The City of New London has agreed to pay $880,000 to a Ledyard woman who suffered spinal injuries when her car was struck from behind in March 2014 by a police cruiser operated by a New London police officer.

The personal injury case of Lisa Cantler, 31, was scheduled to go on trial this month in New London Superior Court. Attorneys reached a settlement on March 2 after three days of jury selection.

"We fought it out until the bitter end," said attorney Kelly E. Reardon of the Reardon Law Firm, who represented Cantler along with her father, Robert I. Reardon Jr.

Attorney Sean Caruthers of the Milo & Wanat firm of North Haven, who represented the city, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. 

According to Reardon, on March 31, 2014, Cantler was stopped at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Bank Street, waiting for a car to pass before pulling out, when Patrolman Eric Hulland's cruiser slammed into the rear of her car as she was about to turn left onto Bank Street.  The traffic signal light was flashing red.

While the case was pending, Hulland claimed Cantler stopped unexpectedly and that he could not stop the cruiser in time to avoid the crash, according to Reardon. Cantler said that as the ambulance was arriving, Hulland told her he was looking at the Chinese restaurant on the corner and did not see that she had stopped. 

New London police ticketed Hulland for following too close. Cantler received no citation.  According to Reardon, video from a dashboard camera in the police cruiser depicted a violent crash in which the police cruiser did not stop and drove directly into the rear of Cantler's vehicle, pushing it forward several feet.

Cantler was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where Dr. Patrick Doherty fused vertebrae in both her neck and lower back, Reardon said.  She underwent a second fusion surgery on her neck last year.

Cantler, who works as a licensed practical nurse, lost several months of work and continues to recover, Reardon said. Her doctors have told her she will always be limited in her ability to carry out many of her duties at home and at work, as she has suffered a permanent disability of her spine, Reardon said.

"Lisa is relieved that the lawsuit is finally over and she has been compensated for her losses," according to Reardon.  "She has been experiencing chronic back and neck pain, every day since this accident, that will never go away."  

Reardon said Cantler has a 10-year-old daughter to support and has gone into debt over the last three years while the city refused to offer a settlement. A year ago, the Reardon firm was willing to resolve the case for $750,000, according to court records. The case was heard by Judge Timothy D. Bates.

"She can now move on with recovering from her injuries and begin to put her life back in order," Reardon said.

k.florin@theday.com