West Hartford Woman Gets Town Payout After Fall

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A local woman injured in a fall on a town sidewalk in 2020 will be paid $65,000, according to a settlement agreement approved by West Hartford officials Tuesday.

The West Hartford Town Council unanimously voted to approve a settlement agreement between a West Hartford resident and the town.

"This is a sidewalk defect case in which the plaintiff alleges she was injured due to the town's negligence in 2020," said West Hartford Corporation Counsel Dallas Dodge, who was authorized to execute the settlement agreement.

According to the complaint filed in Hartford Superior Court on April 22, 2022, West Hartford resident Carolyn Turner, of Englewood Avenue, "fell violently to the cement concrete" on a public sidewalk near 120 Edgemont Ave.

The incident, reports the lawsuit, happened on June 26, 2020, at about 9 a.m.

It alleges that Turner "suddenly and without warning was caused to trip and fall on a raised sidewalk."

Turner's lawsuit, filed by West Hartford attorney Alan Wein of Wein & Palermo, alleges the fall was caused by the "negligence and carelessness" of the Town of West Hartford.

Among the allegations:

• The town allowed the area to deteriorate due to failure to maintain upkeep, allowing it to "remain in a defective and dangerous condition."

• The town failed to warn or provide notice of the "dangerous and defective" conditions of the sidewalk.

• The town failed to cordon off the sidewalk in the area where the fall happened.

• The town "failed to conduct reasonable and timely inspections of the sidewalk in order to ascertain" the conditions of it.

According to Turner's lawsuit, she suffered injuries to her left wrist/hand, which required multiple surgeries as well as injuries to her left arm.

It also caused, according to Turner's suit, "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome" that cresulted in "severe pain and mental anguish" that still impacts her today.

The incident, according to the suit, resulted in Turner's hospitalization for several days and required surgery.

Council members approved the settlement after coming out of a brief executive session during Tuesday's regular town council meeting.

Members did not comment before the vote, but Dodge did say that approving the settlement doesn't mean the town is saying it was in the wrong on the matter.

Said Dodge: "The settlement in a case like this does not, in any way, represent an admission of fault or liability by the town."

In March 2023, the town settled a lawsuit by a Massachusetts woman who fell on a town sidewalk with a $385,000 payment after she was seriously hurt in a 2019 fall.

To view a copy of the plaintiff's complaint against the Town of West Hartford, click on this link.

From March 17, 2023: 'Injured Woman To Get $385K In Settlement With West Hartford'