On July 21, 2000, Daniel Hernandez was working on a defective lighting fixture at a Great Neck construction site when he fell from a ladder and broke his leg. He never recovered from his injury (it got worse and others developed too); he was never able to return to work. His damages lawsuit took eight… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Leg Injuries
Subscribe to Leg Injuries RSS FeedLarge Pain and Suffering Verdict Affirmed for Teenager with Fractured Leg and Degloving Injury
Posted in Ankle Injuries, Leg InjuriesOn November 19, 2005, at about 7 p.m., Ernest Lewis, then 13 years old, was on his way home from church walking towards the bus stop at 145th Street and Convent Avenue in Manhattan. He saw a bus ahead and ran along the sidewalk to catch it before the driver pulled away. Ernest reached the… Continue Reading
Appellate Court Determines Proper Amount for Pain and Suffering Damages in RSD Case
Posted in Leg InjuriesIn December 2009, we wrote, here, about Diarassouba v. Urban, a fascinating and long-winding medical malpractice case of a 32 year old math professor at Manhattan Community College who ended up with nerve damage and RSD (a chronic, painful neurologic condition often presenting as a burning sensation) affecting his right leg after unrelated extensive surgery in… Continue Reading
Court Orders Substantial Reduction in Pain and Suffering Damages in Severe Orthopedic and Brain Injury Trauma Case
Posted in Back Injuries, Brain Injuries, Leg Injuries, Neck Injuries, Wrist InjuriesA 26 year old restaurant deliveryman was was bicycling in the Bedford-Stuyversant section of Brooklyn on June 4, 2005, on his way to make a food delivery from King’s Men Restaurant, when a car struck him from behind. Jing Xue Jiang flew through the air and the next thing he remembered was waking up at… Continue Reading
Review of the 10 Largest Pain and Suffering Awards Approved by New York’s Appellate Courts in 2011
Posted in Amputation Injuries, Brain Injuries, Leg Injuries, Paralysis, Wrongful DeathNew York’s appellate courts issued decisions in 10 cases in 2011 that approved pain and suffering damages in the sum of $3,500,000 or more. The largest was $12,000,000 for a 24 year old woman who was paralyzed when a weight-lifting machine fell on top of her. The courts affirmed the jury verdict in five of… Continue Reading
Brain and Leg Injuries Result in $15,000,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict Reduced to $5,000,000 by Appeals Court
Posted in Brain Injuries, Leg InjuriesOn November 29, 2004 at about 3:15 p.m., Rashawana Belt was on the sidewalk that abutted the eastbound side of 110th Avenue, near its intersection at Merrick Boulevard, in the Jamaica section of Queens. In a split second, her life would change unalterably when a drunk driver mounted the sidewalk, struck Rashawana and drove her… Continue Reading
Massive Leg Injuries Result in $11,500,000 Jury Verdict for Pain and Suffering; Recovery Reduced to $4,000,000 after Appeal and Apportionment for Comparative Liability
Posted in Leg InjuriesOn October 28, 2004, an 18 year old college student was crossing 70th Street at Eighth Avenue, in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. On her way to the bank to perform an errand for her father, Walla Mohamed wound up under the front wheel of a city bus making a right turn and sustained very serious injuries. Another pedestrian hit… Continue Reading
$175,000 Pain and Suffering Award Reduced by Appeals Court to $140,000 for Leg Injuries Requiring Skin Graft; New Trial Ordered to Assess Plaintiff’s Comparative Negligence in Rail Road Platform Gap Fall
Posted in Burn Injuries, Leg InjuriesOn June 14, 2006, at about 3:30 p.m., then 72 year old Irene McDonald attempted to board a train at the New Hyde Park Long Island Rail Road (the LIRR) station when she fell through a 12 inch gap between the train station platform and the train door. Here is the LIRR train station where… Continue Reading
Girl with Fractured Femur from Construction Site Accident Wins New Damages Trial due to Jury’s Inconsistent Pain and Suffering Awards ($100,000 for Future, Zero for Past)
Posted in Elbow Injuries, Leg InjuriesOn September 1, 2000 Jennifer Arietta was struck by an eight foot piece of plywood accidentally dropped from the third floor window at 513 Beekman Avenue in the Bronx. The plank was being used as a window cover by contractors renovating the building and ten year old Jennifer just happened to be walking on the… Continue Reading
Appeals Court Affirms Medical Malpractice Finding but Reduces $900,000 Pain and Suffering Award to $200,000
Posted in Leg Injuries, Medical MalpracticeAs regular readers know, we rail against appeals court judges who issue decisions that fail to explain why they decrease (or increase) pain and suffering awards. Under CPLR 5501 and 5522, they are required to explain their reasoning when they rule on requests to decrease or increase awards. In a new medical malpractice lawsuit decision,… Continue Reading
Delayed Diagnosis of Spinal Tumor Results in $47,950,000 Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict – Defendant Appeals Claiming Lack of Causation and Excessive Damages
Posted in Back Injuries, Leg Injuries, Medical MalpracticeShania-Gay Ffrench was 21 years old on February 3, 2000 when she went to the emergency room at Mount Vernon Hospital complaining of back pain. Doctors there suspected uterine fibroids and she was told to follow up with her primary care physician and her gynecologist. She did so. She saw her internist Keith Edwards, M.D…. Continue Reading
Bicyclist Sustains Fractures of Both Legs when Struck by Police Car; Appeals Court Upholds Trial Judge’s Increase to $750,000 for Pain and Suffering after Jury Awarded only $100,000
Posted in Leg InjuriesOn August 15, 2004, then 20 year old Ervin Jordan was on his bicycle in Wyandanch, New York (Suffolk County) attempting to cross a road known as Straight Path at its intersection with State Avenue. Jordan was peddling along, just like this fellow: At the same time, and on State Avenue only a block away… Continue Reading
Trial Judge Upholds New York Jury’s $3,200,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict for 44 Year Old Electrician with Tibia-Fibula Fractures and RSD
Posted in Leg InjuriesAlmost ten years ago, a month after the Great Neck, New York commercial office building at 1010 Northern Boulevard had been constructed and occupied, there was a problem with some of the emergency backup lighting fixtures. The tenant notified the building owner who in turn notified its general contractor. Then, the electrical subcontractor was notified… Continue Reading
Rupture of Quadriceps Tendon Results in $2,200,000 Pain and Suffering Jury Verdict; Reduced on Appeal to $1,600,000
Posted in Knee Injuries, Leg InjuriesThe quadriceps tendon is located at the top of the patella and is attached to the quadriceps muscle. It is critical for ambulation because it allows the knee to move from a position of extension (straight) to a position of flexion (bent). When it ruptures, the patella loses its anchoring support in the thigh and one cannot stand… Continue Reading
$3,000,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict Sustained on Appeal for Ten Year Old New York Girl Injured in Horrifying Subway Accident
Posted in Ankle Injuries, Burn Injuries, Hip and Pelvis Injuries, Knee Injuries, Leg Injuries, Psychological DamagesNovember 4, 2001 began as a great day for ten year old Leonari Jones. She was an active, playful, happy kid who had a sleepover party and was on the subway returning home to the Bronx with her friends and babysitter. When the train pulled in to her stop at 174th Street, though, Leonari’s life took a… Continue Reading
Courts Rule on Important Issues in Drunk Driving Injury Cases: Husband who bought drinks may sue for wife’s death; Driver who struck pedestrian may look to bar to share in defense
Posted in Leg Injuries, Wrongful DeathIt’s as simple as A-B-C. The Alcohol Beverage Control Law has long provided that it is a crime to sell alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person. Violation of the A.B.C. Law will expose the seller to a lawsuit for civil damages too. We visit two new cases that made their way to appeals courts this month, each… Continue Reading
Inside Story of Lawsuit over Catastrophic Injuries at Construction Site – Did Attorney’s Rejection of Settlement Offer Cost His Client $7,000,000?
Posted in Eye and Vision Injuries, Leg Injuries, Loss of Consortium Damages, Neck Injuries, Wrist InjuriesA 35 year old healthy construction worker was helping to build a new Lowe’s Home Depot in Orangeburg (Ulster County), New York on November 14, 2002 when he fell off the roof 22 feet striking his head on the ground below. After 63 days in the hospital (57 of them in a coma), 11 surgeries… Continue Reading
Woman’s Leg Amputated after Bus Accident; $27,500,000 Verdict Will Not Stand
Posted in Amputation Injuries, Leg InjuriesIt’s a huge verdict for someone who lost a leg in an accident – $27,500,000 – but it will never be paid. It will either be reduced on appeal or settled before then. Here’s the story. Plaintiff Gloria Aguilar, then 45 years old, was walking in midtown Manhattan on November 4, 2005 when she was… Continue Reading
Femur Fracture Pain and Suffering Injury Cases – $4,800,000 Upheld on Appeal in New York
Posted in Leg InjuriesThe femur (commonly called the thighbone) is the longest and the strongest bone in the body. To break the femur across its length, or shaft, takes a great deal of force, such as might occur in a car accident or a fall from a high place. Repairing the broken bone often requires open reduction internal… Continue Reading
Leg Fracture Verdicts for Pain and Suffering in New York Injury Cases Upheld on Appeal for $1,100,000 and $1,500,000
Posted in Leg InjuriesA broken or fractured tibia (the shin bone) is the most common long-bone injury. Several types of fractures can occur, ranging from the hairline stress fractures common in runners to severe open fractures (where the skin is broken) often resulting from motor vehicle accidents. And when severe, the fibula (the long, thin lateral or outside bone of the lower… Continue Reading