N.Y. Ferry Crash Survivor Gets $5M Settlement for Severe Injuries
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on November 21st, 2014
A 43-year-old New Jersey man recently received a $5 million settlement in connection with a 2013 ferry crash in lower Manhattan in New York City that left him severely injured.
John Urbanowicz suffered a skull fracture and brain injuries and underwent multiple surgeries to treat his devastating injuries after the ferry crash, according to a Nov. 20 story by The Associated Press.
“More than 80 people were injured on Jan. 9, 2013 when the Wall Street-bound Seastreak crashed into a dock near the South Street Seaport, sending people tumbling down stairs and into walls,” the story reported.
Several other settlements were also made for other ferry passengers affected by the crash, including a $560,000 settlement for Samantha Bremekamp, who suffered back and brain injuries and had spine fusion surgery, and Richard Diver, who will receive $325,000 for a concussion and back injuries that required spine fusion surgery, the story reported.
The settlements were reached with Seastreak LLC, which owns the ferry. About a dozen plaintiffs still have claims pending against Seastreak, while many other claims involving less serious injuries were settled for amounts less than $100,000, the story continued.
“A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board in April faulted ferry captain Jason Reimer for leaving the vessel running on a rarely used backup system that left him unable to control it as it approached the pier,” according to the AP. “The report also faulted Seastreak for ‘ineffective oversight’ and said Reimer was hampered by a lack of training and familiarity with the backup system.”
The captain had “switched to the system after sensing a vibration in a propeller just north of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, about halfway in the commuter ferry’s midmorning run from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, to lower Manhattan, investigators concluded,” the story reported. “In backup mode, the propellers remain angled forward, causing the ferry to increase speed instead of slowing down,” which was a factor that contributed to the severity of the crash.
Personal injury cases like this one occur every day when innocent victims are seriously injured or killed in a wide variety of incidents through no fault of their own due to the actions or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.
We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in an incident or vehicle accident anywhere in the United States. We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.
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