NYC Transit Worker Awarded $13 Million For Injuries Suffered after Falling 30 Feet

By Andrew Weatherford

Published on June 18, 2009

A New York Transit worker has been awarded $13 million for injuries he sustained after falling 30 feet in an August 2006 accident. George Nunez, 51, of Brooklyn, was standing on a walkway above Rodney Street and Broadway when the accident took place. He and other crew members had been assigned to replace old wooden slats on elevated subway tracks in the Bushkirk neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The plank that Mr. Nunez was standing on gave way because the metal bolts that supported the walkway had been cut. According to records, NYC Transit lawyers tried to blame Mr. Nunez for the accident by claiming that he did not have his safety harness attached to the central line. However, Mr. Nunez's supervisors testified that no one had told their crew that the bolts had been cut and so they had not instructed Mr. Nunez to secure his safety harness.

After the fall, Mr. Nunez was in a coma for two months. He sustained massive injuries to his face, arms, hands, and pelvis as a result of the accident. According to his attorney, Mr. Lawrence Blondi, Mr. Nunez is practically unable to move his wrists or fingers. He also suffers from lingering brain damage.

A Brooklyn Supreme Court jury ruled in Mr. Nunez's favor after a three-week trial. A spokesman for the NYC Transit Authority says that the agency will appeal the verdict.

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