It is safe to say that members of local law enforcement teams have dangerous jobs; they never know what they will encounter during the course of their work shifts. Connecticut State Troopers, who deal with incidents on the freeway, are often put in life-threatening situations when they are forced to leave their vehicle to address issues with motorists. With limited space between them and other traffic traveling at high rates of speed, there is practically no protection should something go wrong. Unfortunately, one of Connecticut’s finest suffered serious injury while on the job, at the hands of an impaired driver.
The trooper had pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 95 and was walking toward that vehicle when his police cruiser was struck by a car, which then struck him. According to recent reports, he suffered from a traumatic brain injury and hasn’t been able to resume the full functions of his job. He also claims to experience headaches as a result of his injuries.
The driver held responsible for this incident, a 36-year-old female, was recently sentenced under a plea deal to serve 18 months in prison. She had been charged with assault by motor vehicle and DUI of alcohol or drugs. She pleaded guilty on both of these charges.
While this trooper has been able to return to work, due to the serious injury he has suffered, he is unable to perform all the same job functions as before the accident. He retains the right to pursue third-party civil claims in a Connecticut court against the driver responsible and may also be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits from his employer. A successfully litigated personal injury claim could produce a monetary judgement in his favor, to help cover his current and future medical needs and provide for any other financial losses sustained as a result of the crash.
Source: therepublic.com, “Woman sentenced to 18 months in prison for accident that injured Connecticut state trooper“, , April 25, 2014
