After the defense rejected a $15,000 settlement, a Waterbury Superior Court jury has awarded $228,000 to Connecticut Education Association attorney Adrienne Delucca, who was injured in a car accident on Interstate 84 in 2016.

The six-person jury deliberated for 45 minutes Dec. 19 before rendering the verdict in favor of Delucca. The defense has filed a motion to set aside the verdict.

Delucca was the only person to testify during the seven-hour trial, which boiled down to causation and damages, according to her attorney, Joseph Krevolin.

“The jury realized that Adrienne's injury to her left shoulder was lifelong and permanent,” said Krevolin, an associate with Adelman Hirsch & Connors in Bridgeport. “Adrienne was believed by the jury. Oftentimes, one of the biggest fears is whether you will be believed by a group of strangers on a jury.”

Delucca, 60, was driving her 2012 Honda CRV eastbound on Interstate 84 in April 2016 when Romina Halim's Chevrolet Cobalt crossed three lanes of traffic and struck her head-on, Krevolin said.

Delucca's car was assessed $11,576 in damages while Halim's was totaled, Krevolin said.

Halim was reportedly braking for stop-and-go traffic due to an accident ahead of her and spun toward the right lane of traffic, striking Delucca's car. The speed limit was 50 miles per hour.

Police cited Halim for failure to maintain a proper lane.

Delucca, a Hamden resident, suffered injuries to her left shoulder, a strain to her cervical spine and injuries to her left arm and hand, Krevolin said.

Delucca described pain in her left upper shoulder during the trial, Krevolin said.

While neither side called on doctors to testify, Krevolin said two doctors' reports attributed Delucca's pain to the accident. Those doctors were her primary care physician and an orthopedist.

Krevolin said the defense offered to settle for $6,500, which was immediately turned down. Krevolin said he offered $15,000, which the defense refused.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Brazzel-Massaro presided over the case.

Attorney Heather Genovese of Meehan, Roberts, Turret & Rosenbaum in Wallingford represented Safeco Insurance, Halim's insurance carrier. Genovese did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.