A 25-year-old woman remains hospitalized after losing her right arm and leg in a New York City subway accident. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the victim suffered a fainting spell that caused her to fall on the tracks and into the path of a No. 6 train at the Midtown subway station. The woman’s parents are expected to come in from China to help their daughter in her recovery from the devastating injuries. The victim is said to have a long road to recovery.
Police and witnesses said the woman suddenly swooned and fell onto the tracks as the train pulled into the 51st Street station on the Lexington Avenue line. The subway motorman reportedly saw the woman fall and slammed on the brakes, but the train did not stop in time. The woman lost her right leg below the knee and her right arm below the elbow. Rescuers pulled her from beneath the train and rushed her to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Subway Accidents in New York City
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) reports that 151 people were struck by subway trains in 2013, which represents a 7 percent decrease compared to similar incidents that occurred in 2012. Fatalities on tracks were down slightly in 2013 at 53 from 55 in 2014. The MTA launched an aggressive public awareness campaign stressing the importance of staying back from platform edges.
In addition, MTA launched a program to test safety systems featuring motion sensors, thermal image cameras and other high-tech devices. This was aimed at being able to detect when someone had fallen onto the tracks and to alert approaching motormen to apply the brakes. It’s not clear, however, if any of this technology has been implemented on MTA’s trains or stations.
What Causes Subway Accidents?
Subways are an essential mode of transportation for many New Yorkers as well as tourists who visit the Big Apple from other states and countries. When you are on the subway platform, it is reasonable to expect that you will be protected from dangers. When accidents occur as the result of negligence on the part of a subway employee or motorman or poorly maintained equipment/facilities, the agencies in charge can be held liable for the injuries, damages and losses.
Here are some of the most common causes of subway accidents in NYC:
• Train crash: A collision or derailment involving a single train or more may lead to major injuries or even fatalities.
• Electrocution: Poor maintenance on the subway may lead to electric shock or electrocution that may prove fatal.
• Slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents: Wet or slick floors, escalators or stairways that are not properly maintained or a failure to clean up spills in a timely manner may pose a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall hazard to commuters. When a commuter slips or trips and falls onto the tracks, he or she may suffer fatal injuries
• Defective doors: Faulty doors in trains pose a significant hazard to commuters who may get their hands, legs or fingers trapped and crushed.
• Poor maintenance: Infrequent maintenance or the lack of maintenance at stations and platforms may lead to a number of serious injuries.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Victims of subway accidents are in danger of suffering catastrophic injuries or even fatalities. Catastrophic injuries are those that leave a victim injured or disabled for the remainder of his or her life. Subway accident victims may be able to seek compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims may also be able to seek compensation for their injuries and losses by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a subway accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. A verdict of $3,222,000 was obtained for one of our clients who was injured by a subway train.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/woman-long-recovery-store-losing-limbs-article-1.2995498