Recently, Trantolo and Trantolo’s Waterbury team fought and won $206,000 for their client who sustained a neck injury in a car crash. The victim, Nicole Maheu, was driving on Trumbull Highway in November of 2012 when the defendant, Richard Burdick, made a turn in his Dodge pickup truck, subsequently hitting Maheu’s BMW.
Immediately following the crash, Maheu complained of neck pain and was brought to Windham Hospital. The doctors discovered a fractured bone in her neck and sent Maheu to Hartford Hospital, where she could receive more complex care.
Meanwhile, Burdick admitted to police that he caused the accident by not allowing Maheu right-of-way and was ticketed for the offense.
Maheu was released from the hospital to an orthopedic specialist to determine if the injury was preexisting. The orthopedic specialist and a physical therapist could not conclude whether or not Maheu had sustained the injury prior to the crash. She was later sent to a pain management specialist for treatment.
Our attorneys presented evidence to a jury in Rockville from a previous accident Maheu had in 2000; an x-ray that had revealed no fracture in her neck. In further defense of our client, we argued that Maheu was very active before the accident, but subsequently gained 40 pounds following the injury. She also had to discontinue her schooling to become a respiratory therapist and settle for an accounting job. Additionally, her fiancé testified about their postponed wedding, claiming that Maheu was too embarrassed by her weight gain to get married on the originally planned date.
After two days in court and three days of deliberation, the jury, made up of five women and one man, determined that Burdick was at fault. Although doctors were unable to conclude for sure whether or not Maheu’s condition was preexisting, Burdick’s actions drastically changed her lifestyle following the crash that he caused.
Approximately $56,000 of the money rewarded was for Maheu’s medical bills and the rest of the $206,000 for non-economic damages. The Waterbury legal team was not only successful in winning the case, but we reached a higher settlement for our client than was previously offered by the defense before the start of the trial.
