Hurt In Drunk Driving Crash, Man Sues State Rep Robin Comey: Lawsuit

BRANFORD, CT —Last spring while in session at the state Capitol, Branford state Rep. Robin Comey, alleged by police to have been driving drunk, flipped the car she was operating, and crashed into another vehicle. That car's driver suffered myriad injuries and is now suing the lawmaker, and the bar that served her, as well as the owner of the 2016 Honda Civic she was driving.

Police said that Comey, who had a blood alcohol level of over .14, was driving drunk when she hit a parked car, flipping the Civic, which then slammed into John Green’s 2003 Lincoln Navigator, according to police reports and the lawsuit filed earlier this month.

Green is suing Comey, Kenny's Restaurant, aka Red Rock Tavern, its owner Donald Mancini, and the owner of the Honda she was driving, David Steinman, who was not in the car at the time of the crash, in Hartford Superior Court.

It was just after 7 p.m. on March 16, 2023 when Comey left the bar, "visibly intoxicated," the suit alleges, and proceeded to drive eastbound on Capitol Drive. Moments later, the crash, left Green with numerous injuries, according to his lawsuit: the loss of two teeth, a cervical sprain, right lumbar, hip and shoulder sprains, and right shoulder "impingement."

Green's lawsuit claims that Comey, 56, was reckless and negligent and is responsible for his injuries: "The defendant, either deliberately, wantonly, willfully, or with reckless disregard as to the potential consequences and were a substantial factor in causing injury" to Green. It alleges that Comey, "knowingly, and deliberately consumed a large amount of alcohol, became intoxicated when she knew she would be driving shortly thereafter."

But in his lawsuit, Green also blames the bar that served her, and its owner Mancini, claiming that Comey was "visibly intoxicated" while at the tavern yet was still served alcohol.

Green is seeking monetary and punitive damages and attorney's fees damages on each of all eight counts, though his claim notes an award demand of "greater than $15,000 exclusive of fees.

Comey, reached by Patch Wednesday morning, said while she was grateful for being contacted, she is "unable to comment on the lawsuit."

A request for comment from the bar and its owner was not immediately returned.

According to the state Judiciary's online records, the criminal case file against the legislator has been "statutorily sealed." The next court date on the matter is set for May 6.

Read the lawsuit here:

John Green V. Robin Comey, ... by Ellyn Santiago

>

The night of the March 2023 crash, Comey's BAC was 0.1446. The legal limit is 0.08.

In the police report, investigators noted that the black Honda Civic was "upside down in the middle of the roadway" and that she "reeked of alcohol." The report reads that Comey refused medical treatment, told police she didn't know what happened, and, police said, she lost her balance and when she was asked again what led up to crash, she had a "blank stare." She told police, "I don’t know. I was heading home from uhh," the report reads.

Police said her speech was slow, and she was "having a difficult time forming sentences." She eventually said she was "heading home from a restaurant," but could not tell police which restaurant, or declined to, according to the report.

When asked, she said she had not eaten dinner at the restaurant. She submitted to field sobriety tests and while doing so, police said, "she began to sway losing her balance and stumbling to catch herself. And she had difficulty understanding what the police were asking her to do during a second and third field sobriety test, the report reads.

She was put in "double lock handcuffs," according to police. At first declining to do a breathalyzer test and after asking what happens if she doesn’t, she eventually did and police wrote she blew a 0.1446. The legal limit is 0.08.

Comey apologized for the second time, sought treatment following crash

In June 2021, Comey was singled out after a legislative session was scuttled when she struggled to speak on her bill advocating for early childhood education services. She apologized, saying a combination of anxiety, exhaustion, and wine at dinner was to blame for her inability to carry on.
In an emailed statement in 2021, she said that what happened then was an anomaly.
“This type of behavior is not typical for me. I take full responsibility for my error in judgment.”

At the time, Comey said that while she was speaking on the bill, of which she is a primary author, that she “suddenly and unexpectedly began to feel unwell.”

“This was due to several factors, including anxiety, exhaustion, and, regrettably, the wine I had with dinner,” Comey’s statement reads. “In an abundance of caution, I did not drive home and remained in Hartford until the following morning.”

In her statement two years ago, Comey addressed her constituents in Branford: “I will continue fighting for you with the same responsibility, respect, and commitment as always,” she said, noting she was, “grateful for your understanding and support.”

The day after the March 16, 2023 crash, Comey issued a statement to Patch:

“I want to apologize to my constituents, my colleagues in the CT General Assembly, my family and friends for my DUI arrest on Thursday night. After much reflection and with the support of my family, starting today, I will begin treatment to better understand the disease that is addiction and to get the help I recognize I need. I am deeply grateful in advance to everyone for giving me the time and support I need.”