A deliveryman who lost all five toes on his left foot in a subway accident has been awarded $22.75 million in a jury verdict over his injury.

The jury decided on June 30 that the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which operates the New York City Subway system, owes Maruf Hossain millions after he lost his toes in a 2017 accident when he was 24 years old.

The final jury verdict from a Bronx civil court sum was $2.27 million more than what Hossain had originally asked for from the MTA, and significantly more than the $100,000 that the MTA had tried to offer as a settlement, the New York Post reported.

The MTA and Hossain’s lawyer have been contacted via email for comment.

Why It Matters

New York State has the most dangerous public transit system in the country, with 1,759 injuries reported across the state’s transit networks between 2021-2023.

Executive director of Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York Tom Stebbins told the tabloid that New York City also gives out the largest settlements in the U.S. which is money that could be spent on larger infrastructure improvements.

What To Know

Hossain sued the MTA after he tripped on a chipped part of a Bronx Parkchester subway platform, sending him to the tracks as a train pulled into the station.

He not only lost his toes but also suffered a fractured pelvis, a dislocated hip, and spinal injuries.

The MTA claimed he had attempted suicide, and brought a teenage witness and an MTA cleaner to court who both testified that Hossain had jumped, Hossain’s lawyer, Nick Liakas, told the New York Post.

However, Liakas said the MTA had created the teen’s witness statement themselves. The jury agreed, finding that he had not jumped but had tripped and fallen into the tracks.

Hossain underwent a psychiatric examination following the fall, where he told the doctor he never attempted to jump, the Post reported citing the exam, which said he had been fasting for Ramadan that day and did not know how he’d ended up in front of the train.

He had no prior history of mental illness or substance abuse, and as a Bangladeshi native was studying to become an American citizen, which he now is, his lawyer told the Post.

What People Are Saying

Maruf Hossain told the New York Post: “After years of the Transit Authority trying to bully me into an unfair settlement, the jury saw through their lies and gave me a second chance at living a normal life.”

Attorney Nick Liakas told the New York Post: “The transit authority maintained that the plaintiff tried to commit suicide and jumped, and that there was no defect at the area where he claimed to fall. They had a teenage witness who testified that she saw him jump in front of the train … along with a transit authority cleaner who testified he heard, ‘Don’t jump, don’t jump,’ We showed that the transit authority likely authored the witness statement themselves and passed it off as an independent statement. The jury agreed.”

Meghan Keegan, a spokesperson for the MTA, told the New York Post: “The MTA is reviewing the verdict while assessing all legal options.”

What Happens Next

This verdict could still be challenged in post-trial motions or if the MTA decides to appeal.