{"id":604910,"date":"2026-07-23T02:12:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/story\/604910\/waterbury-car-accident-attorney-dan-petroskey-explains-legal-options-when-an-unlicensed-driver-causes-a-connecticut-crash.html"},"modified":"2026-07-23T02:12:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:12:39","slug":"waterbury-car-accident-attorney-dan-petroskey-explains-legal-options-when-an-unlicensed-driver-causes-a-connecticut-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/story\/604910\/waterbury-car-accident-attorney-dan-petroskey-explains-legal-options-when-an-unlicensed-driver-causes-a-connecticut-crash.html","title":{"rendered":"Waterbury Car Accident Attorney Dan Petroskey Explains Legal Options When an Unlicensed Driver Causes a Connecticut Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:right;width:250px;padding:8px 10px 10px 10px\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/upload\/2026\/07\/1784300689.jpg\" style=\"border:none !important\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-29\" title=\"Waterbury Car Accident Attorney Dan Petroskey Explains Legal Options When an Unlicensed Driver Causes a Connecticut Crash\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/upload\/2026\/07\/1784300689.jpg\" alt=\"Waterbury Car Accident Attorney Dan Petroskey Explains Legal Options When an Unlicensed Driver Causes a Connecticut Crash\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>WATERBURY, CT &#8211;<\/strong> Being struck by a driver who should not have been on the road raises immediate questions about whether compensation is still possible, and Connecticut law offers several avenues for recovery even when the at-fault driver was unlicensed or driving on a suspended license. Waterbury car accident attorney Dan Petroskey of DeFronzo &amp; Petroskey, P.C. (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defronzolawfirm.com\/what-happens-unlicensed-driver-car-accident-connecticut\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.defronzolawfirm.com\/what-happens-unlicensed-driver-car-accident-connecticut\/<\/a>) is explaining the options available to injured victims in these cases.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">According to Waterbury car accident attorney Dan Petroskey, an unlicensed or suspended driver&#8217;s auto insurance policy does not automatically disappear because of their license status, and a claim may still be filed against that policy if it remains active. When no insurance exists, however, a victim&#8217;s own uninsured motorist coverage under Connecticut General Statutes Section 38a-336 often becomes the primary path to compensation. &#8220;License status and insurance coverage are two separate issues, and it&#8217;s important not to assume one cancels out the other,&#8221; Petroskey explains.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Waterbury car accident attorney Dan Petroskey highlights that Connecticut also recognizes the negligent entrustment doctrine, which can hold a vehicle owner liable for knowingly allowing an unlicensed or otherwise incompetent driver to use their car. This claim can be especially valuable when the at-fault driver has no insurance of their own, since the owner&#8217;s policy may still apply.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Attorney Petroskey adds that a licensing violation alone does not automatically establish fault for a crash under Connecticut law, since the absence of a valid license does not by itself cause a collision. &#8220;An attorney still has to show the driver committed some careless act, like speeding or running a red light, that directly caused the crash,&#8221; he notes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The firm explains that a police report documenting a driver&#8217;s unlicensed or suspended status is often the most important piece of evidence in these cases, supported by DMV records, witness statements, and medical documentation linking injuries to the crash.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Petroskey further advises that victims should notify their own insurer promptly after this type of crash but avoid giving a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney. &#8220;Recorded statements are frequently used to minimize a claim&#8217;s value, even when the policyholder did nothing wrong,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">DeFronzo &amp; Petroskey, P.C. investigates every potential source of liability in these cases, including the at-fault driver, vehicle owners, and employers when a vehicle was used for work purposes at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Connecticut generally requires a personal injury lawsuit to be filed within two years under General Statutes Section 52-584. Victims hit by an unlicensed or suspended driver are encouraged to consult an attorney promptly to identify every available source of compensation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>About DeFronzo &amp; Petroskey, P.C.:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">DeFronzo &amp; Petroskey, P.C. is a Waterbury-based law firm focused on personal injury claims, including crashes involving unlicensed and uninsured drivers throughout New Haven County. Led by attorney Dan Petroskey, the firm has represented injured plaintiffs exclusively since 2004. For consultations, call (203) 756-7408.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Embeds:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Youtube Video: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=177pKzRThxk\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=177pKzRThxk<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">GMB: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?cid=2074756120617399372\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps?cid=2074756120617399372<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Email and website<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Email: iacruz@defronzolaw.com<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Website: https:\/\/www.defronzolawfirm.com\/<\/p>\n<p class=\"caps\"><span style='font-size:18px !important'>Media Contact<\/span><br \/><strong>Company Name:<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/companyname\/defronzolawfirm.com_170683.html\">DeFronzo &amp; Petroskey, P.C.<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact Person:<\/strong> Dan Petroskey<br \/><strong>Email:<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/email_contact_us.php?pr=waterbury-car-accident-attorney-dan-petroskey-explains-legal-options-when-an-unlicensed-driver-causes-a-connecticut-crash\">Send Email<\/a><br \/><strong>Phone:<\/strong> (203) 756-7408<br \/><strong>Address:<\/strong>255 Bank St # 2b  <br \/><strong>City:<\/strong> Waterbury<br \/><strong>State:<\/strong> Connecticut 06702<br \/><strong>Country:<\/strong> United States<br \/><strong>Website:<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defronzolawfirm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.defronzolawfirm.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/press_stat.php?pr=waterbury-car-accident-attorney-dan-petroskey-explains-legal-options-when-an-unlicensed-driver-causes-a-connecticut-crash\" alt=\"\" width=\"1px\" height=\"1px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WATERBURY, CT &#8211; Being struck by a driver who should not have been on the road raises immediate questions about whether compensation is still possible, and Connecticut law offers several<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604910\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pennsylvania-magazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}