Jury Awards $3.4 Million After UPS Driver Left Turn Puts Motorcyclist in Hospital

On the day of the crash, Matthew Karotkin was riding his motorcycle through Windsor, Connecticut when a UPS driver, Celestino Amaral, attempted a left turn onto Rainbow Road without yielding to oncoming traffic. Amaral swung the delivery truck directly into Karotkin's path. There was no room to stop.

The collision threw Karotkin and left him with multiple skull fractures and a pulmonary contusion, a bruising of the lung tissue that can cause dangerous fluid buildup. Both injuries required hospitalization and placed Karotkin in serious medical jeopardy during the weeks that followed.

Patrick Kennedy of RisCassi and Davis took the case to trial in Hartford Superior Court. The core liability argument was straightforward: a commercial driver making a left turn bears a duty to confirm that oncoming lanes are clear before cutting across them. Amaral did not do that. UPS, as Amaral's employer, was responsible for the consequences.

On September 30, 2014, the jury returned a verdict of $3,476,025. The jury also assessed 20 percent comparative negligence to Karotkin, which reduced the award to $2,780,820. The net figure remained one of the larger motorcycle verdicts recorded in Connecticut that year.

The case was reported by the Connecticut Law Tribune in March 2015 and cited in the ALFA International Connecticut transportation law compendium as a noteworthy verdict in the state.