The Purpose of CT Injury Law

What is the purpose of CT injury law?

Taylor Swift is on the radio. She’s your daughter’s favorite.

The Purpose of CT Injury Law
The Purpose of CT Injury Law

You’re driving down the highway. It’s raining. You need to take your daughter to Target to get a bathing suit. And once in Target you know you won’t leave without buying a dozen other things that you forgot you needed. As you are minding your business and staying in lane you can smell Target’s popcorn. It has been one of those days. One of those days where you may be able to pass on the popcorn but there’s no way you’ll escape without passing on some in store Starbucks. None.

Then you look in your rearview mirror and see the 18 wheeler behind you. It’s far too close. And then you hear the truck’s air brakes and feel a “bump”. Your car fishtails. Suddenly you are sideways and being pushed by an mack truck down the highway. This goes on for what feels like an eternity.

Your daughter asks “Daddy, are we going to be okay?”

You say “Yes, honey”. Knowing full well that if your wheel catches your wife will lose both her husband and her daughter.

By the grace of God, the truck and your car comes to a stop. Your windows are blown out. Your car has heavy damage. But you didn’t roll. You are alive. You are “okay”.

When you post about it on facebook you write “we were in an accident but we’re okay”. By “okay” you mean you’re not dead. The muscles in your neck continue to spasm and you hit your head on the window. You hurt in places you didn’t know you had. Your car is totaled.

All things considered you’re lucky. Insurance helps you pay for a rental car. And gets you prompt payment allowing you to get a new car.

You went to the hospital. They did X-rays, said nothing was broken, gave you some prescription muscle relaxers and told you to contact your doctor. You did. Your doctor recommends you go for physical therapy. Your bills are being paid by your health insurance. You have some co-pays but fortunately they are manageable.

You’re not a lawsuit guy. You see the guys on TV and know that people milk claims to get money they don’t deserve. You’re not that guy. You go to work even though it hurts.

The headaches persist. Your daughter has nightmares.

Your friend says “you should really talk to a lawyer about this”. You initially dismiss the idea. But the thought sticks with you.

What good will making a personal injury claim do?

1. The Purpose of CT Injury Law: Accountability

We all know that “bad conduct rewarded is bad conduct repeated”. It is the most basic thing about parenting. If you don’t correct your daughter’s conduct by holding her accountable you have rewarded it. And you know you are in store for more of that conduct in the future. The same thing is true for drivers, companies, and insurance companies. If you don’t stand up and hold them accountable for everything they have done it will happen again. And maybe next time someone isn’t so lucky. Maybe next time a tire catches, a car flips, and the car and its occupants are crushed like a tin can.

Hitting businesses, drivers, and insurance companies in their wallet is the only way to make things safer. It is the only language that big companies understand.

2. The Purpose of CT Injury Law: Responsibility 

You believe in personal responsibility. You live it. You mess up, you fess up. You make it right.

We have plenty of safety laws. Laws that are written from the blood of those who have died before. Laws are only words. Laws mean nothing unless ordinary folks stand up and enforce them. Our legal system depends on the personal responsibility of its citizens to enforce its laws and hold wrongdoers fully accountable.

When you stand up and hold a wrongdoer accountable you may discover what happened to you wasn’t just a mistake. Maybe the trucking company hired a driver who wasn’t qualified. Maybe the company chose not to perform maintenance on the truck. You won’t know unless you make the wrongdoer stand up to the standard you hold yourself to – personal responsibility.

3. The Purpose of CT Injury Law: Making You Whole

Your daughter shouldn’t be having those nightmares.

You shouldn’t be losing sleep because you can’t get comfortable. And the headaches. They interfere with your job. You grit your teeth and push on. But you did nothing wrong here.

Law is limited by the laws of physics and biology. No court can undo what has been done to you. And no court can heal you. All the law can provide you with is money. Money to make up for what has been lost. For what you and your daughter have been put through.

You’re not entitled to more. And you shouldn’t accept less. Just having your medical bills paid is welfare. It doesn’t make you whole.

Takeaways

Holding wrongdoers accountable and making them take personal responsibility is what our country and legal system are founded on. We don’t do this for fun. Rather we do this because we know it saves lives. We know that standing up is hard. But when you stand up, the trucking company may change its rules. The driver may put his phone down.

You may be able to be made as whole as the law can make you. The law can’t make up for your daughter’s bad memories. But the trucking company should pay so you can use some of the money to create new and positive memories with her.

And the only way you hold wrongdoers accountable is by making sure you are made whole.

You can learn more about CT Personal Injury law by checking out our law vault.

Ryan McKeen is a trial attorney at Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC in Glastonbury, Connecticut. In 2016, he was honored by the CT Personal Injury Hall of Fame for securing one of the highest settlements in the state. He is a New Leader in the Law. ABA 100. Avvo 10. 40 under 40 for Hartford Business Journal. He has been quoted in Time Magazine, the New York Times, Hartford Courant, Wall Street Journal Law Blog and the Hartford Business Journal. He focuses his practice on Connecticut Personal Injury law. He loves what he does. Contact him ryan@cttrialfirm.com or 860 471 8333

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