New York produced the largest crane accident recovery in state history in 2025. A Brazilian tourist received an $82 million verdict after losing two limbs on subway tracks. A negligent epidural injection in Nassau County returned a $60 million verdict. An MTA bus collision produced a $53 million verdict.
These are not outliers. New York’s combination of strict liability construction laws, uncapped non-economic damages, and dense urban infrastructure produces a disproportionate share of the country’s largest personal injury outcomes every year.
Here is what the data shows about the biggest verdicts and settlements in New York in 2024 and 2025, organized by case type, and what makes these cases worth what they are.
The 13 Largest Reported Outcomes
Top Tier: $100M and Above
| Amount | Type | Injuries | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $272.5M settlement | Construction (crane collapse) | Wrongful death, multiple severe injuries | 2025 |
| $182M+ settlement | Commuter rail crash | Multiple fatalities, severe injuries | 2026 |
Mid Tier: $40M to $99M
| Amount | Type | Injuries | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $82M verdict | Subway platform fall | Bilateral arm and leg amputation | 2025* |
| $60M verdict | Medical malpractice (epidural) | Permanent paraplegia | 2025 |
| $53.5M verdict | Construction (scaffold collapse) | Severe, unspecified | 2024-2025 |
| $53M verdict | Transit (bus collision) | Permanent injuries | 2025 |
| $40.3M verdict | Medical malpractice (stroke) | Stroke-related severe disability | 2024-2025 |
Second Tier: $20M to $40M
| Amount | Type | Injuries | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $35.6M settlement | Medical malpractice (sinus fractures) | Severe brain damage | 2024 |
| $32.1M verdict | Premises liability (hotel) | Knee and back injuries | 2024 |
| $27.5M verdict | Pedestrian (bus strike) | Leg amputation | 2024-2025 |
| $26M settlement | Pedestrian (truck strike) | Wrongful death | 2024-2025 |
| $22.75M verdict | Subway trip and fall | Toe amputation | 2025 |
| $22.5M settlement | Auto (head-on collision) | 26 surgeries required | 2024-2025 |
* Verdict returned in 2025 for a 2016 incident.
The total reported value of these 13 outcomes exceeds $900 million.
Construction: Labor Law 240(1) Drives the Numbers
Construction sites produced several of the largest outcomes on this list. This is not a coincidence. New York’s , the Scaffold Law, imposes absolute liability on property owners and general contractors for gravity-related injuries.
The key word is absolute. The injured worker does not need to prove the owner was negligent. The owner does not get to argue that the worker was partially at fault (comparative negligence is not a defense). The only defense is that the worker was the sole proximate cause of the injury, a nearly impossible burden to meet.
$272.5 million: The Tribeca crane collapse. On February 5, 2016, a 565-foot crawler crane toppled on Worth Street in lower Manhattan, killing one pedestrian and injuring three others. The operator had failed to properly secure the crane overnight while lowering it in 37 mph winds. The settlement is the largest crane accident recovery in New York history. Multiple defendants, including the crane owner, operator, general contractor, and property owner, all contributed.
Scaffold collapse. A jury returned a $53.5 million verdict for a worker injured in a scaffold failure. Under 240(1), the property owner bore absolute liability for the gravity-related injury regardless of which subcontractor controlled the scaffold.
Pepsi plant demolition. An asbestos handler fell 23 feet from a scaffold during demolition in Long Island City. Total recovery including annuity proceeds exceeded $25 million.
Scaffolding and spinal injury. In Cordova v. Conelle Construction Corp., a construction worker suffered spinal injuries in a scaffolding incident.
The pattern: gravity-related injury + 240(1) absolute liability + catastrophic harm = eight- and nine-figure outcomes.
Medical Malpractice: Lifetime Care Costs
Medical malpractice cases dominate the verdict rankings because the provable damages are enormous. A patient left paralyzed by a botched procedure will need 24-hour care, specialized medical equipment, adapted housing, and ongoing therapy for a lifetime measured in decades.
Epidural paralysis in Nassau County. A former electrical mechanic was left permanently paraplegic after a negligent epidural steroid injection at the Pain Institute of Long Island. This ranked among the top five medical malpractice verdicts nationally in 2025.
Stroke mismanagement on Long Island. Two hospitals failed to properly manage a patient’s stroke, resulting in severe, permanent disability.
Post-accident sinus fractures at Westchester Medical Center. Untreated sinus fractures from a car accident led to a spreading infection and severe brain damage when the medical team failed to diagnose and treat the fractures.
New York has no cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Unlike many states that limit pain and suffering awards, New York juries can award what they believe the evidence supports. This is a significant factor in why New York consistently produces the largest medical malpractice verdicts in the country. The Top 50 New York Verdicts 2024 from TopVerdict confirms that medical malpractice cases dominate the upper tier year after year.
Transit and MTA: Decades of Deferred Safety
The MTA and NYC Transit Authority produced four of the largest reported outcomes. These cases share a common thread: the authority knew about the hazard, had data quantifying the risk, and failed to implement available countermeasures.
$82 million: Brooklyn subway platform fall. A Brazilian tourist fainted on a Brooklyn subway platform and fell onto the tracks, losing her left arm and left leg. The jury found the MTA liable based on 15 years of platform fall data showing the risk was preventable. Platform screen doors, standard in metro systems worldwide, do not exist in most NYC stations.
NYCTA bus collision. A bus operator was permanently injured when another NYCTA bus collided with his vehicle. Compelling visual evidence and expert medical testimony supported the verdict.
Metro-North Valhalla crash. The commuter rail crash in Westchester County produced a record rail settlement in January 2026, with a 71% liability finding against the railroad after the deadliest crash in Metro-North’s history.
Subway trip and fall. A deliveryman tripped and fell at a subway station, losing several toes. This case demonstrates that even relatively limited physical injuries can produce substantial verdicts when the evidence shows the MTA knew about the hazardous condition.
The MTA resolved 4,592 injury claims over the past five years, paying more than $431 million. These are not exceptional outcomes. They reflect a transit system where the infrastructure is over 120 years old and the gap between known hazards and implemented fixes is measured in decades. Claims against the MTA require a notice of claim under within 90 days of the incident, a threshold that many families miss while focused on medical care.
Pedestrian Cases: The Human Cost
Bus strike with leg loss. A pedestrian struck by a bus lost her leg, in what the firm of record reports as the largest New York State verdict for leg amputation. The verdict reflects the lifetime impact: prosthetics, physical therapy, phantom pain, reduced mobility, lost earning capacity, and diminished quality of life.
Truck fatality on 6th Avenue. The family of a 35-year-old woman killed by a truck in Manhattan received what is believed to be the largest wrongful death settlement for a single individual in New York history.
Head-on collision in Somers. The plaintiff required 26 surgeries. The settlement reflects the cumulative medical costs and the long-term impact of repeated surgical interventions.
What These Cases Have in Common
Every outcome on this list shares three elements:
Catastrophic, documentable harm. Amputation, paralysis, brain damage, death. New York juries award large verdicts when the injuries are permanent, the medical evidence is clear, and the lifetime costs are provable.
Clear liability. Whether through Labor Law 240(1) absolute liability, medical standard of care violations, or MTA negligence with decades of data, each case had a straightforward liability story. The defendant knew or should have known. The defendant failed to act. The plaintiff was harmed.
New York law. No caps on non-economic damages. Absolute liability for gravity-related construction injuries under . Pure comparative negligence under . A legal framework that holds government entities accountable for known hazards. Juries drawn from the five boroughs who understand the cost of living and medical care in this city.
The cases that reach these numbers are not random. They are the product of a legal system that takes catastrophic injury seriously and holds defendants accountable for the full scope of the harm they cause.
