According to a report released by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New York City has shelled out almost $138 million in settlements for pedestrian injuries and vehicle damage over the past six years. The culprit: potholes and other road defects around the city.
From July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2015, the comptroller’s office received 5,913 personal injury claims because of “defective roadways.” The city settled 2,681 claims in that period, many of which were mainly “trip and fall” injuries.
The city paid personal injury settlements that ranged from a measly $2, to as high as $9 million, according to the report. While almost half of the settlements cost $5,000 or less, around 8% of the settlements were more than $100,000.
The report noted that when the city received more snow, it correlated with more pothole claims.
The report stressed that the Department of Transportation needed to speed up street repairs, and provide more comprehensive reconstruction on some streets over piecemeal repairs.
The attorneys at Morgan Levine Dolan have handled many cases involving personal injury claims. We have recovered millions of dollars for our injured clients.
Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/potholes-put-a-dent-in-new-york-city-budget-1438303741
