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Oct 07, 2026
If you believe that another party is responsible for injuring you or a family member, you may have grounds to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for your losses. However, it is vital to understand the Connecticut personal injury statute of limitations, which dictates the time limit you have to file your claim and pursue compensation.
The team at Buckley Wynne & Parese has been serving clients in Connecticut for more than 140 years.
Connecticut Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations is the time you have to file a particular type of case.
In Connecticut, the standard statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years. You generally must file your claim no later than two years after your injury happened or after you discovered the harm. But there’s a hard outer limit too: no matter when you discover the harm, you can’t sue more than three years after the act that caused it.
This may sound like plenty of time to file your case, but the reality is that it may take longer to build a personal injury case than you expect.
Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations
If you are filing a medical malpractice case, you generally must file within two years of when you discovered the malpractice – or should have discovered it – but no matter when you discover it, the law cuts off your right to sue three years after the act that caused the injury. The three-year mark is a hard outer limit, not the usual filing window. You should also know Connecticut requires a written opinion from a qualified expert before a malpractice case can even be filed.
Special Notice Deadlines for Claims Against Cities, Towns, and the State
While the standard two-year statute of limitations covers most negligence claims, Connecticut law imposes much shorter notice deadlines when the party responsible for an injury is a city, town, or the state itself.
Under Connecticut General Statutes § 13a-149, anyone injured because of a defective road, bridge, or sidewalk must give written notice describing the injury, its cause, and the time and place it occurred to the appropriate town, city, or borough official within 90 days of the injury, even though the lawsuit itself must still be filed within two years. Missing that 90-day window can end a claim before it ever reaches a judge, regardless of how strong the underlying case is.
Claims against a municipality or a municipal employee follow a similar pattern under Connecticut General Statutes § 7-465. You have two years from your injury to sue the municipality and employee together. But you also need to give the town written notice – including when and where you were hurt – within six months of your injury, or you lose that right.
These notice periods run separately from, and much faster than, the two-year filing deadline, so anyone hurt by a road hazard, a municipal vehicle, or a city employee’s negligence should talk to an attorney right away instead of waiting to see how the injury develops.
Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death Claims in Connecticut
When a personal injury results in a family member’s death, Connecticut applies a different deadline than the two-year rule for ordinary injury claims. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 52-555, the executor or administrator of the deceased person’s estate may bring a wrongful death action, but no such action may be brought more than two years from the date of death, and no action may be brought more than five years from the date of the act or omission complained of.
This second, five-year deadline is known as a statute of repose, and Connecticut courts have treated it as an absolute cutoff even when a loved one lingers for years before passing away.
Because the five-year clock starts on the date of the underlying crash, fall, or medical error rather than the date of death, families facing a slow decline after a catastrophic injury cannot assume they have years to decide whether to pursue a wrongful death claim once a loved one passes.
Acting quickly after any catastrophic injury, not just after a death, is the safest way to preserve a family’s legal options.
Building Your Personal Injury Case in Connecticut
It is possible for a personal injury case to arise from many situations. For example, the Connecticut Crash Data Repository recorded 103,357 vehicle accidents throughout the state during 2024, and vehicle crashes are a leading cause of personal injuries throughout the United States each year.
It is also possible for personal injury cases to pertain to slip-and-fall accidents, incidents in the workplace,criminal acts, and defective consumer products. No matter how your personal injury happened, success with your case could require various types of evidence that may not be obtainable for very long, and you may not know how to obtain them on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens if I Do Not File a Personal Injury Case Within the Statute of Limitations?
If you do not file a personal injury case within the statute of limitations, the court will likely dismiss it. The defendant could simply file a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that you failed to meet the statute of limitations, and you would have minimal legal options in this situation.
What Is the Date of Discovery in a Personal Injury Case?
In a personal injury case, the date of discovery is the date that the plaintiff discovered the harm done by another party. Some personal injuries are not immediately recognizable, and it is also possible for a victim to suffer an injury but fail to realize that another party caused it right away.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
You should hire a personal injury lawyer to maximize your chance of success with your case. Even if the fault for your injury seems clear, the reality is that you could encounter a host of complications that you will not know how to resolve on your own.
How Long Does It Take to Settle a Personal Injury Case in Connecticut?
The time it could take to settle a personal injury case in Connecticut will vary based on multiple factors. When a defendant is clearly responsible for causing the injury, they may be inclined to settle the case swiftly through pretrial settlement negotiations. If both parties are willing to compromise, it is generally much faster than litigation.
Do I Need to Settle My Personal Injury Case Within the Statute of Limitations?
No, you do not need to settle your personal injury case within the statute of limitations. The Connecticut personal injury statute of limitations applies to the filing of the case with the court. You must file it within the statute of limitations or lose your chance to claim compensation from the defendant.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Wrongful Death Claim in Connecticut?
Connecticut law gives the executor or administrator of a deceased person’s estate two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit, but Connecticut General Statutes § 52-555 also sets an outside limit of five years from the date of the act or omission that caused the death, regardless of when the person actually died.
Contact the Connecticut Personal Injury Attorneys at Buckley Wynne & Parese Today
The team at Buckley Wynne & Parese has the skills and experience to handle the most challenging personal injury cases in Connecticut. We strive to help each client recover fair compensation.
Our firm has represented clients in some of Connecticut’s most serious personal injury matters, including a $9,000,000 settlement for a client who suffered a spinal cord injury in a construction incident and an $8,500,000 settlement following a catastrophic brain injury during a commercial inspection. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney and learn how we can help.
