CT woman seeks justice for accident that left her paralyzed

A young Connecticut woman who was paralyzed in a car accident five years ago has won hearts and donations across the country because of her resilience and positive attitude.

But Gabby Murillo has not found “justice.”

No charges were filed against the man who allegedly rammed the car she was in at 95 miles per hour, although he admitted on police bodycam video that he had been drinking at a club that night.

Murillo’s efforts to obtain compensation for the round-the-clock care required also repeatedly encounter obstacles.

Murillo’s back was broken and her spinal cord severed, leaving her paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Her twisty journey for justice has now been documented in a short film by three filmmakers from Murillo’s hometown of West Haven.

“I think it’s great,” Murillo said of the finished product. “I think it really ties together the main point, which is how he (the man who hit the car she was in and allegedly) got through loopholes.”

The film, entitled “Injustice: The Gabby Murillo Story,” takes aim at the Florida Highway Patrol and accuses them of inadequate investigations.

The film was directed and produced by the filmmaker brothers Joseph Massa (34) and Christian Massa (32) as well as their aunt Michele Massa, who also serves as executive producer.

The trio worked on the film for three years as the case worked its way through the courts, and it includes gripping footage of the driver being questioned at the crime scene by police bodycam.

“We wanted to make sure we took the time to do things right,” Joseph Massa said. “I wanted to make sure we presented it fairly.”

The Florida Highway Patrol is heavily criticized in the film.

The Courant has asked the agency for a comment.

Lt. Jim Beauford, public information director for the Florida Highway Patrol, responded by email to a request for comment: “We do not have anyone available to be interviewed for this story.”

Michele Massa said she believes the justice and police system “failed” Gabby and “everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.”

The civil case is ongoing and Michele Massa hopes the film might inspire an expert to find a new, creative approach to obtaining justice.

The trauma for Murillo and her family began on June 16, 2019, and attracted national media attention because of the personal details. Murillo was three weeks into her “dream internship” at Disney World, an internship she only got after three attempts.

The youngest of four girls, Gabby Murillo, now 27, was sitting in the passenger seat of a car parked on the side of the road on Highway 408 in Orlando. The friend was in the driver’s seat and it is not clear why they had stopped.

A rental car driven by a man the Courant is not naming because he has not been charged allegedly slammed into the parked car at 95 miles per hour, propelling the car 150 feet into a wall, according to an eyewitness. The car hovered 5 feet off the ground and spun before landing.

Murillo had to be freed by rescue workers.

Police questioned the suspect and he told them, as seen in the body camera footage and throughout the film, that he allegedly went to a club and consumed “three or four” drinks and another substance. Later in the film, he changes his statement, including regarding whether he was driving.

The Florida State Police sent him to the hospital. They reportedly did not conduct a breathalyzer test or a blood alcohol test.

The man received a ticket for reckless driving, but no charges were filed. The reckless driving ticket was dismissed in court.

Meanwhile, Murillo spent months in hospital and rehabilitation until she was paralyzed. She needs round-the-clock care to survive and cannot even scratch herself or brush her teeth.

Joseph Massa said the film cannot yet be shown publicly as it is currently being shown at film festivals.

A draft of the 20-minute film was privately viewed by the Courant.

The film highlights a Florida state law called “accident report confidentiality” that protects drivers and passengers involved in a car accident from having their statements used against them in civil or criminal court.

In the film they call it “crash privilege.”

This privilege, which also exists in other states, is intended to be brought into line with the right to remain silent on grounds of self-incrimination in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

It complicates Murillo’s search for justice because none of the body camera footage from the crash scene can be used in the case. “I thought the body camera was evidence,” Murillo said, noting she hopes the law can be changed for future victims.

The film also sheds light on a federal law, the Graves Amendment, which states that car rental companies cannot be held liable for accidents caused by customers.

This meant that Murillo could not pursue them civilly. The driver was using a car he had rented.

A Florida lawyer representing the Murillo family estimates in the film that proper care will cost $15 to $20 million over Murillo’s lifetime.

“Right now she is eligible for Medicaid, Medicare and the love of her family,” he says in the film.

The driver had minimum insurance with coverage of about $200,000, the film says.

The lawyer filed a civil suit against the driver, but the day before the trial was due to begin, the driver filed for bankruptcy, according to the film. The case is still before the courts.

Murillo’s mother, Amanda Murillo, said her daughter was always “on the go, on the go, on the go” before the accident.

Murillo’s new normal is painting butterflies and pictures by holding a brush in her mouth.

In a poignant scene in the film, Murillo breaks down in tears and says that she sometimes feels like a “burden” and always feels “rushed” when getting in and out of the car.

Murillo told the Courant that she closely follows clinical trials and research in the area of ​​spinal cord injuries and remains “hopeful” that a cure will be found.

“I still want to get up in the morning, get out of bed and do things,” Gabby said. “I appreciate life.”

The filmmakers are impressed that Murillo still smiles despite everything.

Michele Massa said she was “overwhelmed” that Gabby had maintained such a positive attitude.

She describes Gabby as someone with a great sense of humor and incredible patience. She is “a person who sees the bright side of things and wants others to see it too.”