Victim of a Connecticut DUI / DWI Car Accident? Know Your Rights!

If you or your family member have been the victim of a DWI / DUI / drunk driving arrest in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien or anywhere in Connecticut, then you know how stressful it is to have to deal with chasing down insurance companies, getting your car repaired, and dealing with doctors, in addition to coping with your injuries, emotional trauma and court-related stressors from being a victim of a Connecticut DUI / DWI / drunk driving arrest.

That’s why some of the top Connecticut DUI / DWI victim lawyers and attorneys offer assistance to DUI / DWI victims in both the criminal and civil courts. For more clarity on the court process, we’ve laid out 3 practice points you should know immediately after being the victim of a Connecticut DUI / DWI / drunk driving accident

Before the Court Process Even Begins, Insurance Companies Will Take Your Recorded Statement

That’s right. Even though you were the victim of a Connecticut DUI / DWI, the insurance companies (both yours and the drunk driver’s) will call you for a recorded statement just a day or two after the accident. And even if you didn’t do anything wrong, the recorded interview will be intense and anything you say can and will be used against you in the drunk driver’s criminal case or in your personal injury claim or lawsuit against the Connecticut drunk driver. So if you were coming from a restaurant, party, bar, or were legally talking on a hands-free cell phone, then there’s a chance the drunk driver’s lawyer or the insurance company lawyers will try to shift the blame against you or try to manufacture a case against you, as the victim. So talk to any of the best Connecticut drunk driving / DUI / DWI victim lawyers before talking to your insurance company on a recorded line.

Connecticut DWI / DUI Deaths Need Aggressive Evidence Preservation

If your family member was tragically killed in a DUI / DWI / drunk driving wreck, then you must make sure evidence of the arrested driver’s cell phone activity and medical records are properly preserved. A top Connecticut DUI / DWI personal injury lawyer attorney will immediately connect with the police department’s “CARS” Unit (Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Unit) as well as the prosecutor / state’s attorney overseeing the investigation to ensure that evidence is being properly preserved and every lead is being investigated.

You Can Seek Immediate Restitution for Your Out-of-Pocket Expenses

What the criminal courts often don’t explain so well is that you can work with the criminal court to seek immediate reimbursement from the drunk driver for your out-of-pocket expenses such as hospital bills, car repair costs, and rental car payments. On the other hand, damages for a DUI / DWI drunk driving death, or for accident-related pain, suffering, lost wages, and damages for permanent injuries such as broken bones, loss of range of motion, and chronic neck or back pain can only be recovered in a Connecticut wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit in the Stamford, Bridgeport, Danbury of New Haven Connecticut civil courts.

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