Victim Wins $16M for Leg Severed by Speeding Police Car

A jury Tuesday awarded $16.2 million to a Bridgeport man whose right leg was severed after he was struck by a state police cruiser on a highway in 2010.

After slightly more than two days of deliberations a six-member jury in Bridgeport Superior Court found state trooper Darren Pavlik and the state liable for Melvin Gordils' injuries.

The 48-year-old Gordils, a local restaurant owner, was injured on May 29, 2010 when his truck ran out of gas at about 2:30 a.m. on the Route 25/8 connector. Gordils got out of his car and started walking across the highway when he was struck by a cruiser operated by Pavlik, who was traveling south. Pavlik did not have his siren or emergency lights on when he struck Gordils.

The impact of the crash severed Gordils' right leg, which was recovered more than 100 feet away from the accident scene. Gordils ended up at the side of the road.

His attorneys, Michael Stratton and Joel Faxon of New Haven, argued that Pavlik was driving more than 100 miles per hour when he hit Gordils. Stratford attorney James Coyne, who was representing the state, had argued there was no evidence showing that Pavlik was driving that fast.

Coyne had also told jurors that Gordilis was to blame because he was intoxicated and walking across a highway. Gordils' blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, according to testimony.

During his testimony before Judge Dale Radcliffe, Pavlik said that he had been chasing a dark colored car at the time of the accident, although he never called in anything about a chase to the barracks and didn't have his emergency lights on at the time.

Besides losing his leg, Gordils suffered brain damage and injuries to his hands. He is confined to a wheelchair.

In his final argument, Stratton had asked the jurors to award Gordils $35 million, which would have been one of the largest awards in state history.

"Regarding damages, Melvin's medical expenses and lost wages are over $8 million," Faxon said. "He is the most catastrophically and traumatically injured client we have ever represented."