Good Samaritan Settles for $1.05 Million in Stratford Crash

A man, who suffered 13 bone fractures and numerous internal injuries when his car was rear-ended after helping a disabled vehicle on the Merritt Parkway in Stratford, agreed to settle his lawsuit for $1.05 million, according to the Connecticut Law Tribune.

The accident occurred on Oct. 8, 2011, when the man was driving north on Route 15 near Exit 53 and pulled over to help motorists in a van who had run out of gas.

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The man and his two passengers helped push the van to the side of the road and after getting back into his car, it was slammed from behind by a vehicle driven by Joseph Defeo, of Stratford, according to the Law Tribune.

The man had to be extricated from the vehicle, while the passengers and Defeo were all uninjured.

The man filed a lawsuit but the defense argued that he was negligent, claiming that his questionable decision to stop his vehicle on a dark stretch of the highway, in the driving lane, and just beyond the crest of a hill, led to the accident, according to the Law Tribune.

Read the full story at the Connecticut Law Tribune here.