World News | Cancer Patient Dragged by New York City Bus, Partially Paralyzed, Awarded $72.5 Million in Lawsuit
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. A Florida woman who says she was struck and dragged by a New York City bus and left partially paralysed has been awarded USD 72.5 million in her lawsuit against the city's transit agency.
New York, Mar 3 (AP) A Florida woman who says she was struck and dragged by a New York City bus and left partially paralysed has been awarded USD 72.5 million in her lawsuit against the city's transit agency.
A city jury found in favor of Aurora Beauchamp, now 68, who was hit by a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus on Manhattan's Lower East Side in March 2017. She was crossing a street in a crosswalk when she was struck by a bus making a right turn and dragged under it for about 20 feet (6 meters).
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Beauchamp, who grew up near the accident scene and now lives in Bradenton, Florida, had severe pelvis injuries and her left leg was left paralyzed. She told the New York Post on Saturday that she was on her way to her mother's apartment to discuss her uterine cancer diagnosis when she was struck.
“I've crossed that street 100 million times in my lifetime,” she said. “I was feeling good. The next thing I know I'm under the bus fighting for my life.”
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A six-person jury deliberated less than three hours before reaching its verdict Feb. 22. Beauchamp's lawyers said the verdict amount appears to be one of the largest over an MTA bus accident.
The MTA intends to appeal, spokesperson Tim Minton told WPIX-TV, which first reported the judgment.
"This is another indication of how excessive awards in personal injury litigation impact funding that otherwise could be available to deliver transit service,” he said.
The driver of the bus that struck Beauchamp pleaded guilty to failing to yield to a pedestrian, the Post reported. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)