Three years after a Boston-area woman was left partially paralyzed in a Westport River boating accident, the parents of a Westport boy who was at the helm that night have settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Attorney Michael Kelly, a Westport resident and partner in the Providence legal firm of Kelly, Souza and Parmenter, confirmed the settlement earlier this month and in a follow-up Monday, saying that while he represented the parents and had received a civil complaint that had not yet been filed, that suit never was officially filed before a private settlement was reached. He declined to identify his clients or their son, who was a juvenile when the accident occurred on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.

Eight on the boat

Just before 11 p.m. that night, first responders were called to the Westport River for a report of a center console fishing boat that had run aground near Cadmans Neck Road.

There was a big tide that night and it was full high when the boat hit the bank with some speed — enough to propel it well up onto land, where it struck a tree. At least one of the eight people aboard was thrown clear.

Julia Carr Gangemi, 20 at the time and due to celebrate her 21st birthday just a week later, was thrown into the tree and sustained injuries severe enough to necessitate a Med-Flight helicopter transfer to Rhode Island Hospital’s trauma center. Three other people on the boat were transported to local hospitals for treatment of less severe injuries, and three declined medical attention. Of those aboard, the youngest was 14 and the oldest, 24.

It is unclear if criminal charges were ever filed in the case, which the Westport Police Department immediately handed over to state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigators. Last week, a spokeswoman for the DEP declined to comment on the result of the state investigation, whether any charges were ever filed, and did not respond to a follow-up e-mail from the Westport Shorelines.

In the crash’s aftermath, Gangemi was treated for spinal injuries and fractures, and is now confined to a wheelchair.

In the months and years after the accident, two GoFundMe drives have been launched and to date have raised more than $160,000 for her care, to purchase a wheelchair, modified vehicle and other assistive devices, and to update her family home in greater Boston with a lift and other accommodations. In addition, funds were used to pay for expenses at Journey Forward, an adaptive gym in the Boston area that, not covered by insurance, focuses on rehabilitation for those with spinal cord injuries.

Prior to the accident, Julia was a cheerleader, youth gymnastics coach and was involved in many other sporting activities. In an update last Spring, her supporters wrote that while the accident has had a profound impact on her life, there are many positives — she switched her major at Northeastern University to electrical engineering, and “hopes to pursue a career and be a part of the solution in finding a cure for spinal cord injuries.”