SKETCHES OF COURT: Transit Authority ordered to pay $750,000 to injured passenger
In this courtroom sketch, Hon. Debra Silber listens as defendant’s attorney Michael O’Brien (standing), trial counsel to the law offices of Lawrence Heisler, lays out his opening arguments for the jury in the motor vehicle accident trial Elbaz v. NYC Transit Authority. Court reporter Francesca Cioffi recorded the proceedings.
The parties to the unified trial agreed on few details of the incident in October 2011, when the Bay Ridge Avenue bus had made a passenger stop. Enaiat Elbaz alleges that she boarded the bus and that while standing in front of the white line and attempting to use her MetroCard to pay the fare, the bus pulled ahead and hit a bump, which caused her to fall and sustain serious injury. Elbaz was represented by Sherman Kerner (at right), of the law firm Grey & Grey.
The Transit Authority maintained that after their operator had brought the bus to a full stop, Elbaz stepped one foot onto the bus, lost her balance and fell backwards off the bus.