Public Transportation Injury in NYC?

New York City is famous for its public transportation system, which is among the largest and most widely used in the world. The U.S. Census Bureau lists the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metropolitan area as being the nationwide leader in public transportation, with more than 30 percent of commuters using the trains and buses to get to work on a daily basis. In comparison, the next leading cities are San Francisco and Washington D.C., each of which has only 14 percent ridership.

Public transportation is a fundamental piece of public infrastructure in the city, as evidenced by the fact that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reports that it had an operating budget of $12.6 billion in 2012 alone. There were more than 2.6 billion public transportation rides in New York City last year, with an average weekday ridership of 8.5 million on the 8,600 buses and subway cars throughout the 5 boroughs. With such enormous ridership figures, it is almost inevitable that accidents will happen.

The most recent statistics on the subject of bus and subway accidents in New York are provided by the New York State Department of Transportation’s 2010 annual report. One third of all bus accidents were caused by mechanical equipment failure, such as malfunctioning doors or a breakdown resulting in a crash, while nearly as many were caused by some type of negligence or error on the part of the bus driver. The drivers of other vehicles were at fault in a quarter of all bus accidents. If you’ve suffered a public transportation injury in New York City, this will be significant for you.

The picture was quite different in the subject of rail accidents, nearly two-thirds of which were attributed to unsafe actions on the part of riders, while one in five was caused by trespassing on the tracks. Only seven percent of rail accidents were caused by the crew, track or signal errors, equipment malfunctions or other operational errors. The MTA reports that there were 141 people struck by trains in 2012, 55 of whom were killed. Whether you were injured in a bus accident, subway accident, or train accident in the state of New York, you can contact a member of our legal team for the help that you need in seeking compensation for your recovery.

Whether you were hurt while riding a bus or subway, if you were struck as a pedestrian or bicyclist, or if you were riding in a taxi or private automobile at the time of the accident, you can come to Greenberg & Stein, P.C. for help. Our New York City personal injury lawyers have more than 50 years of combined. We have a proven track record of success in helping our clients claim fair compensation for their injuries, and we are ready to help you file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the MTA or the individual driver who caused your accident.

Do you have grounds to sue for a bus or subway accident?

Public transportation accident claims can be complicated, based on the fact that it may be difficult to accurately establish who is liable for the accident. For example, there has recently been many subway deaths in which people have been fatally struck by trains after being shoved onto the tracks by another person. In such cases, it may or may not be possible to sue the individual who caused the accident, and even if it is possible it may not be worthwhile given the fact that he or she is not likely to have the resources to pay out the accident claim. Alternatively, it might be possible to sue the MTA or perhaps even the New York City Police Department Transit Bureau for a failure to provide proper safety in the station, or for the train driver’s failure to stop early enough to prevent the accident.

We encourage you to contact us now for a free case evaluation so that we can discuss the circumstances of your accident and determine whether you have grounds for a claim.