$350,000 Settlement for Woman Injured in Newtown Car Accident
If you’ve been hurt in Connecticut, our law firm can fight for your rights
On November 22, 2022, a Middlebury woman was driving along South Main Street in Newtown, Connecticut. Another driver was making a left-hand turn out of a driveway, but did not give her the right of way. The result was a car accident that left her with serious injuries.
What followed was years of pain, mounting medical treatment, and eventually surgery before our firm settled the case for $350,000, just days before it was set to go to trial.
Her story is not unusual. Crashes caused by drivers failing to yield happen often across Connecticut. What is worth understanding is how these cases unfold, what injuries they leave behind, and why the decisions made in the hours, weeks, and months after a crash can shape everything that comes after.
What happened on South Main Street that November morning?
At approximately 11:08 a.m., the defendant attempted to make a left-hand turn out of a private driveway on South Main Street. To complete that turn, she needed to cross oncoming traffic. She didn’t yield. She pulled directly into the path of the plaintiff’s vehicle, and the two collided.
Under Connecticut law, a driver exiting a private driveway onto a public road must yield to all traffic already on that road. This isn’t a gray area. CGS § 14-247 makes it clear that the burden falls entirely on the driver entering the roadway. When that obligation is ignored, the consequences can be severe, and in this case, they were.
In the days and weeks that followed our client’s crash, the full extent of what her body had absorbed began to surface.
Why can left-hand turns result in serious accidents?
Left-turn crashes are responsible for a disproportionate share of serious accidents in the United States. A driver making a left turn is making a judgment call about speed, distance, and timing, and when that judgment is wrong, there is almost no time for the other driver to react.
Exiting a driveway adds another layer of difficulty. Sight lines are often limited. The driver is focused on fitting into a gap in traffic, and smaller gaps get misjudged. Once the front of the vehicle enters the roadway, the outcome is largely out of everyone’s hands.
In cases like this one, fault is usually not the hard part. A police report, witness accounts, and the physical evidence of where the vehicles ended up all tend to point in one direction. What insurance companies fight about is not whether the accident happened or who caused it. They fight about how badly the other person was hurt. That distinction matters, because it determines how much they have to pay.
What kinds of injuries can a crash like this cause?
Our client suffered lumbar strain and sprain, cervical strain and sprain, bilateral shoulder pain, and headaches. To anyone not familiar with how these injuries present and progress, here is some general information.
Cervical and lumbar strain and sprain
Cervical strain affects the neck; lumbar strain affects the lower back. Both involve damage to muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the soft tissue that holds the spine together and keeps it moving. These injuries don’t always show up clearly on an X-ray, which is part of why insurance companies try to minimize them. But the people living with them know exactly how limiting they can be.
Chronic neck and back pain interferes with sleep, work, and the basic physical tasks of daily life. Treatment typically begins with physical therapy and pain management, progresses to injections if the pain doesn’t respond, and in some cases, as happened here, ends with surgery. Surgery changes the conversation entirely. It moves the case out of the realm of “soft tissue” and into something documented, objective, and costly.
Bilateral shoulder pain
This means both shoulders are affected. In a collision, the force of impact can drive the body sideways against the seatbelt, door, or steering wheel, stressing both shoulder joints at once. Common resulting injuries include:
- Rotator cuff tears and labral damage
- Injuries that don’t heal on their own
They often require imaging, injections, or surgical repair. When both shoulders are involved, it signals the severity of the impact and tends to strengthen the overall picture of injury.
Headaches
Post-traumatic headaches following a car accident are often connected to whiplash, cervical injury, or mild traumatic brain injury. They’re among the most commonly reported symptoms after a crash, and also one of the most commonly dismissed, both by insurance companies and sometimes by the patients themselves.
Persistent headaches after a collision should prompt a neurological evaluation. Left unaddressed, they could become a long-term condition that affects concentration, mood, and quality of life.
The delayed onset problem
One of the most important things to understand about car accident injuries is that they don’t always hurt right away. Adrenaline is a powerful suppressor of pain signals. Many accident victims feel relatively fine at the scene and wake up the next morning, or two days later, barely able to move. This is normal.
It’s also dangerous from a legal standpoint, because a gap between the crash and the first medical visit gives insurance companies room to argue that the injuries weren’t caused by the accident at all. Seeking medical attention the same day, even when symptoms seem mild, protects both health and legal rights.
How does a personal injury case like this get resolved?
The process starts with medical treatment. Before any meaningful settlement discussion can happen, the injured person needs to reach maximum medical improvement, the point at which their condition has stabilized enough that future medical needs can be projected. Settling before that point is almost always a mistake, because once a settlement is signed, it’s final. There is no going back if a surgery becomes necessary later.
In our client’s case, surgery became necessary. That development changed the settlement conversation significantly. Medical bills, future care costs, lost wages, and non-economic damages such as pain and suffering all factor into how settlement value is calculated. Connecticut doesn’t cap non-economic damages in standard personal injury cases, allowing plaintiffs to seek compensation for pain, suffering, and other non-financial losses.
Insurance companies routinely make low early offers. They count on injured people being frustrated, financially stretched, or simply unaware of what their case is worth. Having an attorney involved changes the dynamic. The leverage shifts. The insurance companies know the case is prepared, that the damages are documented, and that the alternative to settling is a trial.
Our client’s case was settled before trial. That outcome is fairly common. The preparation required to be ready for a courtroom is often exactly what finally convinces the other side to reach a settlement.
What should I do if I’m injured in a crash?
The steps taken in the hours and days after a crash carry real weight, both medically and legally.
- At the scene: Call 911 and make sure a police report is filed. Take photos of both vehicles, the driveway exit, the road, and anything else relevant. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses. Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney.
- Seek medical attention the same day: Even if you feel okay, get evaluated. Emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and primary care physicians can document initial findings that become important later. Follow every treatment recommendation after that. Gaps in care are one of the first things insurers point to when they dispute a claim.
- Keep a record of everything: This includes medical bills, mileage to appointments, missed work, medications, and a personal journal of how your injuries are affecting your daily life. The more complete that picture, the stronger the claim.
Connecticut’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of injury. Missing that deadline almost always means losing the right to pursue compensation entirely. But it’s important to get legal advice as soon as possible.
Take the first step toward your recovery today
If you were hurt in a car accident anywhere in Connecticut, the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli can help. Our attorneys are ready to step in, protect your rights, and fight for the full compensation you deserve. From crashes on busy highways to collisions on local streets, our experienced legal team can investigate your car accident, deal directly with the insurance companies, and build a strong case for compensation while you focus on healing.
We offer a free, no‑obligation consultation, so you can get clear answers about your case, your options, and how much your claim may be worth before you make any decisions. Our firm handles car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover money for you. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.
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