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By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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What to do after a burn in Connecticut
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says most adults suffer third-degree burns from 150°F water in two seconds, and it urges families to set water heaters at 120°F (CPSC). If you or your child was scalded in a rental unit, photograph the faucet, note the water temperature if you can measure it safely, and keep any repair requests you sent the landlord.
For any burn, see a doctor and follow up until it closes. Keep the item that burned you and the clothing you wore. Collect names of witnesses and any incident report a store or employer prepared.
The deadline to file in Connecticut
Connecticut writes its discovery rule into the statute. Under C.G.S. § 52-584, a negligence suit must be brought within two years from the date the injury is first sustained or discovered, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered. A hard stop sits behind that: no action may be brought more than three years from the act or omission (§ 52-584).
Government claims follow their own clocks:
| Defendant | What is required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State of Connecticut | Claim filed with the Office of the Claims Commissioner within 1 year after it accrues (discovery-based), and no more than 3 years from the act or event | § 4-148(a) |
| Municipality and its employee | Written notice filed with the municipal clerk within 6 months after the cause of action accrues; suit within 2 years | § 7-465 |
| Town, for a highway or sidewalk defect | Written notice within 90 days to a selectman or the town clerk; suit within 2 years | § 13a-149 |
How fault works in Connecticut
Connecticut applies modified comparative fault with a 51% bar. A plaintiff whose negligence is not greater than the combined negligence of the defendants can recover, with the award reduced by the plaintiff’s share (§ 52-572h(b)).
Consider a diner burned when a server sets down a sizzling platter without warning. If the jury decides the diner was 25% careless for reaching toward it, the diner recovers 75% of the damages. A finding of 55% would leave the diner with nothing.
Free burn injury case review
Tell us what happened. A free case review connects you with a burn injury attorney licensed in your state, usually within one business day.
Damages and caps in Connecticut
Connecticut has no cap on damages in medical malpractice cases. Section 52-228c only requires the court to review a noneconomic verdict over $1 million against a health care provider for excessiveness, a process called remittitur (title 52).
Punitive damages come from common law, and they are limited. In Berry v. Loiseau, 223 Conn. 786 (1992), reaffirming Waterbury Petroleum Products v. Canaan Oil & Fuel, 193 Conn. 208 (1984), the Connecticut Supreme Court required evidence of reckless indifference to the rights of others or an intentional and wanton violation of those rights. The award cannot exceed the plaintiff’s expenses of litigation, less taxable costs.
| Item | Connecticut rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Medical malpractice noneconomic damages | No cap; court reviews verdicts over $1 million for excessiveness | § 52-228c |
| Common law punitive damages | No more than litigation expenses, less taxable costs | Berry v. Loiseau |
Burns at work in Connecticut
An employer that complies with the Workers’ Compensation Act is not liable for any action for damages on account of an employee’s personal injury (§ 31-284(a)). The statute’s text has no exception for an employer that meant to cause the injury; a Connecticut lawyer can tell you whether anything else applies to your facts.
You can still sue a third person other than the employer, such as the company that installed a faulty boiler at your workplace (§ 31-293(a)). The employer, its insurance carrier or the Second Injury Fund may sue that third person to recover compensation paid. It holds a lien on your judgment or settlement if it gives written notice before the judgment or settlement.
Burn centers in Connecticut
The ABA directory lists one burn center in Connecticut. It is ABA-verified for adult patients.
| Center | City | Address | Phone | Patients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Burn Center – Bridgeport Hospital (ABA-verified) | Bridgeport | 267 Grant St, Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT 06610 | (203) 384-3728 | Adult |
Source: American Burn Association, Find a Burn Center, directory checked November 2026.
Scalds make up 58% of pediatric burn center cases (ABA fact sheet). Because the Bridgeport listing is for adults, ask your child’s doctors where pediatric burn care is available.
Who may be liable for a burn
Look at who had the power to prevent it. Landlords control water heaters and furnaces. Coffee shops decide how hot to serve drinks. Manufacturers design the e-bike battery or the gas grill. On a job site, a general contractor may be at fault even though your employer is protected, and utilities answer for the lines they maintain.
How Beverly Law helps in Connecticut
Beverly Law is a California firm whose attorneys are licensed in California and Washington. For burn injuries that happen in Connecticut, the firm works with Connecticut-licensed attorneys through its referral network. Ask for a free case review and you will be connected with a burn injury attorney licensed in Connecticut, usually within one business day.
Related pages
This page is general information about Connecticut law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change; a lawyer licensed in Connecticut can tell you how they apply to your case.
Common questions
What is the deadline for a burn lawsuit in Connecticut?
Two years from when the injury is first sustained or discovered, or should have been discovered with reasonable care, under § 52-584. The same statute bars any action brought more than three years after the act or omission, so a late discovery does not stretch the deadline forever.
What if a town or city is responsible for my burn?
Can I get punitive damages for a burn in Connecticut?
Common law punitive damages require reckless indifference to others’ rights or an intentional and wanton violation of them. Under Berry v. Loiseau, which reaffirmed a 1984 decision, the award cannot exceed your expenses of litigation, less taxable costs.
Can I sue my employer for a burn at work?
A complying employer is not liable for damages actions over an employee’s personal injury under § 31-284(a), so workers’ comp is the usual route. A negligent third person can still be sued, and the comp payer may hold a lien on what you recover.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
Burned in Connecticut because of someone else? A free case review connects you with a burn injury attorney licensed in Connecticut, usually within one business day.
Related pages
Sources
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_926.htm
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_53.htm
- law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-7/chapter-113/section-7-465/
- law.justia.com/codes/connecticut/title-13a/chapter-238/section-13a-149/
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_925.htm
- courtlistener.com/opinion/7895013/berry-v-loiseau/
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/title_52.htm
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_568.htm
- cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_568.htm
- ameriburn.org/burn-care-team/resources/find-a-burn-center
- ameriburn.org/burn-care-team/resources/burn-centers/connecticut-burn-cent
- cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/5098-Tap-Water-Scalds.pdf
- ameriburn.org/resources/burn-incidence-fact-sheet/
Important: Attorney Advertising. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Beverly Law is a California firm whose attorneys are licensed in California and Washington; for injuries in other states it works with attorneys licensed there through its referral network. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.