Street Cleaner Awarded over 5 Million Dollars for Ankle Injury

A New York City sanitation engineer, who suffered an ankle injury when a colleague ran over his leg in a forklift truck, has accepted 5,250,000 million dollars in compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

Andrew Anderson (37) from New York City, was assisting the colleague install a snow plough to the forklift truck when the accident happened in early 2008. His colleague accidently ran over Andrew´s ankle, causing a severe ankle fracture which required two surgeries to correct.

Andrew also developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy during post-operative complications and sustained foot drop – for which he now requires the use of a foot brace. Since his accident, Andrew has been unable to work and been forced to take early retirement from the City of New York.

After taking legal advice, Andrew sued the City of New York for his injuries. Liability was not disputed and the case was heard in the New York Supreme Court for assessment of damages. However, shortly before the jury were about to begin their deliberations, lawyers on the two sides reached a negotiated settlement of 5,250,000 dollars to compensate Andrew for personal injury, lost earnings and loss of consortium.