovered.

Fault rule: modified comparative negligence, 50% bar

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. §52-572h, you can recover damages if you're found less than 50% at fault, reduced by your percentage. At 50% or more, you recover nothing — a precisely even split bars recovery entirely.

Insurance: at-fault system, 25/50/25 minimum

Connecticut is an at-fault state. Minimum liability limits are 25/50/25: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage matching those limits (25/50) is mandatory.

How this plays out in a real claim

Take an intersection collision where fault is genuinely disputed. If an insurer or court assigns you 40% of the blame, Connecticut's rule still lets you recover 60% of your damages. But if that assessment creeps to 50% or above, the claim is barred entirely under Connecticut's rule — not reduced, eliminated. That single threshold is exactly why insurers have a real incentive to push a borderline case just over the line rather than simply discount what they pay.

A mistake worth avoiding in Connecticut

Because a single percentage point at the 50% threshold can be the entire difference between a reduced payout and nothing at all, careless statements at the scene or to an adjuster carry more weight here than in a pure comparative state. Avoid speculating about fault, even casually, until the full picture — police report, witnesses, any available footage — is in front of you.

If a government vehicle or agency was involved

Connecticut layers several separate notice deadlines depending on the theory of the claim: one year to file with the Claims Commissioner for negligence by the state itself (Conn. Gen. Stat. §4-148), just 90 days' written notice for a defective road or bridge claim against a municipality (§13a-149), and six months' notice for a claim against a municipal employee individually (§7-465). Missing any one of these bars that specific claim even though the underlying two-year statute of limitations hasn't run.

If the crash resulted in a death

Connecticut's wrongful death deadline is two years from the date of death, but never more than five years from the underlying negligent act — a separate statute of repose that can matter if death follows the crash by a long delay. The claim is brought by the executor or administrator of the estate.

Beyond the deadline and the fault rule

The statute of limitations and the fault rule above decide whether you have a claim and how much of it survives — they don't decide what the claim is actually worth, or whether it's worth handling yourself. For that, see our guides on what affects a settlement, who pays your medical bills while a claim is pending, and whether Connecticut law makes a lawyer worth it for your specific situation.

When it's worth talking to someone

With a hard cutoff at exactly 50%, how fault gets assigned in Connecticut can be the entire outcome of a claim. A free, no-obligation conversation is worth having if fault is disputed.