Personal Injury Attorneys
When you are injured because of someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation. You have a right to injury compensation, and you want a personal injury lawyer who does not take your injury lightly.
At Hassett & George, our Hartford County personal injury law firm wants you to know how our experience in fighting for clients will benefit you.
Verdicts & Settlements
$250,000 YOUNG CHILD BITTEN BY DOG.
After a small child was attacked by a dog at a social event, the family came to Hassett & George for assistance. The child suffered bites to her face, but luckily she did not sustain any life-threatening injuries. The family was grateful to Attorney Jeff McDonald and his team for recovering $250,000 on their behalf. If you or your loved one suffers an injury through no fault of their own, contact the attorneys at Hassett & George, we are here to help.
$1.4 Million Wrongful Death
In this wrongful death case, a driver of a limousine exited his vehicle at a gas station without placing it in park. The limo rolled away while the driver was inside the gas station, crossing four lanes of travel and a major intersection, striking our client who was waiting at a bus stop. Our client died four days later. We were able to secure video footage showing the limousine company was at fault and got $1.4M for the victim’s family.
$1.2M Product Liability
Our client lost eyesight in one of his eyes when he was injured by a defective airbag. Our product liability lawyers were able to prove the cause of the injury was the result and obtain $1.2M for our client.
$1 Million Head-On Car Collision
A husband and wife were seriously injured in a head-on collision, requiring Life Star treatment to an area hospital, followed by a lengthy and complicated course of treatment. The husband sustained a severe open fracture to his right ankle requiring multiple emergency surgeries, as well as multiple rib fractures. The wife also sustained multiple rib fractures, as well as injuries to her right elbow, left foot, right knee and right arm. When the operator of the other vehicle did not have enough insurance to cover these serious injuries, Hassett & George filed a second claim on their clients’ behalf seeking underinsured motorist coverage. We fought hard to maximize our clients’ recovery and provide relief for the devastating injuries suffered.
$900,000 Commercial Van Accident
Our client was picking up her child at school when she was rear-ended by a distracted driver operating a commercial van. She sustained significant injuries including a traumatic brain injury. The impact was devastating, and the injuries were life altering. The client was taken by Life Star from the scene of the accident and admitted to a local hospital for weeks. Hassett & George vigorously pursued claims against the driver of the commercial van and his insurance company. When the insurance proceeds were not enough, we pursued personal contribution from the owner of the vehicle, maximizing the financial recovery for our client.
$800,000 Car Accident in Norfolk
Hassett & George’s personal injury team recovered $800,000 on behalf of a local couple involved in a serious car accident in Norfolk, CT. The husband and wife were seriously injured in the head-on accident, which required Life Star treatment to an area hospital, followed by a lengthy and complicated course of treatment. Attorneys Lou George and Jeff McDonald fought hard to maximize their clients’ recovery and provide relief for the devastating injuries suffered.
$400,000 Vehicle Accident
Our client was driving down the street when a car pulled out of a side street and T-boned his vehicle, forcing him across the center line into oncoming traffic where he was hit head-on by another vehicle. He suffered a torn knee ligament requiring surgery, as well as a fractured ankle also requiring surgery. After extensive discovery, Hassett & George was able to obtain a $400,000 pre-trial settlement.
$265,000 Under-Insured Motorist Claim
$200,000 Slip & Fall
Our client fell on a rubber mat lain outside the entrance to a store that was concealing a depression in the sidewalk. She fell forward on her knees, jerking her head in the process. Her neck began to hurt a few weeks later, requiring surgery. Luckily, she had an excellent recovery. We settled the slip and fall case for $200,000.
$120,000 Car Accident
A young driver made an illegal turn on red, striking our client broadside as he passed through an intersection. The collision caused neck and back pain that resolved within a few months. Our attorneys caught the responsible driver in a lie about his pre-accident activities and was able to obtain a pre-trial settlement of $120,000.
$100,000 Slip and Fall Accident in New Haven
Confidential Pre-Suit Settlement For Young Mother
Attorney Conroy obtained a favorable confidential pre-suit settlement for a young mother whose baby was stillborn at eight months’ gestation. Her obstetrician had missed a key indicator of fetal distress during a routine visit, and the baby was stillborn a week later. Hassett & George’s investigation, in consultation with obstetrics experts, determined that the baby could have been saved if the proper protocols had been followed. The settlement obtained helped the client to close a painful chapter in her life and avoid having to prolong and re-live it through litigation. Hassett & George attorneys pride themselves on their ability to tailor their approach to best suit the needs of their clients and their unique circumstances.
What Is Personal Injury?
Any injury to a person — as opposed to a piece of property — falls under the umbrella of personal injury. Personal injuries are not just physical; they can be mental, emotional, or even reputational. Personal injury tends to arise out of:
Intentional wrongs/torts: These stem from intentional acts from the defendant, such as battery (direct physical force), assault (behavior causing apprehension of harm), and trespass.
Negligence: Negligence means that someone had a duty of care to you and failed to fulfill that duty by act or omission. It could be a lawyer-client, doctor-patient, property owner-visitor, or other situation. If a reasonable person in the defendant’s position would not have acted that way and you were injured as a result, they were negligent.
Strict liability scenarios: In many situations, the plaintiff has to prove that someone intentionally did the act or made the omission that ended up injuring them. In some cases, statutes identify offenses in which the person’s mental state has no bearing, such as when a product default causes injury even if the manufacturer had not intended for the defect to exist.
Examples of Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury can result from a variety of incidents/events, such as:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents and tractor trailer accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Wrongful death
- Brain injuries (TBI)
- Hit and run accidents
- Product liability or defective products
- Negligent security or premises liability
- Dog bites
- Slip and fall accidents
- Boating accidents
- Catastrophic Injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Swimming pool accidents
- Construction accidents
- Scooter accidents
Nonphysical personal injury can be the result of things like malicious prosecution, defamation, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, and personal injury damages.
In a personal injury claim, the plaintiff may be entitled to damages — or compensation — for the injury or resulting loss. This can include lost wages or opportunity, medical expenses, travel costs, and pain and suffering.
How Can a Connecticut Personal Injury Attorney Help You?
Whether you are in Glastonbury, Simsbury, or anywhere else in Hartford County (CT), if you have suffered a personal injury, a personal injury attorney can provide vital assistance in a number of ways.
Explaining Your Legal Rights and Entitlements
Personal injury law can be a highly technical subject area touching on numerous statutes, industries, and professions; and the law can differ from state to state. Attorneys who specialize in personal injury law can help you assess your situation and break down the legal issues for you. They can also tell you about any applicable time limits you face as you take your next steps.
Providing Advice and Strategy
The legal system can be daunting. Personal injury attorneys can provide invaluable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your case, what evidence you have, and what evidence needs to be gathered to optimize your chances for a good result.
Many people don’t realize that there is often some investigative work and fact-gathering that can be done to fortify a party’s legal position — not only to prove what their side is saying but also to disprove what their opponent is saying.
Communicating with the insurance company
Dealing with the other side’s insurance company (and, in some cases, even your own) is usually better handled by an accident attorney. Insurance companies have their own agenda — mainly to pay out as little as they can. They will be looking for ways to deny liability or limit reimbursements.
They can be clever and shrewd in their dealings with injured parties. You may think you are giving an honest, innocuous answer, but you could actually be arming the other side. Personal injury lawyers can advocate for clients while preserving their legal protections.
Conducting Negotiations and Trials
In most lawsuits, involved parties often end up settling so they can avoid the time and expense of conducting a trial. Settlement negotiations can therefore be key to getting proper compensation for an injured person. Personal injury lawyers can fight for what is best for their clients and ensure fairness in the negotiation process itself.
Of course, if negotiations don’t result in a settlement, the lawyer can provide legal representation and conduct court hearings and, ultimately, the trial. There are many technical rules governing evidence, witness evidence, and expert testimony — as well as nuances to the legal concepts — that only lawyers know.
What Do I Do After an Accident?
Sustaining a personal injury is stressful enough, but there will be more challenges to come as the case progresses. If you have been injured, you should:
Seek medical attention: Some injuries don’t show up for days, even weeks, after the initial accident. Doctors and health professionals can also provide necessary evidence of the extent of your injuries.
Get legal advice. The earlier you contact a personal injury attorney, the better.
They are familiar with the various tactics insurance companies use to minimize people’s claims and can ensure that your rights and entitlements are protected from the get-go.
Follow your lawyer’s instructions: Your lawyer will know what investigation and evidence gathering must be done to give you the best chances at the compensation you deserve. They may ask you to seek additional medical opinions and take other steps. Even if this seems like a hassle, following through will only help you with your case.
How Much Is My Connecticut Personal Injury Case Worth?
Every personal injury case is different. The compensation you are legally entitled to will depend on what injuries you have sustained (not just physical), how much financial loss has occurred, the kinds of expenses you have, and how egregious the other party’s conduct was.
Types of reimbursements in personal injury cases tend to include:
- Medical expenses — doctor visits, prescriptions/medications, medical equipment, medical care (such as at home)
Lost wages — from missing or leaving work, sometimes including impending promotions and other financial opportunities that you would have had prior to the accident - Pain and suffering — as opposed to compensation for something definitively lost
- Punitive damages — related more to the conduct of the other side, not just how extensive your injuries are.
If the personal injury resulted in death and the injured person was family, you could be entitled to recover funeral expenses. If they were your spouse, you could even recover for loss of companionship.
How to Choose a Hartford County Injury Lawyer
When choosing a personal injury law firm or personal injury lawyer in Glastonbury, Simsbury, or anywhere else in Hartford County (CT), you should consider the following:
- Personal injury expertise and legal background
- Professional/disciplinary record
- Testimonials
- Fee and expense arrangements
You should also consider the fit between you and your lawyer. After all, you need to work closely together, trust each other, and feel like the other is personally invested in the case.
Will You Take My Case?
After 30 years of taking on personal injury cases from Glastonbury, Middletown, Simsbury, Hartford County and the rest of Connecticut, there is nothing our attorneys have not tried.
Our Connecticut personal injury law firm has represented clients who were injured as a result of car crashes, truck injuries, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents and much more.
Aggressive Litigators Who Will Not Back Down
For countless years, our Connecticut injury law firm has fought for our clients to receive maximum compensation for their injuries. We have successfully obtained a variety of compensation for our clients, including, compensation for current and future medical bills, lost wages, and other non-economic damages.
Do Not Allow The Negligent Party To Walk Free
Learn why countless clients have entrusted us to handle their case. With our experience, we know when to be aggressive and when to settle. We will work to get you the outcome to which you are entitled. Call us today at 860-651-1333, or use our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.
Meet the team who will be fighting for you…
Louis George, a founding partner of the firm, has been litigating cases for over 30 years. Lou oversees our Personal Injury Team and gets personally involved in each case to make sure we’re doing the very best we can for each and every client. He has a passion for representing plaintiffs, especially those who deserve compensation for their suffering.
Having managed hundreds of personal injury cases in his career, Lou knows how to implement strategies that will secure the most money for our clients. Lou and the other attorneys at Hassett & George are not afraid to try cases. While we do our best to settle cases, if we don’t feel that our client isn’t getting what he/she deserves, we’re off to the courtroom.
An avid UConn fan, you can find Lou at football, basketball and hockey games in his spare time.
Michael Conroy has tried dozens of cases to verdict in the state and federal courts of Connecticut. Mike began his career as a property and casualty claim adjuster for a major insurance company, which provided him with in-depth knowledge and understanding of insurance policies.
Mike has been the lead attorney in all types of personal injury cases, ranging from car accidents to medical malpractice to slip and falls to wrongful death cases. He has a long track record of obtaining favorable results for his clients.
When not in the office, Mike is playing lacrosse or spending time with family in Vermont.
Jeffrey McDonald has spent much of his career in the courtroom. Having extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants, he has a knack for seeing both sides of a case. Jeff represents clients in a myriad of personal injury matters including car accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, incidents occurring in bars and restaurants, and sexual assaults. He recently settled a $1.4M wrongful death case.
Jeff spends his spare time golfing, playing poker, and coaching his kids’ sports teams.
Katey Smith, paralegal extraordinaire, will be with you every step of the way. With her cheerful personality, Katey has a way of making our clients feel right at home. She’s always around to answer your questions and explain to you where we are in the process. You can count on Katey to be following up with you regularly to see how you’re doing.
As a team, we’ve recovered millions of dollars for our clients. You can trust our team to fight for you.
Some of the locations in and around Hartford County our personal injury attorneys serve include: Hartford, Simsbury, Glastonbury, New Britain, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Danbury, Norwalk, Manchester, Windsor, Farmington, Windsor Locks, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Avon, Bloomfield, Bristol, Enfield, Newington, South Windsor, Southington, Plainville and more.