Car Accident Statute of Limitations in Connecticut

Last verified 2026-07 · Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 ✓ verified · 3 sources

If you're researching car accident lawsuits in Connecticut, the single most important number is 2 years. That's how long Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 gives you to file a car accident lawsuit, counted from the date the injury is first sustained or discovered (in a crash case, ordinarily the date of the accident). File even one day late and the court will almost certainly dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.

Connecticut Deadlines for Related Claims

When the Clock Starts

In Connecticut, the limitations period for car accident lawsuits generally begins on the date the injury is first sustained or discovered (in a crash case, ordinarily the date of the accident). Connecticut recognizes a discovery rule for this claim type: Section 52-584's two-year clock runs from when the injury is first sustained or discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered, but an absolute three-year repose period from the negligent act caps late-discovered claims.

Exceptions That Can Extend the Deadline

• Fraudulent concealment: if the defendant actively hid the wrongdoing, the deadline may be extended until it was or should have been uncovered.
• Defendant leaves the state: absence can pause the clock in many circumstances.
• Government-claim trap: A suit tied to a Connecticut municipal employee's negligence requires written notice of intent to sue filed with the municipal clerk within six months after the cause of action accrued (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-465), and Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-556 gives crash victims a direct right of action against the state for negligent operation of state-owned, insured motor vehicles.

Connecticut provides no general minority tolling for negligence claims — a 2015 General Assembly Judiciary Committee report described it as the only state without some tolling of the limitations period for minors' general tort claims — so a child's car-accident claim runs on the same § 52-584 clock.

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584, official Connecticut statute · verified 2026-07

What to Do Before the Deadline Runs

1. Pin down your accrual date — the day the clock started — and calendar the deadline conservatively.
2. Preserve evidence now: photos, records, witness contacts, bills. Evidence decays faster than deadlines.
3. Send preservation/notice letters where required (especially for Connecticut government defendants).
4. If the deadline is inside 6 months, treat it as urgent — filing suit is the only reliable way to stop the clock.

How Connecticut Compares to Nearby States

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Deadlines have exceptions that depend on your facts — confirm with a licensed Connecticut attorney.