A Metro North train derailment lawsuit was settled in the Southern District of New York federal court Nov. 16, 2015, moments before a jury verdict would have awarded $835,000 in personal injury pain and suffering. The Plaintiff’s lawyer argued serious injuries were sustained when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) railroad conductor fell asleep and the speeding locomotive jumped the train tracks in the Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood of the Bronx.
The derailed Metro North train route runs along the Hudson River from Grand Central Station in Manhattan, to Harlem, the Bronx and Westchester County.
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The Plaintiff in this lawsuit was an assistant conductor, working on the doomed train the day of the accident.
The Metro North train derailment occurred as the train rounded a curve in the Bronx on Dec. 1, 2013, travelling at over 80 miles per hour. The safe speed limit was a mere 30 miles per hour.
The Metro North train derailment lawsuit showed the cause was the Conductor’s pre-existing medical condition of sleep apnea. This ailment caused the train engineer at fault, William Rockefeller, to slip unconscious while driving the train. 4 people were killed in the accident, and several dozen more were seriously injured.
The Plaintiff claimed injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder and memory loss. No broken bones or substantial physical injury was claimed.
Metro North’s defense attorney Andrew Keaveney Esq. claimed the Plaintiff had exaggerated her pain and suffering claim.
Metro North Train Derailment Claim Settled
To get the Metro North train derailment lawsuit settled, the Plaintiff reduced her monetary demand and amicably released her legal claims against the Metropolitan Transit Administration.
The dollar amount of this personal settlement is confidential. However, lawyers for the Plaintiff indicated disappointment with the settlement amount. It is not publically known whether the settlement amount was more or less than the $835,000 awarded by the discarded jury verdict.
Have you been injured in a Metro North train derailment or other accident? Call our New York train derailment lawyers for a free claim review. We fight for NYC commuters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island & Westchester.