An Avon woman and her car were stuck between a rock —literally — and celebrating a friend’s big day.
At the direction of an employee at Waterford’s My Little Ladies Farm, Laura Sylvan drove across a grass field to find a parking spot and hit a large rock, which she says she did not see among the grass.
“Our car immediately started smoking and filled with smoke, and stopped running,” Sylvan said.
She had to get a tow, and a few days later, Sylvan learned her car was totaled. The rock, she says, cracked her oil pan and the front axle.
She called the farm’s owner, Kyle Stoddard, and let him know she would file a claim with her insurance company. Since it happened on his property, she asked him if he’d pay for $500 deductible.
“I didn’t want to do anything to ruin this man and his business,” said Sylvan. “I just wanted what was fair.”
In an email dated October 25, Stoddard agreed and said his attorney would send her paperwork regarding the payment. She waited a week, but did not hear back.
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“I know people get busy,” said Sylvan. “Maybe it’s a priority to me [and] not to them.”
Two weeks passed, and still no update from Stoddard. He said the paperwork wasn’t complete. Then, two months after the accident, Sylvan checked in again.
“And then I never heard from him,” Sylvan said.
She reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds after seeing the story on April 28 about how the town shut Stoddard’s venue down because he didn’t have the right permits.
Stoddard told NBC Connecticut he made a mistake through paperwork and said he’s working with the town to come to an agreement. He added:
“"We are terribly sorry for all of our brides and grooms to be. But we are working with the town on the problems. I made a mistake through paperwork and zoning and building. So we are working with the town, and have a very good relationship with the town, and hope we can rectify these problems as soon as possible.”
NBC Connecticut Responds called and emailed Stoddard regarding Sylvan’s incident, and he immediately got in touch with Sylvan, and sent her a 500 check the next day.
“The fact that it happened within a day is pretty amazing,” said Sylvan.
