On August 14, 2003, a blackout struck the entire Northeast resulting in widespread electrical power outages. Joseph Schaefer, a New York City police officer, was assigned to assist in the evacuation of Pennsylvania Station. Schaefer first led dozens of passengers from trains stuck inside tunnels at the station. Then, he came upon two women trapped… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Knee Injuries
Subscribe to Knee Injuries RSS FeedCourt Orders Increase in Jury’s Modest Damages Verdict for Knee Injury Pain and Suffering
Posted in Knee InjuriesOn November 22, 2007, Gail Rye was a passenger on a Lift Line, Inc. paratransit service bus in Rochester when the driver suddenly jammed on his brakes and she was propelled four rows forward, out of her wheelchair, head first into the back of the divider by the driver’s seat. One of Lift Line’s buses:… Continue Reading
Knee Injury results in $500,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict but Appeals Court Orders New Trial for Jury to Determine if Injuries “Serious”
Posted in Knee InjuriesAfter a morning of shopping on April 16, 2005, Mildred Manuel boarded a city bus to head home. At her stop, Rockaway Parkway and Schenck Street in Brooklyn, the 64 year old Ms. Manuel stepped out of the bus and fell because of a roadway hole, thereby sustaining serious knee injuries. A Kings County jury… Continue Reading
Appeals Court Reinstates Jury’s $600,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict in Knee Injury Case
Posted in Back Injuries, Knee InjuriesOn September 11, 2005, Ydaiza DeCastro fell when her shoe got stuck in a hole in front of the elevator on the fourth floor of the apartment building where she lived at 1760 Andrews Avenue in the Bronx. She fell hard and injured her knee and her back. The building owner conceded liability for the… Continue Reading
Knee Injury Pain and Suffering Verdict Increased on Appeal to $1,400,000
Posted in Knee InjuriesAngelo Diaz reported to work at 5:15 a.m. on July 15, 2002 at the New York City Department of Sanitation’s maintenance garage in Manhattan. The then 40 year old Diaz was going about his work for an hour or so moving trucks from the garage (like the one seen below) to the street outside when… Continue Reading
New York’s Highest Court Reverses Appellate Division’s Finding that Prisoner’s Testimony Incredible and His Knee Injury Case Sent Back for Reconsideration; Jury’s $1,050,000 Pain and Suffering Verdict had been Reduced to $475,000; New Trial Likely
Posted in Knee InjuriesThe saga began more than 11 years ago one evening in April 1999. Pedro Acosta, then 28 years old, was awakened by a telephone call from a man claiming to be his probation officer. Then there were knocks on apartment his door and loud voices. Although on probation and wearing an ankle monitoring device, Pedro… Continue Reading
$500,000 Knee Injury Pain and Suffering Verdict Upheld on Appeal as to Reasonableness but Liability Verdict against City of New York to be Retried
Posted in Knee InjuriesA few weeks after the 9-11-01 tragedy, Donna Fisk, then 49 years old, moved from Florida to New York to volunteer at what became known as Memorial Park, (a site at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York on East 30th Street) where remains were identified. Mrs. Fisk’s job… Continue Reading
City of New York Wins Appellate Court Dismissal of $1,000,000 Knee Injury Verdict – Plaintiff’s Testimony was False and Jury was Irrational
Posted in Knee InjuriesPedro Acosta was 28 years old on April 16, 1999 and asleep in his second floor apartment in Brooklyn, New York when at about 11 p.m. four men banged on his door. He ran out the back – through a rear window, onto a roof, down to the street and up onto another roof. The… 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
Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Saga in NY: After 13 Years, Doctors Lose Two Trials, Fail to Enforce a Favorable Settlement Agreement and Must Pay $1,405,000
Posted in Knee Injuries, Medical MalpracticeIt’s not an uncommon situation in the ever-uncertain world of jury deliberations in personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York and nationwide. After years of litigation, months of trial preparation and weeks of trial testimony, the jury is deliberating and each side again assesses its strengths and weaknesses. A settlement is finally discussed and appears… 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
Update on $4,500,000 Jury Verdict for Cop Who Shot Himself in Knee
Posted in Knee InjuriesWe wrote about Detective Anderson Alexander back in December, here. He’s the former former New York City policeman who accidentally shot himself in the knee when a defective chair broke at his precinct house. Don’t sit in a chair like this: And definitely don’t sit in that chair with a gun like this in your… Continue Reading
New York Appeals Court Inadequately Explains its Order Deducting $455,000 from Pain and Suffering Verdict for Firefighter with Wrist, Shoulder and Knee Injuries
Posted in Knee Injuries, Shoulder Injuries, Wrist InjuriesOn December 22, 1999, Lieutenant Nocenzu Cusumano, a New York City firefighter, reported to work at the city’s recently renovated Staten Island training center. He slipped on stairway debris and fell 16 feet down to a concrete floor. He reached out for a handrail or banister but none was there as the renovation was illegal… Continue Reading
New Judicial Decisions in Knee Injury Cases Set Pain and Suffering Awards between $250,000 and $900,000
Posted in Knee InjuriesJudicial decisions in several recent cases demonstrate the wide range of possible outcomes for pain and suffering awards in knee injury cases. We last visited this topic when discussing the New York City police officer who shot himself in the knee and convinced a jury not only that the city was at fault but also… Continue Reading
Unusual Sports Related Injury Case Plaintiffs Failing to Win Damages
Posted in Assumption of the Risk, Knee Injuries, Neck InjuriesIn several unusual sports related cases around the country recently, injured plaintiffs have failed to win any damages. If we count "slam dancing" as a sport then the score is no wins, two losses and two ties (to be broken by trials down the road). Loss #1: In Fry v. Jolly Roger Rides, Inc. a… Continue Reading
$4.5 Million Jury Verdict for Cop Shot in Knee
Posted in Knee InjuriesOuch! Bullet in the knee. But in Alexander v. City of New York, a cop shot himself! When Detective Anderson Alexander leaned back in a chair at his Brooklyn, New York precinct house, it didn’t hold his weight and he stumbled out of the defective chair and his gun accidentally discharged. He sued the city for the defective chair and… Continue Reading