Notable Verdicts and Settlement obtained by our Personal Injury Attorneys

The New York Personal Injury Attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf has won or settled a multitude of substantial cases in the recent past.

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• $71 million verdict for a former Cornell student who suffered a fracture of her Lumbar Spine in a car accident in New York. The victim is now able to walk with braces but still suffers from neurogenic bowel. She will need medical help for the rest of her life. The jury awarded $5 million for her past pain and suffering, 6 million for her future pain and suffering and 60 million for her future medical needs.. This verdict was also the highest car accident verdict in New York in 2017.
• $10,000,000 settlement for a woman rendered blind as a result of being struck by a drunk driver.
• $8,000,000 settlement for the mother of a 4-year-old child who was killed by a drunk driver. This is the largest award in NY State for the death of a mother living with one child surviving her.
• $7,125,000 verdict for a 41-year-old man who suffered knee injuries in a car accident that happened on the West Side Highway. This is the highest verdict for a knee injury in New York State.
• $6,000,000 settlement for the family of a Westchester County man who was killed in an automobile accident when a drunk driver struck a stopped Police car resulting in an explosion and fire.
• $6,000,000 settlement in Bergen County, New Jersey in a combination car accident / medical malpractice case for a 61-year-old woman who sustained a herniated disc as a passenger in a motor vehicle accident. She subsequently underwent a neurosurgical procedure to remove the herniated disc during which the surgeon slipped and lacerated the dura of her spinal cord.
• $5,000,000 settlement in a wrongful death case in which a bar permitted a man to continue to drink alcoholic beverages before he started driving. That man then drove while intoxicated, killing a father of two children.
• $4,000,000 verdict for a woman who was injured in a car accident when a car crossed into her lane of travel. Her seven-year-old daughter was killed in the accident, and she suffered a fractured leg.
• $3,500,000 settlement for a 70-year-old pedestrian who was hit by an SUV while crossing the street at night in an area without a crosswalk. Despite suffering a traumatic brain injury from the accident, she made a significant recovery before the settlement, managing to travel to Europe and resume work.
• $3,250,000 settlement on behalf of a man injured when struck by a van in front of Bloomingdale's in Manhattan. The injuries included multiple leg fractures and a bladder injury.
• $3,075,000 settlement on behalf of several children injured when a hayride went out of control and flipped over.
• $2,750,000 verdict for a man who suffered injuries when a vehicle crossed into his lane of traffic. The City of New York was held 80% responsible (affirmed on appeal) for failing to erect jersey barriers to prevent crossover accidents.
• $2,600,000 recovery in an automobile accident case for the death of a man struck by a car while sitting in a restaurant when the car crashed through the window.
• $2,300,000 settlement for a young man injured as a result of negligent placement of a LILCO power line contributing to an auto accident. The man suffered head and leg injuries.
• $2,500,000 wrongful death settlement for a 53-year-old passenger who died from injuries sustained in a three-car collision. Initially, a vehicle ran a red light and T-boned the car the plaintiff was in. Following this, a delivery truck immediately behind the plaintiff's vehicle hit it a second time, ultimately leading to her death.
• $2,250,000 settlement for a pedestrian suffering significant leg injuries when struck by a car.
• $2,075,000 settlement for a taxi passenger who was seriously injured after his cab was struck by a police car.
• $1,900,000 settlement for a woman who suffered loss of her spleen and psychological trauma following an automobile accident
• $1,570,000 recovery for a woman who suffered serious injuries in an automobile accident. Although there was only $ 500,000 in Auto Insurance 1,000,000 was paid on a homeowner's policy as a result of proof of an improper disclaimer.
• $1,565,000 settlement for a 48-year-old football coach who required elbow surgery after sustaining an injury in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,500,000 settlement for a woman injured in an auto accident who suffered jaw and elbow injuries.
• $1,450,000 settlement for a plaintiff who suffered traumatic brain injury in a car accident.
• $1,380,000 arbitration award in an automobile underinsurance claim stemming from injuries suffered in an auto accident. The injured woman had a fracture of a lumbar vertebra.
• $1,250,000 settlement for a pedestrian struck by a left turning vehicle in New Jersey
• $1,250,000 recovery for a man in an automobile accident case who suffered leg fractures when struck by a car while riding his motorcycle.
• $1,250,000 settlement for a woman who suffered significant leg injuries in a car accident.
• $1,200,000 verdict for a man who suffered a herniated cervical disc when an adolescent dropped a pumpkin from an overpass onto the Long Island Expressway.
• $1,200,000 settlement in an automobile accident case on behalf of a Staten Island motorcyclist who sustained serious foot injuries when he was struck by a vehicle making an unsafe left-hand turn.
• $1,200,000 verdict for a woman who was struck by a car while riding her bicycle and suffered a lower back injury (herniated disc).
• $1,150,000 settlement in a wrongful death case for a father who was hit by a vehicle while crossing against the light. The vehicle had the right of way, and the case settled for the full policy limits.

• $41.5 million verdict for a sanitation worker who was fatally hit by a sweeper truck. This is also the highest verdict in New York State in 2017 in a truck accident lawsuit. At the time of the fatal accident, Steven Frosh was in a city garage adjusting his sweeper truck. Another truck arrived in the garage and fatally struck him. The victim left behind him a wife and four young children.
• $26,000,000 settlement for the family of a 35-year-old woman who was a pedestrian struck and killed by a truck on 6th Ave. in Manhattan. This is believed to be the largest settlement in the history of New York for the wrongful death of one individual.
• $10,750,000 settlement against a Japanese shipping company for negligence in maintaining their tractor trailer allowing the rear wheels to break off striking a pedestrian and causing severe burns and mild brain damage.
• $7,500,000 wrongful death settlement for a mother who was fatally struck by a truck in front of her husband and her son.
• $5,000,000 recovery in a bicycle accident lawsuit in New York County for the widow of a physician struck and killed by an N.Y.P.D. tow truck while he was riding his bike on the Green Way on the West Side when the truck made a right turn onto the path and crashed into him.
• $4,500,000 settlement awarded for the emotional trauma endured by a young girl who witnessed her brother being fatally struck by the defendant's tractor-trailer truck in Brooklyn. The two children were on their way to school.
• $4,800,000 verdict for the wrongful death of an 8-year-old child killed as the result of the negligence of a truck driver.
• $1,500,000 settlement in a truck accident claim for a woman who sustained serious injuries to her hand in Suffolk County when her vehicle was rear-ended by an asphalt truck whose brakes failed due to the company's failure to maintain them properly.
• $1,350,000 wrongful death settlement for a 27-year-old teacher who was struck by an oil truck making a left turn.
• $1,000,000 settlement for an 85-year-old pedestrian who was struck by a truck while crossing the street. At the time of the accident, she was crossing against the light and outside the crosswalk. It was argued that the defendant, who had been stopped at a traffic signal just before the incident, failed to use the mirrors on the front corners of his truck to check for pedestrians crossing in front, who could not be seen due to the height of the truck’s grill. The case settled for the full policy limits.

• $85 million jury verdict for a pedestrian who sustained catastrophic injury after being hit by a double-decker sightseeing tour bus in downtown Manhattan. This verdict was the largest verdict obtained in New York State and the 25th largest verdict obtained in the US in 2018.
• $27,500,000 verdict for a pedestrian struck by a bus. The pedestrian suffered the loss of her leg. This is the largest verdict for such an injury in New York State history.
• $12,500,000 verdict on behalf of a pedestrian who suffered degloving injuries to her leg and buttocks after being struck by a bus.
• $10,000,000 settlement in Nassau County for a woman who suffered severe injuries to her legs as a result of the negligence of a bus driver.
• $8,570,000 verdict for a bicyclist who suffered a degloving injury to her right leg as well as fractures to the distal tibia and fibula of her left leg after being struck by an MTA Bus in Manhattan.
• $7,000,000 settlement for a 68-year-old man who was struck by a bus that turned into him while he was crossing the street. The Judge stated that he believes this was the highest settlement ever in any case he has handled in the last 20 years in Morris County N.J.
• $6,500,000 settlement for an 80-year-old woman who was struck by a MTA bus.
• $4,000,000 settlement in a New York Personal injury case in which a young woman was crossing a New York City street when she was struck by a New York City Transit Authority bus.
• $3,025,000 against Long Island Bus and The County of Nassau for a 9-year-old boy with Down Syndrome whose mother was killed as she carried him across a Hempstead intersection when a bus collided with an SUV that had run a red light. The bus driver and the municipal bus company were found liable (along with suv operator) and are responsible to pay the entire judgment.
• $2,600,000 settlement after a bus accident on behalf of a pedestrian who suffered leg injuries after being struck by a New York City Transit Authority Bus.
• $2,050,000 verdict for a man struck by a transit authority bus while riding his bicycle. He suffered pelvic injuries and urethral injuries.
• $1,300,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a 73-year-old pedestrian struck by a MTA Bus.
• $1,000,000 settlement for a 65-year-old female pedestrian who sustained multiple fractures after being struck by a turning school bus. The case was settled for the full policy limits.

• $20 million settlement for a young tourist who fell on the tracks of the PATH train station on 14th street in Manhattan and was hit by two trains. She suffered life-altering injuries.
• $3,000,000 settlement for the victim of a train accident who suffered severe and permanent internal and spinal cord injuries
• $300,000 recovery in a wrongful death case for the family of a nurse who died from the injuries she sustained in a train accident.

• $3,000,000 settlement for a woman who suffered significant leg injuries when thrown from a boat after an engine exploded.

• $12,500,000 verdict for the wife of a parking garage employee who fell from and was killed by a man lift while at work.
• $5,000,000 settlement in a construction accident case for a construction worker who fell from the roof of a building during a construction project and miraculously sustained only leg fractures.
• $4,000,000 million verdict in a construction accident case in New York County on behalf of a laborer who suffered burns after falling into a pit of scalding water.
• $3,975,000 settlement in New York County for a man who fell from a truck and was impaled by a piece of Rebar.
• $2,700,000 settlement in New York County in a construction accident case for a worker in his sixties who was killed when he fell from a building canopy he was cleaning.
• $1,350,000 settlement for a hard hat who fell through the floor at a construction site when the plywood covering a large hole broke.

• $16,000,000 settlement in a construction accident case for an asbestos handler who fell 23 feet from a scaffold during the demolition of the Pepsi plant in Long Island City. The total funds to the injured worker and his wife exceed $25 million when the annuity purchased with a portion of the settlement proceeds is considered.
• $6,500,000 settlement for a construction worker who suffered traumatic brain injury after falling from a scaffold. The scaffold had no safety railings.
• $6,250,000 verdict for a construction worker who suffered left elbow and pelvic injury after he fell 30-40 feet from a rope scaffold that was not properly secured. Read more about this case here
• $5,800,000 recovery for a New York construction worker who suffered a brain injury when a Hi-Lo struck a scaffold upon which he was working causing the scaffold to fall over.
• $2,950,000 settlement in a construction accident case for the estate of a single woman who suffered injuries and later died as a result of falling from a defective scaffold at a construction site.
• $2,500,000 settlement for a Queens carpenter who sustained a back injury when he fell from a rolling Baker scaffold.
• $1,200,000 recovery in a New York Construction Accident Case for a man who fractured his heel when a scaffold at a construction site collapsed.
• $1,200,000 settlement in a Bronx County construction accident case to 50-year-old brick mason who sustained a fractured heel when the scaffolding on which he was working collapsed causing him to fall approximately 15 feet to the ground.

• $8,625,000 Recovery for the Wrongful Death of a 38-year-old worker in a construction accident case as a result of a fall from a ladder.
• $5,000,000 recovery in a New York Construction Accident Lawsuit for a man who suffered a brain injury when he fell from a ladder at a construction site. The recovery included an agreement for workers' compensation payments to continue despite the settlement.
• $5,000,000 settlement for a 50-year-old man who suffered a cervical herniation requiring fusion surgery after falling from a ladder at a construction site.
• $3,975,000 settlement in a New York Construction Accident case on behalf of a construction worker injured under the New York State Labor Law when he fell off of a slippery dump truck ladder and was impaled on vertical rebar left uncapped at a construction site.
• $1,250,000 recovery for a carpenter who fell from an A-frame ladder and underwent a microdiscectomy of his lumbar spine.
• A verdict of $1,073,295 in the Brooklyn Supreme Court on behalf of a 38-year-old construction worker who fell face-first from a defective ladder and sustained a fractured jaw and seven lost teeth.

• $4,997,986 settlement on behalf of a Manhattan resident who sustained brain damage when a chain-link security fence fell off the roof of a five-story building and struck him on the head while he was walking down the street.
• $2,975,000 settlement in a New York County construction accident case for a worker killed when a prefabricated wall panel fell on him.
• $2,500,000 settlement on behalf of a sheet-metal worker who sustained a crushed pelvis when the unsecured arm of a sign that was being hoisted became dislodged and struck him.
• $1,400,000 settlement on behalf of a New York construction worker injured when the glass roof of a greenhouse he was installing collapsed causing him to fall to the ground.
• $1,200,000 recovery for a construction worker who had a finger amputated after it was crushed by a falling hydraulic piston.

• A substantial but confidential settlement for the family of Wayner Bleidner, the crane operator who was killed in the crane collapse on East 51st Street
• $10,000,000 settlement in a crane accident lawsuit in New York County for a woman who was seriously injured when a 35-ton construction crane fell on her legs at an excavation site.
• $10,000,000 settlement in a Queen wrongful death claim for the widow of a crane operator who was crushed to death by a beam he was lifting.

• $1,000,000 settlement for a laborer who suffered an electric shock causing peripheral neuropathy in both hands.

• $3,000,000 settlement following Summations in a New York County construction accident case in which a worker suffered serious injuries to his heel while riding on a muck tram in a subway tunnel under construction.
• $2,200,000 settlement on behalf of a laborer killed in a construction accident.
• $2,025,000 recovery in Kings County for a construction worker who lost parts of his fingers when his hand was caught in an unguarded opening of a flatbed truck.

• 12,400,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a 40 year old woman who died in a gas explosion that took place in her house in Floral Park, Queens, New York.

• $6,500,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a man killed in an explosion as a result of a defective propane tank.
• $5,500,000 settlement on behalf of the family of a man killed in the Pan Am 103 plane crash, which occurred in Lockerbie, Scotland.
• $5,000,000 recovery to the widow of a Citibank employee who was killed in a plane crash in Brazil. The case was brought in New York against the foreign airline and the plane manufacturer.
• $4,500,000 recovery for victims of a defective diet drug.
• $4,200,000 settlement in a products liability case for a man who was burned when his fuel tank exploded following an auto accident .
• $3,500,000 recovery in Suffolk County for the family of a DEA agent killed when the cesspool at his home collapsed.
• $3,000,000 settlement for a woman who suffered significant leg injuries when thrown from a boat after an engine exploded.

• $7,000,000 settlement on behalf of five people who suffered leg injuries in an elevator accident caused by negligent maintenance of the elevator support cable.
• $4,000,000 verdict for a woman who suffered injuries and whose husband was killed as a result of inadequate security at the building in which she lived.
• $3,975,000 settlement in action where the 27-year old plaintiff fell down an elevator shaft when the doors opened and the elevator was not there. The plaintiff sustained serious injuries requiring an above-the-knee amputation of one of her legs. This case is noteworthy because there was only $2,000,000 in insurance and the building owners paid the remainder out of their own pocket. It was also alleged by the defendants that all tenants in the building were aware that the elevator was not operational.
• $3,900,000 settlement on behalf of a man who was killed when an air conditioner fell on him.
• $3,800,000 settlement for a woman who suffered a severe shoulder injury when a building carelessly allowed ice to build up and to fall in an area where pedestrians walk.
• $3,800,000 verdict in a case where a man suffered a severely fractured leg in a parking garage in Manhattan.
• $3,500,000 recovery in Suffolk County for the family of a DEA agent killed when the cesspool at his home collapsed.
• $2,500,000 settlement on behalf of a sheet-metal worker who sustained a crushed pelvis when the unsecured arm of a sign that was being hoisted became dislodged and struck him.
• $1,500,000 settlement for a man who suffered a fractured femur after falling on a defective stairway.
• $1,200,000 settlement for a man who suffered a burst fracture of a lumbar vertebra due to an unsafe condition at a school.

• $59,200,000 verdict for a former high school student who suffered catastrophic burns during a botched experiment
• $12,400,000 settlement for a mother of three children who died in a house explosion after Con Edison failed to evacuate it in light of a known gas leak.

• $120,000,000 verdict awarded to a family man who has to reside in a memory care facility for the rest of his life after doctors at Westchester Medical Center delayed treatment for a stroke (see 2023 highlights above).
  
• A confidential but substantial settlement in Joan Rivers Medical Malpractice case. The comedian died after doctors performed an unauthorized biopsy on her throat during a routine endoscopy.
• $103,000,000 verdict (one of the largest ever) in a Broome County medical malpractice case on behalf of a baby brain damaged at birth .
• $90,939,857 jury verdict for a child whose cerebral palsy was due to the failure of an obstetrician to diagnose placental abruption and who thus delayed the cesarean section that was necessary to rescue the baby who was suffering from a lack of oxygen.
• $17,250,000 verdict for a man who was rendered partially incontinent as a result of medical malpractice in failing to diagnose a spinal malformation.
• $12,000,000 settlement for a man who was overradiated by the radiation center where he was treated for cancer.
• $9,500,000 settlement for brain damage to a professional young woman who had surgery for her uterine fibroids but then had her endotracheal tube removed prematurely so that she stopped breathing on her way to the recovery room.
• $9,400,000 recovery in a Manhattan medical malpractice case in which a woman suffered brain damage following ambulatory gynecological surgery in which doctors failed to properly monitor her post-operative course in which she suffered an anoxic event that was not timely treated.
• $9,200,000 settlement in a Brooklyn medical malpractice case in which doctors and hospital employees fail to timely diagnose and treat a small bowel obstruction which resulted in systemic infections, multiple surgeries, lengthy hospitalization, and the need for a kidney transplant.
• $9,000,000 settlement in a medical malpractice case involving surgery to remove fibroids in a young woman resulting in brain damage.
• $9,000,000 settlement for the wrongful death of a man who died at a hospital as a result of negligent post-operative care following colon resection surgery.
• $8,000,000 settlement in a medical malpractice case in which a woman was rendered brain damaged as a result of anesthesiologic malpractice.
• $8,000,000 settlement for a woman in case in which doctors and hospital employees failed to timely diagnose a valvulus (twisting of the intestine) in a woman which caused multiple surgeries and hospitalizations and the need for an intestinal transplant.
• $8,000,000 settlement on behalf of an 18-year old boy in a New York medical malpractice lawsuit where a physician prescribed the medication Depakote without monitoring the boy's liver function despite the known effects of Depakote on the liver. As a result of the failure to monitor the liver function, the plaintiff sustained complete liver failure requiring a liver transplant and hepatic encephalopathy resulting in brain damage.
• $8,000,000 settlement in a Nassau County medical malpractice case for a child rendered brain damaged with cerebral palsy as a result of negligent obstetrical care given to the baby's mother.
• $7,000,000 settlement on behalf of a mother who suffered brain damage during child birth when the epidural injection spread to her brain.
• $6,800,000 settlement in a medical malpractice case involving a six year old child whose bacterial infection was not diagnosed and resulted in the loss of a leg.
• $6,600,000 settlement in Upstate New York for a 69-year-old who underwent a leg amputation after his femoral artery was punctured during the insertion of a guide wire.
  
• $6,100,000 settlement in a Dutchess County medical malpractice case involving the death of a woman after giving birth.
• $6,000,000 settlement in Onondaga County for a child rendered brain damage as a result of medical malpractice in the obstetrical care rendered to the baby's mother.
• $5,995,000 for a young boy in New York County who sustained a brain injury as a result of a pharmacy error in a case involving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) which was mixed with 10 times too much dextrose and which was delivered to the child's home by an out of state pharmacy and administered by a private duty nurse.
• $5,500,000 settlement for a young child brain injured at birth due to medical malpractice by a New York doctor.
• $5,000,000 recovery for a Connecticut man injured when he fell while awaiting treatment at a hospital.

• A $27,500,000 settlement against the catholic church on behalf of four victims who were sexually abused by a Angelo Serrano, a worker at St. Lucy's St. Patrick's, a Catholic church in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn. The Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens and a local after school program will pay $27,500,000 which will be divided evenly with each boy receiving $6,875,000. This is the largest settlement in the country paid by the Catholic Church to an individual survivor of sexual abuse.
• $11,400,000 verdict for two teenagers who were sexually abused by the youth minister of their Parrish.
• $3,500,000 settlement awarded to a woman for sexual abuse experienced during her childhood at a school.
• $1,750,000 settlement secured for a man who was sexually abused by a coach in his youth at a public school.
• $1,700,000 settlement granted to a man for sexual abuse by a public school teacher when he was a young boy.
• $1,700,000 settlement obtained on behalf of a man abused by a reading teacher within the New York City public school system.
• $1,000,000 settlement against the Diocese of Brooklyn for a man sexually abused by a priest at age 9.
  

Disclaimer: Please be advised that the results achieved in any given case depend upon the exact facts and circumstances of that case. Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf cannot guarantee a specific result in any legal matter. Any testimonial or case result listed on this site is based on an actual legal case and represents the results achieved in that particular case, and does not constitute a guarantee, warranty or prediction of the outcome of any other legal matters.

Our Personal Injury Firm has had the privilege of serving as lead counsel in some of the more prestigious class action litigations of the past 100 years. Below are some examples of its successes.

• $100,000,000 recovery for victims of 9/11 and their families. This strikingly large settlement was due, in large part, to our attorney's legal strategy and ability to convey the human nature of this immense tragedy to the Victim's Compensation Fund.
• The fire at Stouffer's Hotel in Westchester County. We represented the estates of 11 members of the Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 Company killed in the fire. The case settled for more than $50,000,000.
• The explosion on Ann Street that resulted in 12 deaths and multiple injuries. The case settled for $18,000,000.
• $14,000,000 settlement on behalf of tenants injured as a result of the negligence of Con Edison when a pipe exploded.
• A building collapse on West 35th Street resulting in numerous injuries. The settlement was in excess of $3,000,000 (there was only $2,000,000 in insurance coverage).
• $3,000,000 settlement on behalf of the family of Amadou Diallo, which is believed to be the largest settlement ever under New York State's wrongful-death statute for a victim who earned less than $ 10,000 and had no dependents.