In Mack v. LaValley, 55 Conn. App. 150, 167, 738 A.2d 718, cert. denied, 251 Conn. 928, 742 A.2d 363 (1999), the Court expressed its understanding of the common-law collateral source rule as follows: "Prior to the enactment of 52-225a in 1985, Connecticut adhered to the common-law collateral source rule, which provides that 'a defendant is not entitled to be relieved from paying any part of the compensation due for injuries proximately resulting from his act where payment for such injuries or damages comes from a collateral source, wholly independent of him.'"