Following a six week trial in New York Supreme Court before Judge Paul Feinman, our Partner, Ben B. Rubinowitz obtained a jury verdict of $27,500,000.00.
The plaintiff, Gloria Aguilar, was a 45 year old woman, returning from work. As she was crossing 50th St at 10th Ave, a New York City Transit Authority bus made a right turn into her. The bus knocked her down and then ran over her left leg. Although the leg was attached “by a thread”, the doctors at Bellevue Hospital were unable to perform microsurgery due to the crush injuries from the 40,000 pound bus. Ms Aguilar underwent multiple surgeries and eventually had an above-the-knee amputation.
The defendant Transit Authority claimed that Ms Aguilar was outside of the crosswalk at the time she was struck, that she failed to look and walked into the side of the Bus.
The jury rejected that argument finding the Transit Authority 100% at fault and awarded Ms Aguilar $27,500,000.00 – one of the highest verdicts, if not the highest verdict, ever awarded for a woman who lost her leg in an accident.
Judge Feinman denied the motion by the Transit Authority to set the verdict aside as excessive.