Notable Verdicts and Settlements Obtained by Our New York Personal Injury Attorneys

With a track record that speaks for itself, the New York Personal Injury Attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf recovered over $5 billion for clients, including more than 600 settlements and 60 verdicts over $1 million. Of these, approximately one-quarter exceed $10 million, and several reach nine-figure results. The firm’s achievements include the highest pain and suffering award ever recorded in New York State, demonstrating both its trial excellence and dedication to securing full justice for the seriously injured.

In the aftermath of the Tribeca crane collapse, the firm secured a record-breaking $272.5 million settlement,  the largest crane accident recovery in New York history and among the most significant construction accident settlements ever achieved nationwide. This landmark result reflects the firm’s unmatched experience handling complex construction litigation involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

In one of the most significant commuter rail crash cases in New York history, attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf were selected by all plaintiffs’ counsel to serve as Lead Trial Counsel for the liability phase of the litigation arising from the Metro-North Valhalla train crash in Westchester County.

The crash occurred on February 3, 2015, when an SUV stopped on the tracks near the Valhalla train station and was struck by a southbound Metro-North train. The collision resulted in one of the worst commuter railroad disasters in the country, claiming six lives and injuring many others.

Although an early National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report initially placed blame on the driver of the SUV, our trial team demonstrated through strategic cross-examination and expert testimony that the train engineer failed to take appropriate action after seeing the vehicle on the tracks. Following a six-week liability trial in 2024, the jury returned a verdict finding Metro-North 71% responsible and the driver 29% responsible.

After the liability verdict, our train accident attorneys played a central role in achieving justice for the victims and their families. Serving as lead counsel during the liability trial, the firm established Metro-North’s responsibility for the crash, an outcome that ultimately led to a global settlement exceeding $182+ million, benefiting the families of five passengers who were killed and dozens of others who were seriously injured.

Attorneys throughout the litigation entrusted our firm to lead the liability trial, reinforcing the firm’s longstanding reputation as “counsel to the profession” in complex, high-stakes catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

In what is believed to be the largest medical malpractice verdict ever awarded in Nassau County, our partner Marijo C. Adimey, with Aaron M. Ser second-chairing, secured a $60,033,041.23 jury verdict on behalf of a 65-year-old electrical mechanic who was left permanently paralyzed after a routine epidural steroid injection. The trial team presented spinal angiogram imaging and expert testimony revealing that a high-risk medication, not documented in the medical record, was likely used, resulting in a devastating spinal cord infarction. The unanimous verdict included compensation for past and future medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and spousal loss of services. This case reinforces our firm’s leadership in complex, high-stakes medical litigation.

In another landmark result, our firm secured a $120 million verdict in Westchester County, one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in New York history. The case involved William R. Lee, who suffered permanent brain damage due to a hospital’s failure to timely diagnose a basilar artery stroke.

Jump to: Motor Vehicle Accident Claims (including car, truck, bus, pedestrian and cyclist) | Train Accident Claims | Construction Accident & Labor Law Claims | Product Liability & Defective Product Claims | Premises Liability Claims | Fire and Explosion Accident Claims | Medical Malpractice Claims | Sexual Abuse Claims | Multi-Party Cases

• $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.
• $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.
• $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.
• $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.
• $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.
• $12,500,000 verdict on behalf of a pedestrian who suffered degloving injuries to her leg and buttocks after being struck by a bus.
• $10,750,000 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
• $10,000,000 settlement for a woman rendered blind as a result of being struck by a drunk driver
• $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

• Lead counsel in the Metro-North Valhalla train crash litigation, resulting in a total settlement exceeding $182 million for victims and families of those killed and injured. (see Metro-North case above).
• $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.

• $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.
• $3,925,000 settlement for a 34-year-old Rochester laborer who sustained a traumatic hand amputation while operating a defective, non-OSHA-compliant radial arm saw. The saw lacked required blade guarding and an automatic retraction mechanism, allowing it to slide toward the operator.
• $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.

• 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.
• $6,000,000 award  — Nassau County Premises Liability / New York Personal Injury Case. Obtained for a 19-year-old woman who suffered a severe knee and arterial injury after tripping on a poorly maintained drain cover in a Nassau County parking lot.
• $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.
• $2,700,000 award recovered by our NY school injury lawyers for an 8-year-old girl who required “Tommy John” surgery following an elbow dislocation sustained during an inadequately supervised private gymnastics class in Nassau County.
• $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.
• $60,033,041 Verdict for a 65-year-old man who was permanently paralyzed after a medication error during a routine epidural steroid injection. The physician allegedly used a dangerous drug known to cause spinal cord infarction when improperly administered. The case, led by Marijo C. Adimey and second-chaired by Aaron M. Ser, is believed to be the largest medical malpractice verdict ever recorded in Nassau County.(See highlights above)
• $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.
• $16,254,715.55 — Staten Island Medical Malpractice / Birth Injury Case. Achieved for the parents of a newborn who sustained hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) during labor and delivery when hospital staff failed to respond to clear indications of fetal distress.
• $12,000,000 settlement for a man who was overradiated by the radiation center where he was treated for cancer.

• 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.