Bus Passenger Lawsuit Ends: Jury Clears Corazzini Driver
Table of Contents
Case Background
On or about August 3, 2022, a collision occurred between a public bus and a private motor vehicle on Broadway Street in the City of New Haven, Connecticut. Plaintiff Terrance Brown was a passenger aboard the Connecticut Transit bus when the crash happened. The incident spurred Mr. Brown to file a personal injury lawsuit against the parties he believed responsible, initiating the formal proceedings in the Superior Court of Connecticut, Judicial District of New Haven, in the first quarter of 2024. The lawsuit named both the owner and the operator of the private vehicle, as well as the Connecticut Transit service.
Cause
The core cause of the lawsuit centered on the negligent operation of the private motor vehicle that struck the public bus. Mr. Brown alleged that the driver of the Corazzini vehicle, Chiara Corazzini, operated the car carelessly and illegally, directly causing the collision with the bus on which he rode as a fare-paying passenger. The driver, Chiara, operated the vehicle, which Andrew Corazzini owned and maintained, and the Plaintiff named both parties as Defendants.
Injury
Terrance Brown claimed that the impact of the collision inflicted serious and painful injuries upon him. As a result of the trauma he sustained in the crash, Mr. Brown asserted he incurred significant medical expenses, suffered from prolonged pain and disability, and experienced other losses that limited his ability to enjoy life’s regular activities.
Damages Sought
The Plaintiff, Terrance Brown, sought money damages from the Defendants to compensate him for all the injuries and losses he sustained. The formal claim specified that the total amount in demand was not less than $15,000.00, excluding the costs of litigation and any interest awarded by the Court.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The litigation, bearing the docket number NNH-CV24-6139139-S, required months of legal preparation, discovery, and pre-trial maneuvering. The case eventually proceeded to a jury trial in the New Haven Superior Court, focusing primarily on whether the Corazzini Defendants’ actions had caused the Plaintiff’s injuries.
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Terrance Brown
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Frank P. Cirillo
· Experts for Plaintiff(s): Sarah Levin
Defendant(s): Andrew Corazzini | Chiara Matos (Chiara Corazzini)
· Counsel for Defendant(s): Michael Quinlan
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
The trial centered on who bore responsibility for the 2022 collision and what role, if any, the Corazzini driver played in causing the bus passenger’s injuries.
Claims
Terrance Brown’s legal team claimed that the negligence of the Corazzini driver was clear and direct. They asserted the driver failed to maintain a proper and reasonable lookout, drove at an excessive or unsafe speed, and neglected to keep the vehicle under reasonable control. They contended that the driver violated the common law duty to operate a motor vehicle safely, and that these failures resulted in the impact that injured their client.
Defense
Attorneys for the Corazzini Defendants categorically denied that the driver acted negligently. Their formal answer to the complaint left the Plaintiff to his proof, indicating they challenged the core facts of the incident and their client’s involvement. The defense forcefully argued that the Plaintiff failed to establish that the driver violated any standard of safe driving or that their actions constituted a direct cause of Mr. Brown’s claimed injuries.
Jury Verdict
After hearing the totality of the evidence, the arguments from counsel, and receiving instructions on the law of negligence from the presiding judge, the jury began its deliberations. On September 24, 2025, the jury members concluded their review of the facts and returned their official finding to the Superior Court in New Haven.
The jury found the issues in favor of the Defendant, Corazzini, as against the Plaintiff, Terrance Brown.
By issuing a verdict for the defense, the jury determined that Terrance Brown had not successfully proven that the Defendants’ alleged negligence directly caused his injuries. The Court entered the formal finding, thus concluding the trial in favor of the Corazzini family Defendants.