Naugatuck Woman Secures $250,000 Settlement After Fall on Ice

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Site where Natalia Dubrovinskaya fell on ice. Courtesy photo[/caption] A 55-year-old Naugatuck woman, who injured her left ankle, back and neck when she fell on ice and snow in a condominium complex, has settled her case for $250,000. Natalia Dubrovinskaya was taking out the garbage for her boyfriend, who lived at the Hidden Brook condominiums in Naugatuck, when she slipped and fell, according to a lawsuit filed in Waterbury Superior Court in February 2017. Her attorney said the ice had accumulated for days before Dubrovinskaya's fall in February 2015. "Not only did no one clear up the ice, but there had been no salt or sand on it. The area around the garbage was like a skating rink," said the plaintiff's lawyer, Brooke Goff, of the Shelton-based Goff Law Group. "During the day, the ice would melt but then it would refreeze when cold again." Goff said Dubrovinskaya suffered injuries to her neck and lower extremities with the most severe injury being a fracture of her left ankle. Dubrovinskaya had an initial surgery to put screws and plates in her left ankle about 10 days after the fall, Goff said. Because the inserted hardware was causing her pain, Dubrovinskaya had the screws and plates removed a year later. A former design engineer who tested out firearms, Dubrovinskaya was forced to leave her job because it required her to be on her feet all the time, Goff said. She was out of work for about a year until she found employment designing helicopter parts, a job that allows her to sit most of the day, Goff said. [caption id="attachment_8285" align="alignleft" width="199"]

Brooke Goff of Goff Law Group in Shelton. Courtesy Photo.[/caption] Dubrovinskaya's medical expenses reached about $68,000, according to her attorney. Goff and defense lawyers for the condominium association and Travelers Insurance mediated the case in front of attorney Rick Mahoney, of Kenny Brimmer & Mahoney in Wethersfield. The case was settled April 1 and Dubrovinskaya received payment on Friday, Goff said. Trial had been slated for May 23. Travelers' initial offer was $50,000 while Goff demanded $375,000. Alison Ruiz, of the Law Office of Cynthia M. Garraty in Hartford, represented Travelers. Ruiz did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Goff said her client is happy to have the case behind her. "She was ecstatic with the settlement," Goff said Monday. "It was more than just the injury, she also had to leave a job she loved. She had no idea her case was worth that much."