$431 Million Paid Out by NYC Transit in Personal Injury Suits

More people take public transportation in New York City than in any other city in the country, and those numbers are only growing as more people move to the city. The MTA reports that, in 2015, around 5.7 million people took the subway each day, with a ridership of around 1.73 billion per year. Those numbers are the highest since 1948, when car ownership was much less common. And, as anyone who has been a regular rider of the NYC subways over the past decade can tell you, the statistics are clearly apparent, with subway cars and platforms getting more crowded all the time. This of course can be a dangerous trend, given the combination of speeding trains, electrified tracks, and steep platform drop-offs. This danger is demonstrated by a recent NY Daily News article which pointed that, in just the past five years, NYC Transit has paid out $431 million to victims in personal injury suits in a total of 4,592 cases relating to injuries on the subways or city buses.

88 Cases Involved $1 Million+ Payouts

The average payout by NYC Transit to victims over the past five years has been $94,000, although that average is lifted up by a smaller number of high settlement and verdicts that have been awarded. In 88 of the cases brought for personal injury on the bus or subways, the injured plaintiff was awarded at least $1 million.

In one recent case, a 19-year old student was awarded $9 million after he slipped onto the tracks due to a hole on the platform edge had been concealed by an MTA employee, and both of his legs had to be amputated below the knees. The NY Daily News revealed that the NYC Transit’s own internal reporting on dangers on the platforms revealed that 85% of the stations reviewed had major trip-and-fall dangers.

Winning Your NYC Subway/Bus Injury Case

The article also included an in-depth discussion of how, despite what may appear like the high number of payments made in these types of cases, the transit authority appears to have a standard practice of attempting to delay and obstruct personal injury cases as much as possible. According to those involved in such litigation, opposing attorneys will haggle over small details, withhold evidence, and intimidate victims by blaming them for their injuries.

Because of this, it is important for those victims injured in NYC bus and subway accidents to work with an experienced attorney to bring their suit. By delaying working with an experienced attorney, victims can make it much harder on themselves as evidence becomes harder to identify and the opposing side builds up a case against you. But by contacting a subway/bus accident attorney immediately, injured victims and their families increase their chances of a speedy, full recovery.

Legal Help in Your NYC Subway or Bus Accident

If you have been injured on a NYC/MTA bus or subway, or PATH, Metro-North, or Amtrak train, legal assistance is available to help you recover for any and all losses you have suffered as a result, including the costs of medical bills, rehabilitation, lost wages and reduced income potential, and pain and suffering. Personal injury attorney Justin Brandel represents injured victims and their families in all types of transportation accidents, including subway and bus accidents, and will fight to win the settlement or verdict you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation to discuss how we can help you win recovery for your injuries

October 19, 2016
8:10 pm

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