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Request A Call HereThis article is brought to you by the legal team at Banville Law. After almost a decade, a cab driver was awarded more than $6 million for a car accident he claims occurred due to the negligence of the New York Port Authority.
It was winter when the plaintiff, in this case, was driving his cab towards JFK airport. Although it was cold outside, the road conditions were clear until he hit a stretch of 300 feet on the airport’s property that was unexpectedly covered in ice.
Ahead of him, several other vehicles had already hit the ice and crashed but since it wasn’t immediately clear that there was ice, he continued on. When the cab came into contact with the ice, he lost control and despite his best attempts to regain control, the taxi cab slammed into several of the other disabled cars. When he was finally rescued and taken to the hospital, doctors found that he had torn the meniscus in both knees and herniated discs.
It’s easy to blame the weather in cases like these, but unlike other snow and ice accidents, there hadn’t been any winter weather prior to his crash. What investigators determined was that the airport sprinkler system, which should have been turned off several weeks before by the Port Authority, had been left on. In warmer weather, the run-off would have evaporated but since it was winter, the ice continued to accumulate, causing a serious hazard.
After undergoing six separate surgeries and months of physical therapy, the cab driver filed a lawsuit against the Port Authority, claiming that the only reason he and several other drivers crashed was that they failed to shut off the sprinkler system in a timely manner.
The case went to trial and the jury sided with the plaintiff, awarding him $6.6 million for his physical pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages.
No, absolutely not. While it can take several years to obtain compensation, it typically doesn’t take a full decade to take compensation. In fact, the majority of all car accident lawsuits settle out of court through careful negotiation and never go to trial.
Many clients have asked our legal team whether it’s better to settle or go to court but the fact is, there is no easy answer. After carefully reviewing the case and all of a plaintiff’s losses, as well as any offers to settle that may have been made by a defendant, an experienced attorney can provide the plaintiff with an outline of their legal options. After that, the plaintiff must do what they think is best for them.
Our team of experienced lawyers offers free consultations to the victims of car accidents. We believe that no one should suffer because someone else failed to act responsibly. In the past, we have represented plaintiffs who were injured in accidents caused by:
Together, we work without clients to get the evidence needed to support their case and fight tooth and nail to make sure they get the compensation they both need and deserve.
No two plaintiffs suffer the exact same losses and so every case is worth a different amount. Until the case has been reviewed and the losses calculated, it is impossible to provide an estimate of how much an individual case may be worth.
Our firm works on what is called a contingency fee. This means that our clients pay us directly out of any award they obtain, which means that there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. The fee is discussed upfront so there are no surprises. If we don’t win your case, we don’t get paid.
Have you or someone you love been involved in a similar incident? Read more on the taxi industry as we answer questions such as: "Can SheRides Offer Safe Transportation To New York’s Women?"
