Woman injured in New Britain stolen-car crash wins $726,000 settlement from insurer, lawyer says [Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.]

Journal Inquirer (Manchester, CT)

May 2—NEW BRITAIN — A woman who was injured when a stolen car crashed into her car while she was stopped at a New Britain intersection in 2018 has settled the case for a $726,000 payment from her car insurance company after winning a jury verdict against the insurer last month.

That information comes from Frank J. McCoy, the lawyer representing Jody Davis, 57, of New Britain, the founder and executive director of Coram Deo Inc., a New Britain-based nonprofit recovery organization for women struggling with addiction and abuse.

The crash occurred on July 9, 2018, as Davis sat in a car belonging to Coram Deo on Austin Street, at the East Street intersection, according to the most recent version of the complaint McCoy filed on her behalf.

The 18-year-old driver of the stolen car was speeding north on East Street when he ran a stop sign and slammed into the left side of Davis' car, according to McCoy.

Because there was no insurance on the stolen car, Davis had to look to the uninsured motorist provision of Coram Deo's insurance policy for compensation for her injuries, McCoy explained.

She suffered a number of injuries, including to her neck, shoulder and brain, according to the complaint. McCoy said she underwent shoulder surgery, and court papers show that a doctor expressed the opinion that she may need neck surgery in the future.

McCoy said the insurer, New Jersey-based Selective Insurance Co. of America, initially offered Davis $30,000, leaving the two sides far apart. In a formal "offer of compromise" filed in 2022, Davis offered to settle the case with Selective Insurance for $500,000.

McCoy had filed the lawsuit for Davis in July 2020 amid the COVID-19 shutdown of most business in Connecticut's courts, and it was delayed by the backlog of cases that the shutdown created, he said.

The case finally went to trial this spring in state Superior Court in New Britain. After nine trial days, the jury returned a verdict of $540,000 on April 10, court records show.

Davis also was entitled to "prejudgment interest" and reimbursement for certain costs, which brought the total amount the insurance company owed her to more than $700,000, court records show.

McCoy said the $726,000 settlement amount has been agreed on orally but not yet put in writing.

"I haven't put ink to paper yet, but I'm pretty sure it's settled," he said.

Attempts Thursday to reach James F. Shields, the lawyer who represented Selective Insurance in the case, did not immediately succeed.

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