Victim of New York City Ferry Crash Awarded $18.3 Million
A former fish market worker who was paralyzed in the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash has been awarded $18.3 million by a federal judge.
James McMillan Jr., 44, of the Bronx, sued New York City over the October 2003 crash of the ferry Andrew J. Barberi. The commuter ferry crashed into a pier on a windy, stormy day, killing 11 people and injuring scores more.
To date, 130 accident victims have sued the city and settled before trial. Another 40 lawsuits against the city are still pending, officials said. McMillan’s was the first lawsuit stemming from the accident to go to trial.
A jury that heard evidence in McMillan’s case had recommended that he receive $23 million, but federal Judge Jack B. Weinstein reduced the amount.
Attorneys for the city had argued that McMillan’s damages should be limited under the Jones Act, a 1920 maritime law, but the judge rejected that argument before the trial began.
If the award is upheld on appeal, it would be one of the highest judgments ever rendered against New York City for a personal injury case.
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