A woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for weeks after being struck by a car when she attempted to cross a dual carriageway has settled her High Court action for €3.2 million.
Jodie Regazzoli was given a 3 per cent chance of survival after she was hit by the car in 2018. She later became homeless for a time and lived in a hotel.
Ms Regazzoli was 22 and a part-time model and retail assistant when the incident happened. She was thrown six feet in the air as she attempted to cross a dual carriageway in Swords, Co Dublin.
A former Miss Ireland finalist, Ms Regazzoli told the High Court on Thursday: “Everything was taken. I was 22 years old. For the last three years it has been hospital appointments and I still have to have more surgery in six months’ time. I was also homeless for a while and had to live in hotels.”
Her counsel Liam Reidy SC told the court Ms Regazzoli had been going to work in the Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords, and was crossing the dual carriageway when the incident happened on the bus lane.
Counsel said it would appear it was a habit of people to cross from a bus stop to the centre and walk across to the island between the carriageways.
He said there was a footbridge provided to cross the carriageway and that was a big issue in the case.
Counsel told Mr Justice Kevin Cross that, as part of the settlement, it had been agreed to apportion liability as two-thirds against the driver and one-third against Ms Regazzoli.
He said the young woman had suffered profound injuries and was lucky to survive, but she had since made great progress.
Ms Regazzoli (25), of Forest Fields Road, Swords, Co Dublin, had sued the driver of the car, Olga Maslakova, Boru Court, Swords, and the owner of the car, Aleksandrs Maslakovs of the same address, as a result of the incident on April 17th, 2018.
She was crossing the northeast-bound R132 dual carriageway from a bus stop to get to a staff entrance to the shopping centre when she was hit by the car on a bus lane.
It was claimed the car was being driven at excessive speed and there was failure to observe Ms Regazzoli and others crossing the carriageway on foot and drive accordingly.
The claims were denied and it was alleged that Ms Regazzoli failed to use the pedestrian flyover to cross the road.
Mr Reidy said Ms Regazzoli at the time of the accident was working as a part-time model but “a lot of that was destroyed by the injuries”.
Approving the settlement, the judge said Ms Regazzoli’s life had been turned upside down by the incident.
He said the settlement was fair and reasonable and wished the woman well for the future.
