motorcycle vs. car in Litchfield

By Colleen Gundlach

Michelle Kandefer, 48, was involved in a motorcycle crash on Oct. 21 that resulted in serious injuries. She and her boyfriend, David Rovinetti, were traveling on Route 63 in Litchfield when their motorcycle collided with an Audi. Kandefer was rushed to Waterbury Hospital, and Rovinetti was airlifted to Hartford Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Kandefer’s mother, Donna Rubin, reports that Kandefer was intubated and required eight units of blood. She was admitted to the surgical intensive care unit in Waterbury with life-threatening injuries, including a lacerated spleen and collapsed lung, complicated by eight broken ribs, a fractured scapula and open fracture of the tibia and femur.

Kandefer grew up in Norfolk on a horse farm on Highfield Road. Her mother coached girls softball for many years as a member of the Norfolk Recreation Committee and has served on the town’s Board of Education for more than 20 years. She attributes her daughter’s survival to the fact that she “was always adamant about wearing a helmet. It definitely saved her life.”

Kandefer’s condition has been upgraded to stable, and Rubin is encouraged by good reports from the doctors. “I can’t say enough about Waterbury’s trauma team,” says Rubin, who is herself a registered nurse. “They are doing amazing work to help Michelle survive.”

Kandefer, who is employed as a waitress, will be out of work for many months, so her friends have set up a GoFundMe page (https://tinyurl.com/5ezvhrxz) to help with living and medical expenses as well as physical rehabilitation that will later be required.