It’s sometimes difficult to obtain the details of an accident until after the investigation is completed by authorities and a final report issued. Of course sometimes official versions are wrong or contain inaccuracies, so that an injured party will want to obtain an independent investigation if there are serious injuries and litigation may develop. An accident occurred in Connecticut recently in which sparse initial reports make it difficult to determine fault.

The car crash involved two vehicles in a violent collision in the intersection of Brook and Artisan streets in Bristol. A 59-year-old Bristol woman who drove one of the vehicles was trapped in the rubble and had to be extricated by emergency workers. She was taken to a hospital in the Hartford area with head and chest injuries where she was listed in stable condition.

The second driver was a 44-year-old man who was operating a pickup truck. He was headed south on Brook Street approaching the intersection with Artisan. The woman was operating her car east on Artisan approaching the intersection with Brook Street. She had a stop sign, and entered the intersection with the intention of turning left when the car crash occurred.

The reports don’t indicate whether the pickup driver also had a stop sign. If the pickup had no stop sign and was in the right-of-way, then it may be that the car negligently entered the intersection without paying proper attention. In that event, she would not be able to recover compensation for her serious injuries.

According to the law of negligence in Connecticut and other states, if the pickup driver also had a stop sign, and didn’t stop or entered the intersection without looking, then the driver of the car would be able to pursue a claim for serious injuries. The facts will probably be fairly easy to clear up once the complete statements of both drivers are considered. Also, the investigation is ongoing, so that the final police report will be helpful in determining fault.

Source: wtnh.com, “1 hospitalized in 2-vehicle crash,” June 11, 2013