On Monday, November 16, a claim against Metro North was settled by an assistant conductor for at least $835,000.
The railroad was sued following the December 2013 accident in the Bronx by 47 year old Maria Herbert, of Wallkill, who claimed she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has been unable to return to work following the crash which was due to an engineer falling asleep at the controls.
The case was being heard by a federal jury when both sides agreed on a high-low settlement which means that if the jury awarded more than the agreement amount, Herbert would have had that but if it were lower she would have to accept the lower amount.
As it happened the $835,000 was below the lowest amount but due to a confidentiality agreement the exact amount is unknown.
The Hudson Line train derailed while going 82 mph along a curve marked for 30 mph and four passengers died and dozens were injured.
So far, Metro North has paid out $22.2 million in claims following the crash and federal investigators discovered that an automatic braking system was not being used when the train derailed.
If you were involved in an accident, please call the Poughkeepsie accident attorneys of Denlea & Carton LLP., at (914) 331-0100 right away or contact us online today.