Hartford Personal Injury Law Blog

Many local residents still remember the headline after a deadly tractor-trailer accident on I-95 in 2007. The truck accident killed three and left others injured. Last week, those victims' allegations of negligence were confirmed as a Hartford jury awarded them $15.7 million in damages.

One of the victims in the accident was the driver of the tanker-truck. However, it is the owner of the truck, Northeast Carriers, who will be paying the judgment. One of Northeast Carriers' defenses, that another truck driver contributed to the cause of the accident, was not accepted as a valid defense by the jury.

A Connecticut appellate court recently ruled that a Naugatuck woman could not sue the town of Watertown for injuries stemming from an accident on Route 262. The woman was injured in 2008 after being thrown off the back of a motorcycle. According to reports, the motorcycle was traveling down the highway when she and the driver of the motorcycle came upon an unrelated accident. When a tow truck pulled out in front of the motorcycle, the driver lost control and the woman was thrown from the bike.

The woman was seeking to hold the town of Watertown negligent and partly responsible for her injuries. Since motorcycle accidents often involve serious head or neck injuries, victims of those accidents often have monetary damages that far exceed the value of a single insurance policy's limits. As a result, victims often pursue recovery from all parties that may have contributed to the accident.

In February, President Obama declared in his State of the Union address that in order to make the best products there must be an investment in the best ideas. To back up this declaration, Obama announced that $100 million will be directed toward an initiative to study the human brain, as reported by the Hartford Business Journal. The hope is that the funds will be used to better understand disorders of the brain.

While this particular funding will not be made available until 2014, some of the work may have already begun. For instance, scientists may have made strides in understanding Alzheimer's through brain mapping. But, everyone recognizes that the work is not complete for traumatic brain injury and disorders. There is hope, though, that the brain initiative will make strides toward curing, treating and preventing debilitating brain conditions.

The Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut (BIAC) just hosted their annual celebration and award ceremony. The group recently released the names of eight individuals and organizations that received annual awards at a March luncheon. The recipients were honored for demonstrating a commitment to the field of brain injury.

The BIAC is Connecticut's partner in brain injury prevention and recovery. Founded in 1981, the organization reaches out to schools, governments, and individuals to educate them on the causes and realities of brain injuries. In addition, the group is the only non-profit organization to provide support services to victims of brain trauma. The BIAC helps hundreds of head injury victims get connected to the proper resources.