$1.25 Million Policy-Limit Settlement for Milford Motorcyclist Struck Head-On
Won by Carter Mario Injury Lawyers.
Michael Lemieux was riding his motorcycle in Milford when a car driven by Weihua Niu hit him head-on, fracturing his left leg, injuring his right arm, and causing a hernia; Carter Mario Injury Lawyers demanded the full policy limit from the outset and obtained a $1.25 million settlement.
What happened
Michael Lemieux was riding his motorcycle through Milford, Connecticut when a vehicle operated by Weihua Niu crossed into his lane and struck him head-on. The collision left Lemieux with a fractured left leg, injuries to his right arm, and a hernia. The force of a direct, head-on impact at road speed left little ambiguity about how the crash unfolded or who was responsible.
Four attorneys at Carter Mario Injury Lawyers took on the case and quickly assessed what the injuries and the liability picture were worth. They concluded the case supported the full available insurance coverage and told both defense counsel and the insurance adjuster from the start that they would accept nothing less than the $1.25 million policy limit.
Holding that position in pre-litigation and early negotiation is not unusual, but sustaining it through the period when insurers typically push back requires building a file that makes the posture credible. The Carter Mario team documented Lemieux's physical injuries, his treatment course, and the mechanics of the collision in a way that, as the Connecticut Law Tribune reported, left the defense aware the plaintiff's assessment of value was not a bluff.
The case settled for the full $1.25 million policy limit. The Connecticut Law Tribune covered the resolution in July 2021, noting the firm's strategy of setting a firm floor early and holding it through negotiations.
No reduction on appeal has been reported. The settlement represented the entirety of available coverage under the at-fault driver's policy.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
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Carter Mario recovered $1.25 million for pedestrian Deborah Okolovitch after a driver exiting a parking lot struck her, with defense counsel contesting liability because she was not in a marked crosswalk.
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