Attorneys Isabel Del Vecchio and Laura Raymond Secure Settlement of More Than One Million Dollars for Beloved New London Local, Kenny Weeks
On January 18, 2017, Kim “Kenny” Weeks of New London, CT, was struck and killed on Route 85 in Waterford by a minivan operated by Shirley Langford, a nurse formerly of East Lyme, Connecticut. The minivan was owned by Ms. Langford’s business, Interim Healthcare of Eastern Connecticut. Immediately prior to the collision, law enforcement received numerous emergency calls of erratic operation of Ms. Langford’s minivan in the vicinity of Route 85. Ms. Langford was ultimately pulled over by Connecticut State Police on Interstate 95 for erratic operation, whereby Troopers observed obvious damage to Ms. Langford’s windshield. Waterford police later recovered pieces of Ms. Langford’s minivan near Mr. Week’s body, and forensic testing by the Connecticut State Lab confirmed his DNA on Ms. Langford’s windshield. Interim Healthcare closed shortly after the collision. Ms. Langford denied any memory of striking Mr. Weeks with her minivan. She initially claimed she was suffering from a diabetic episode at the time of the collision and later claimed a defense of transient global amnesia in the civil lawsuit.
Kenny Weeks was local to New London and beloved by many friends and businesses along Bank Street such as New London Ink, Daddy Jack’s and Exchange Bar & Grill. Friends described him as a neighborhood watchdog who seemed to show up out of nowhere always prepared to help. His death left many locals grieving and missing his friendly face and unmistakable style. On October 3, 2017, his friend and the owner of former Daddy Jack’s restaurant, Jack Chaplin, filed a lawsuit with the assistance of Suisman Shapiro against Ms. Langford and Interim Healthcare of Eastern Connecticut.
During the pendency of this action, Mr. Chaplin unexpectedly passed away and his daughter, Rachel Chaplin, continued the lawsuit for her friend Kenny in her father’s memory. Ms. Chaplin described Kenny as always around when she needed him, recalling one instance where he helped her father replace his flat tire and other instances where he assisted her when her father’s health deteriorated.
On February 22, 2024, the New London Probate Court approved a final settlement of the lawsuit for Mr. Week’s family in the amount of $1,150,000.00 for all claims against Ms. Langford and Interim Healthcare.