Personal Injury Law

SETTLEMENT REACHED IN STATEN ISLAND FERRY CRASH

In a classic example of the duty that municipal entities have to provide a safe environment for the public at large, a New York Times article reports that New York City has agreed to pay Mr. Shriram Agni a 6.5 million dollar settlement for injuries he suffered in Staten Island. Mr. Agni, 61, was on his way home from work in October 2003 when the Staten Island Ferry rammed into a concrete pier crushing his right leg. Mr. Agni was unable to return to work for a year after he suffered his injury. In addition to Mr. Agni, 11 people died that October day in 2003, and dozens more were injured.

The Times reported that according to the city Law Department approximately two thirds of the 186 claims have been settled, costing the city more than 34 million dollars. Of the $34 million, two of the largest settlements included a man and a woman who lost both legs. Each of them received payments of 9 million dollars.

The settlement comes after federal judge Edward R. Korman of the United States District Court in Brooklyn denied the city?s attempt to cap damages for those families who had family members killed and to those who suffered New York personal injury in the ferry crash. The city made an argument that damages incurred as a result of the crash could be capped under an 1851 law that limited any boat owner?s liability to the value of the boat, minus repair costs. In this case, if that law had applied the damages would have run in the neighborhood of 14 million dollars.

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on February 16, 2008 (boomark / email).