One of the largest verdicts in U.S. history for a spinal injury case was obtained by Ben Rubinowitz, managing partner at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf.
Last week, a Manhattan jury awarded $71 million to plaintiff Morgan Wang, who suffered severe injuries in an August 2012 car accident. During the accident, Wang was a passenger in a car en route to Cornell University, where she was attending school. The driver fell asleep at the wheel, killing a passenger and causing Wang to suffer a fracture of her lumbar spine, often referred to as a broken back. Although she is now able to walk with braces, she still suffers from neurogenic bowel, a condition that makes it difficult for her to move her bowels. She will consequently need continued medical and psychiatric care for the rest of her life.
“I am fearful of the future because I know that unfortunately I will be confined to a wheelchair at some point in my life,” Wang told the New York Daily News.
Following a three-week trial, the jury of three men and three women awarded Wang $5 million for her past pain and suffering, $6 million for her future pain and suffering and $60 Million for her medical needs over her lifetime.
“Morgan is an amazing young woman,” said Rubinowitz. “She refused to listen to her doctors at the trauma center who said she would never walk again. She overcame tremendous obstacles and worked through her pain at Mt Sinai Rehabilitation Center in Manhattan to learn to walk again. She is the epitome of someone who will never give up. I am proud of Morgan. She cares deeply about people and, to show you how remarkable she is, she now donates her time to help injured veterans.”