Brooklyn Accident Attorney case victoryJury Awards Over $7 Million to MTA Bus Crash Victims

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Two women injured in a 2005 MTA bus collision in Brooklyn were awarded over $7 million in damages.

Brenda Whaley and Amanda Wade were passengers in a car driving on Ocean Parkway Service Road crossing Avenue U in Brooklyn in July 2005. As they were proceeding across the intersection, they were struck by a Transit Authority bus.

While the bus driver claimed the car ran a stop sign, the driver of the car carrying Whaley and Wade said they stopped at the intersection and the bus ran a red light before hitting them. A jury found the MTA responsible for the accident at a trial held to determine fault.

In a separate trial held last Thursday to assess damages, a jury came to a verdict that awarded Whaley, who sustained six fractures and punctured lungs, $7,250,000. Wade, who was less severely injured, was awarded $250,000.

The attorney for the plaintiffs, Herbert Subin, says that the case could have been settled for $3 million long before Thursday's verdict, but the Transportation Authority refused to budge.

"I am gratified that my clients will be getting appropriate compensation for their injuries," Subin said, "but as a New Yorker I am dismayed that the TA could have saved millions if they acted reasonably in negotiating a settlement."

The Transit Authority plans to appeal to decision.