Our Personal Injury Law Firm obtained the highest verdict for a motor vehicle accident involving a bicycle which is also one of the New York Law Journal’s Top 25 New York Verdicts of 2014

Gair Gair Conason Steigman Mackauf Bloom & Rubinowitz was featured in the New York Law Journal’s Top New York Verdicts of 2014 for obtaining the highest award for a verdict in a motor vehicle accident involving a bicycle.  The case was tried by our Managing Partner Ben B. Rubinowitz, along with our Partner, Peter J. Saghir.  The accident involved a 36-year-old woman who was riding her bicycle south on Broadway across East 14th Street when she was struck from behind by a New York City Transit Authority bus which was traveling southbound in the same direction as the plaintiff.  After she was struck by the bus she was dragged into the intersection where the right rear wheels of the bus rolled over her legs.  The bus driver claimed that he was in the center or left lane at the time of the accident and that the plaintiff suddenly and unexpectedly rode her bicycle across two lanes of traffic from the right lane to the left lane and struck the right side of the bus.  The plaintiff contended she was in the right lane as she approached the intersection.  It was undisputed that the plaintiff ended up in the left-hand lane of this three lane roadway.  The plaintiff suffered a degloving injury to her right leg as well as fractures to the distal tibia and fibula of her left leg.  The plaintiff’s entire claim was based on pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.  No claims were made for past or future medical expenses or past or future lost earnings.  After two days of deliberation, the jury found the New York City Transit Authority at fault and awarded the plaintiff $8,570,000 ($3,250,000 past pain and suffering and $5,320,000 future pain and suffering  over 40.9 years).