New York City's Personal Injury Payouts Rose in 2008 FY

Staff Writer, Jan 09, 2009

New York - According to recent reports, New York City has reportedly paid a sum of 403 million dollars in order to settle all of the personal injury lawsuits that occurred during the 2008 Fiscal Year, reflecting a spike of six percent in comparison to the previous year. What this may mean is not only that personal injuries are on the rise, but also that the amounts being paid out for personal injury lawsuits is also on the rise.

The top settlement amount that was paid out by New York City during the 2008 fiscal year was an $8.5 million dollar settlement that went to a school guidance counselor by the name of Rodrigo Villaseca, who is employed in the Bronx. He ended up losing vision in one of his eyes when an emotionally disturbed student slammed a broken door in his face. The attack resulted in the cause of damage to his face and eye.

The second highest payout that New York City made in the 2008 fiscal year on the other hand was a payout of the amount of $7.2 million dollars that went to a correction officer by the name of Judy Jones. Despite having a history of mental illness, the correction department gave her a gun and she ended up shooting herself and becoming a quadriplegic as a result.

Although many much smaller payouts were made during the 2008 fiscal year by New York City for personal injury lawsuits, large scale personal injury payouts like these did contribute heavily to the six percent spike in the amount paid out over the past year. The most common types of personal injury claims are those that involve road traffic accidents, tripping accidents, accidents at work, assault claims, accidents in the home, defensive product accidents as well as holiday accidents. Personal injury lawsuits may also involve medical and dental accidents, and even industrial accidents or industrial disease cases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Most personal injury lawsuits result in structured settlement payments. The use of structured settlements is often desired by injury victims because they help to protect them financially following an injury settlement. Structured settlements give injury victims tax benefits, as well as enabling proper financial planning for their future needs.