On the Afternoon of March 20, 2015, a young man in his early 20’s was returning home from his job in Manhattan to his home in the Bronx. Unfortunately, due to a tragic automobile accident he never made it home. While legally walking on the sidewalk of the Grand Concourse, a green cab which was speeding lost control and jumped the sidewalk killing this young man. Also killed in this tragic accident was a very young girl who was with her mother. A third individual was also struck and was rendered brain damaged and remains in a nursing home to this date.
Soon after this tragic accident the family of the young man tragically killed retained Leav & Steinberg, LLP to represent them. As we always do, a senior attorney from our firm went to meet the family at their home and was retained by the family. The other injured parties also retained attorneys. Leav & Steinberg, LLP immediately commenced a compete investigation. Though our investigation we were able to determine that the City of New York may also bear some responsibility for the happening of this accident for failure to manage the ongoing roadwork which was occurring at the time of the accident. We were also able to identify the base where the green cab was operating from and put them on notice of this tragic accident.
Leav & Steinberg, LLP commenced a lawsuit naming the Green Cab driver/owner, The Green Cab’s base, The TLC and The City of New York. It is important to note that the other injured parties only named the Green Cab Driver in their lawsuit.
Under New York Insurance Law the owners and of a Motor Vehicle must carry Bodily Injury Coverage. The Green Cab driver/who also owned the vehicle, carried an insurance policy of $100,000.00/$300,000.00. This means that the most an individual can recover from the owner and operator is $100,000.00 per person and the most they will be required to pay is a total of $300,000.00 for all injured. Leav & Steinberg, LLP was successful in obtaining the full policy limit from the owner/driver. Most importantly, and unlike other firms who had represented others injured, we were able to obtain additional money from the City of New York but also from the Base that the Green Cab was being operated out of.
However, since Leav & Steinberg, LLP had the foresight to name the Green Cab base, The TLC and the City of New York we could obtain a more substantial settlement in full for our client; the parents of the decedent. It is important to note that the other parties only named the owner/operator in their lawsuit and therefore were limited to the $100,000.00. This is just one of many examples where Leav & Steinberg, LLP thought “outside the box” and could obtain settlement monies from party’s other lawyers did not even consider liable.