$1.6 Million Settlement in Car Crash Caused By a Domino’s Pizza Driver

By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on September 19th, 2014

A former Connecticut woman was riding as a rear seat passenger in a friend’s car when it was smashed from behind by a car being driven by a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver on Dec. 22, 2011 in Mansfield, Conn. The car she was riding in was then propelled into another car in front of it, which was being operated by a Connecticut State Patrol officer.

The impact was so powerful that the victim, Reiko Sugai-Fernandez, was thrown about inside her friend’s car, knocking her unconscious, according to an Aug. 28 story in The Connecticut Law Tribune. Now Sugai-Fernandez has been awarded a $1.6 million settlement to compensate her for the severe injuries she received in the crash, including a closed brain injury that caused cognitive changes in her ability to read and retain information, according to the story.

On the evening of the crash, Sugai-Fernandez was in the back seat in a car driven by a friend, Erin O’Neil, according to the story. Behind their car, a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver, Samantha Stebbins, plowed her car into O’Neil’s vehicle as O’Neil was stopping to make a left turn into an apartment complex, the story reported.

After the crash, Sugai-Fernandez was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she was diagnosed with a closed head brain injury, then flown to another hospital by Life Star helicopter, where she underwent emergency surgery to reduce swelling from her brain, the Law Tribune reported.

“To reduce swelling in Sugai-Fernandez’s brain, a portion of her skull was removed and preserved in a freezer for several weeks; after the brain swelling subsided, the portion of the skull was reattached,” the story continued. While her recovery continued, she wore a prosthetic section of skull. She then underwent extensive rehabilitation at a rehabilitation facility to help her begin to recover from her severe brain injury.

Following her rehabilitation, Sugai-Fernandez moved to New York City and enrolled in school where she began to notice cognitive problems that occurred after the car crash, the story reported.

That’s when the victim then filed a lawsuit  in 2013 against Stebbins, who was the Domino’s Pizza driver; Stebbins’ mother, Jill, who owned the car that that caused the crash; and the owner of the Domino’s franchise where Stebbins worked, which is called Southern Connecticut Pizza, the Law Tribune reported. Also sued was the international Domino’s Pizza Corp.

Eventually, the two sides agreed to a $1.6 million offer to allow the victim to be compensated, the story reported. Under the settlement, $100,000 comes from Stebbins’ car insurance, while $1.5 million comes from Southern Connecticut Pizza.

These kinds of injury cases occur every day when innocent victims are hurt or killed in vehicle crashes through no fault of their own due to the actions or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.

We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a vehicle incident or accident anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.

Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.