Owner
Providing compassionate and skilled representation to injured clients is the cornerstone of Dan Petroskey’s legal career. For over two decades since his admission to the Connecticut Bar in 2004, Dan has exclusively dedicated his practice to representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases, successfully advocating for thousands of clients who have suffered injuries due to others’ negligence in motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-falls, premises liability cases, and dog bite incidents.
Dan believes that clients deserve more than just legal expertise—they need an attorney who genuinely cares about their well-being and treats them as real people whose lives have been significantly impacted, not merely as case numbers. His approach combines thorough legal preparation with genuine empathy, ensuring each client feels heard, understood, valued, and appreciated throughout the legal process.
Dan has had a unique journey with DeFronzo & Petroskey, P.C. across its remarkable 60-plus year history. He started at the firm as an Associate Attorney from 2013 to 2019. In 2021, he was named Attorney Eugene L. DeFronzo’s first and only law partner, and now as its owner, has inherited a legacy of settling thousands of cases totaling millions of dollars in client recoveries. This experience has given him invaluable insight into building successful personal injury claims while maintaining the firm’s tradition of treating clients like family.
The thing that matters most is helping people navigate their most challenging times with skill and sensitivity, and with his robust personal injury practice, Dan approaches each new case with renewed dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes.
Dan is a Connecticut native who demonstrated excellence early at North Branford High School, where he earned All-State honors in both basketball and tennis during his senior year. He continued his athletic and academic pursuits at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he was a four-year member of the men’s basketball team that qualified for post-season play in three of his four years. Dan completed his legal education at Albany Law School in Albany, New York, and is admitted to practice in both Connecticut (2004) and New York (2006).
Dan is an active member of the Connecticut legal community and has earned recognition as both a Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rated attorney for his excellence in personal injury law. He is active in both the Connecticut and Waterbury Bar Associations and is currently the Chairman of the Board for the Rivera Memorial Foundation in Waterbury, which is a non-profit organization that has provided educational and social programs for the children and families of Waterbury since 1990. He resides in Wallingford with his wife, two children, and pets, where he remains deeply connected to his community through coaching youth sports, sponsoring youth sports teams and founding a mock trial team at his kids’ middle school. Dan also serves as an approved foster for dogs seeking forever homes, demonstrating the same compassion for animals that he shows his clients.
Education
Bar admission
A Waterbury native and the founding attorney of our firm, Eugene “Gene” L. DeFronzo devoted more than six decades to representing injured people with uncommon care, speed, and efficiency. He began practicing law in Waterbury in 1961, concentrating on personal injury, and went on to resolve thousands of cases for thousands of clients, with settlements totaling millions of dollars. He passed away on October 13, 2023, at the age of 87, leaving a legacy that still guides how we serve every client today.
Gene graduated with honors from the University of Michigan and earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He also served for more than ten years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1960 and to the U.S. Federal Court in 1962.
Beyond the courtroom, Gene was known across New England as “the Marathon Man.” A dedicated long-distance runner, he completed more than 760 marathons, including many ultramarathons; ran a marathon in every U.S. state eleven times; and completed marathons across every Canadian province and territory twice.
Associate
Bringing both legal expertise and real-world emergency response experience to personal injury law defines John B. Myer’s unique approach to client representation. For over twenty five years, John has practiced law continuously in Connecticut, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury and workers’ compensation claims, achieving successful results for his clients through jury trials, settlements, and formal hearings before the Workers’ Compensation Commission and Compensation Review Board.
John believes that understanding what clients are truly experiencing during their most vulnerable moments is essential to effective legal representation. His perspective extends far beyond the courtroom, shaped by three decades of service as a volunteer firefighter and over twenty years as a state-certified Emergency Medical Technician, where he has personally responded to countless calls for help from community members who have sustained serious injuries.
John’s distinctive blend of legal training and emergency response experience enables him to provide truly comprehensive representation to injury victims. As a former Fire Chief, certified hazardous materials technician, and long-serving volunteer firefighter and EMT, he has witnessed the immediate aftermath of countless accidents and understands the critical decisions that shape injury outcomes. This hands-on perspective—paired with decades of legal practice—gives him unique insight when reviewing accident reports and medical records, allowing him to identify crucial details that other attorneys might overlook.
John is a lifelong Connecticut resident who earned his Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Government from the University of Hartford before pursuing his legal education at Quinnipiac University School of Law. His academic excellence was recognized through numerous awards, including three Distinguished Academic Achievement awards and an award for Excellence in Clinical Work. He was also a member of the prestigious Moot Court Honor Society and received an award for Outstanding Achievement, demonstrating the advocacy skills that would later serve his clients so effectively.
Education
Bar admission
Office Manager & Legal Assistant
Ivelisse Cruz has been a cornerstone of DeFronzo & Petroskey, P.C. for more than 30 years, serving as both Office Manager and Legal Assistant. A former Waterbury native and graduate of Wilby High School, she earned her B.S. from Teikyo Post University and a Master’s in Political Science from Southern Connecticut State University.
Committed to service beyond the firm, Ivelisse was appointed by Governor Jodi Rell as a public member of the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing, where she served for nearly three years. She received the Parent Leadership Award from Waterbury Public Schools in 2018 and remains active in the community as the newly elected President of the Exchange Club of Waterbury, which is an organization whose mission is to prevent child abuse.
She has also organized full 26.2 mile marathons and 5K races in Waterbury to honor Attorney Eugene L. DeFronzo’s love of running.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Ivelisse is especially passionate about supporting Hispanic clients, ensuring they feel heard, informed, and cared for throughout their case.
Paralegal
Milly Martinez is a people-first paralegal at DeFronzo & Petroskey, P.C. She guides clients through each step of their case—answering questions, coordinating documents and appointments, and making legal procedures clear and manageable. Milly especially values serving the firm’s many Hispanic clients and ensuring they feel heard, respected, and supported from intake to resolution.
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