A settlement was reached in Hartford Superior Court on May 7, 2010, compensating a 43-year-old woman for a permanent neck injury sustained in a bicycle accident when she crashed into an unmarked gate which had been improperly used as a barrier.<\/p>\n
Maribeth Blonski, a resident of Rocky Hill, was injured after crashing into a closed gate on a rural bike path not far from her home. The defendant, Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), had ordered the gate closed to protect the water supply. The closed gate was rusted, bore no warning, had insufficient markings and was improperly used as a barrier due to the risk of this type of injury.<\/p>\n
Before the trial began, the defendant offered a settlement of $50,000, even as they blamed the plaintiff for her injury. The surgery that was necessary after the accident was a multi-level fusion of the cervical spine and cost over $100,000 in medical expenses.<\/p>\n