Bronx Transit Personal Injury Lawyer New York: The Bronx

Serving New York: The Bronx | Grand Concourse | Riverdale | Pelham | Fordham | Co-op City

New York City has America’s best and biggest mass transit system. It’s a tremendous convenience for millions of passengers who make billions of trips every year on the subways, buses, ferries and trains operated by the MTA. Unfortunately, there are several people who suffer injuries across the transit system every day.

If this happens to you or a loved one, you need a Bronx Transit Injury Lawyer to take the fight to the MTA and win the settlement you need and deserve to recover from injuries, pay for ongoing treatment and therapy, replenish lost wages, and compensate you for pain and suffering. You need the transit injury specialists at the law firm of Feiner & Lavy.

A great Bronx Transit Injury Lawyer has expert witnesses, knows how to play hardball with the lawyers representing the MTA and their insurance companies, and will help to guide you through what is likely to be a difficult and possibly lengthy process.

Injuries don’t only occur when a train or bus is in motion. Crumbling steps, icy subway platforms or slippery train car floors are obstacles to safety. All it takes is a negligent worker or a condition that someone “meant to fix” weeks ago, and you’re the one paying the price. You are losing wages while in the hospital, keeping doctors’ appointments, and attending physical therapy sessions. And this treatment is expensive.

By expensive, we’re talking about the kind of out-of-pocket expenses you can be charged if you’re injured. Need a couple of dental implants because of an injury suffered on a subway or bus? You’re potentially looking at more than $10,000 in costs and several days of lost wages while you spend time at the dentist. How about a broken arm that needs surgery? The average cost in the U.S. is $16,000 before you take into account the premium you can pay in New York. If you need medical transportation, physical therapy, emotional counseling, those come at additional costs. Factor in lost wages lost opportunities, and your pain and suffering, and you see how quickly the costs can add up. A broken arm and a few dental implants from an incident on a bus or subway, and the tab quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars.

For a Bronx Transit Injury Lawyer, your injuries are a call to action. Back and neck injuries, broken bones, damaged teeth, knee and hip injuries that lead to long-term mobility issues are very expensive and should be paid for by the MTA. We believe in those responsible being held accountable.

Danger Underground

The NYC subway is a great system – one of the busiest and most expansive transit systems in the world. But the system is aging and in need of upgrades, and this makes the system more mechanically dangerous for riders. Severe derailments are still, fortunately, a relatively rare occurrence, but minor accidents for a subway train can still cause major injuries. Even a sudden, unexpected stop can send people tumbling to the floor.

And the incidents aren’t just on the train. Platforms and staircases that need maintenance can pose a hazard. Poor lighting in areas of a platform, stations exteriors that aren’t promptly cleared in the winter will allow icy conditions to develop can be a danger. Other maintenance issues in stations can lead to injuries. Even trying to avoid pests in the subway can be disastrous. In one case, a retired police officer suffered a serious leg injury when he leapt to avoid being attacked by a large rat.

There are also problems with areas of the subway left open so vandals can cause problems. This was the case a few years ago when a troublemaker threw debris onto the tracks that was piled near an area of an exposed subway line, causing an A train to derail. While the man was obviously troubled, the MTA was negligent in not having safeguards in place to stop such a situation.

Subways Pose a Hazard, But…

Subway platforms, stairs and even the conditions in the cars can pose a hazard, but they don’t compare to MTA buses. The MTA is not predisposed to disclosing accident figures but reporting by the New York Post showed that nearly three people a day were injured in incidents involving city buses over a nearly three-year period, and that those buses were involved in an average of 23 accidents per day. The accidents shockingly involved collisions with 180 school buses, some of which resulted in hospitalizations.

We all expect a level of professionalism in the maintenance and operation of city buses, and that expectation gives riders confidence in the safety of MTA buses. And for the most part, the reward is a safe trip. However, as the records show, you could be an unwitting victim of an accident caused by an MTA bus.

The danger extends beyond riders. Injuries and property damage could occur when a city bus strikes your car or a taxi or Uber where you’re a passenger. Pedestrians and cyclists are hurt, some fatally, by city buses. Of course, the injuries suffered are wide-ranging, but even if you think your injury is minor, be sure to speak with an attorney.

If I Was Mugged and Injured, Can I Sue?

This is more of a long-shot case and could be dependent on the circumstances of the attack. Assault, robbery or being sexually attacked on an MTA platform or vehicle could lead to damages being collected, but it’s far from a sure thing. One of the big factors in mounting a successful case is whether there were MTA employees who were negligent in not helping a victim. There was a case where a young woman was raped on a platform and the token clerk did nothing but push his panic button. There have been other cases where employees have witnessed acts of violence being committed and have done nothing. If they can be proved, the MTA could be liable for damages stemming from those attacks.

What Makes a Case Against the MTA Different?

The MTA is part of the government of New York. While it has waived its right to sovereign immunity, which means it allows riders to bring a suit, it does impose very strict processes on claims. You must act urgently as your Bronx Transit Injury Lawyer must file your notice of claim promptly and your statute of limitations is just 90 days. This means that your claim will start with a sprint, so it is incredibly important for you to call a Bronx Transit Injury Lawyer as quickly as possible. The timeline for a case of this nature is much, much shorter than other cases.

Is There Something I Can Do to Help My Case?

Take the best notes about everything you can. Know the location, the time, take photographs – especially of a hazard. It’s not uncommon for an employee to try to cover up something like a maintenance problem or to try to flee the scene of an accident. These things happen, so the more evidence you can get, the better it is for the case we will build. Also, get the names of anyone who could help you, like witnesses or people who came to your aid. We know that can be difficult, especially in New York, but try. Finally, be sure to file a police report. It’s an important part of the paper trail we will need for a successful outcome.

What Makes Feiner & Lavy the Right Firm?

At Feiner & Lavy, we pride ourselves on being able to handle a variety of different cases, and our expertise in legal process enables us to move quickly and efficiently in filing your case, investigating your claim, and helping you through a very difficult process. We are a flexible firm with a broad set of expertise that is well respected in the legal community.