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The Daily News reports that the Stuyvesant High School junior who was paralyzed from a van accident in January is suing Ford (the van's manufacturer) and NYC for $300 million.
Valerie Piro and other members of the varsity girls' track team were headed to a meet in New Hampshire. The van, driven by their coach, teacher Erin Taylor, crashed into a median and rolled over. Piro was wearing a seatbelt, but was still ejected from the van; Taylor and another student were seriously injured. It later emerged the trip was not authorized by the high school, though Taylor told her boss and received parental consent.
Piro, now heading into her senior year at Stuyvesant, is confined to a wheelchair. The News writes, "Though Valerie remains optimistic about her recovery, the rehabilitation has been long and expensive - and her injuries could be permanent." Her lawyer said the Ford 13-passenger van was dangerous, that Avis shouldn't have rented the car, and that the Department of Education should have been supervising Taylor.
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I doubt her legs would ever have earned her $300,000,000.
Sues the city, sues the car maker, shit, why not sue the driver too?
What a total crock of shit! Life comes at you fast, if you aren't ready to play the game, off your self.
Sue sue sue! Everytime something bad happens we must SUE SOMEBODY!!! Even if it's someone who had absolutely nothing to do with it, like the city of New York! Yeah being paralyzed sucks, but so does thinking being in a car accident entitles you to $300,000,000.
Yeah, It's not like she has Health Issues to take care of! Um...
Regardless of the amount: She now has medical needs that cost money. If she was wearing her seatbelt and it failed, that needs to be addressed too.
In Any case, if it reaches a Jury, the Jury will decide.
And this is the city's fault because...?
I love how everybody is knocking this kid for suing. Please tell me that if you were in her shoes, you wouldn't do the same thing. Haters.
There are no accidents anymore. This suit should never be allowed to make it to court and the chick's wheelchair should be taking away for a few weeks as punishment for wasting everyone's time - and angering me to no end.
And why doesn't this arse sue her parents - sounds like they gave consent - which, thru hindsight - was awful parenting.
I feel for her, I had a friend in a similar situation, but 300 million dollars? Where do these outrageous numbers come from? People are greedy.
Why isn't she sueing her parents for signing the concent form for the trip?
Also why not sue New Hampshire for the Median that the van over turn too?
It does seem like a large number--could her lawyer's strategy be to ask for a lot and settle with the city and Ford, hoping is the seven to eight figure range? Because she seems like a pretty sympathetic plaintiff.
Yeah - she should sue the inventor of concrete as well - without him there would be no roads or medians. Is God supoenaed in this case? Maybe he should be added to the suit.
#6:
I think she could make a case that it was the city's fault only because Stuy is a public high school and therefore overseen by the city.
Not saying it's a legitimate or in any way rational case, though...
If this had happened to me, $300,000,000 would be a very small consolation for the lifetime loss of my legs, you assholes.
I guess 300 mil is the max amount allowed under the law, so that's what they go for. Otherwise she can sue her lawyer for not seeking the maximum amount she feels she is entitled to. Judges routinely knock those numbers down anyway.
It would appear that the driver was at fault, which obviously instigated the accident. Not really sure about the vehicle safety laws though, even though I personally agree that there are no safe accidents and you get what you pay for (FORD).
she can still do good as a Stuy grad.
let's hope she does with the money she may be getting.
screw cripples. theres no place for them in this city. after they throw out her lawsuit they should should throw her out into the east river too.
What if she injured herself in her track team event? Would she say,"Oh I jumped too high and threw my back out or landed the wrong way in the pole vault event and now I am paralyzed for the rest of my life." Would the city still be liable for the event? Typical of what we are seeing today. Kill all lawyers who come up with this stupid shit. $300,000,000? There are people in the projects that will take someone out for $2,500 cash. Where is there justice?
"lifetime loss of my legs, you assholes."
To the person who lost their legs, maybe, but the law does not value your legs as much as you do. The final result will be cold. calculated, and usually fair.
"Because she seems like a pretty sympathetic plaintiff." That and her suit against Ford is the only thing going for her right now, and that depends if Ford is even liable. Depends what they find in the investigation of the seat belts.
she should sue me too for reading about her.
I think we should put a end to all these accidents... they are ruining too many peoples lives!
This figure may be more due to the limits of her/her parents health insurance and what a lifetime of care for her will involve. A friend of mine was once in a terrible car accident involving a cement truck. Her parents were driving and at fault in the accident. She was in a coma for a week and suffered brain damage although she is now almost entirely recovered. She didn't have health insurance so you know what she had to do? She had to sue her parents. By doing that, she was really suing their insurance company. It sounds weird and awful but it really wasn't anything personal against them, but it was her only recourse for getting the money she needed for her care. I would say this amount is so high in expectation of going into arbitration and having it severely reduced.
Jen's got it right. This girl is going to get some "go away" settlement money specifically set aside for sympathetic victims that don't have much of a case.
This is a stupid bitch listening to her lawyer. She was on an unauthorized trip, by DOE standards and the city will settle for a lot less than what she is asking.
She is costing the city $$$. Someone should off her... NOW...
This is why tort laws in NYS need to be changed to eliminate face amounts on lawsuits. it makes anyone like her seem greedy and awful and it makes lawyers look like...rotten lawyers. Let her sue for her grievances and let somebody else decide what kind of money, if any, she's entitled to. Also, because her care is so expensive and will be needed in perpetuity, the best she can hope for is a structured settlement. If she gets a single check, it'll be a nuissance payment, probably in the five figures.
Whether she has a legitimate legal position remains to be seen, but the suggestion that she be murdered for bringing the lawsuit is inappropriate even if Rfive was just kidding. HolyDiver doesn't want to kill her for bringing the lawsuit, but he would take away her wheelchair, because the lawsuit angers him.
I have no personal knowledge or information about this accident, but I do remember the Ford Pinto cases. Also, to large businesses, safety issues are often nothing more than a cost/benefit analysis.
Whatever the case, she has a right to assert it!
By the way, I would not exchange the use of my legs for $300,000,000.00 or any other amount for that matter.
Perhaps the law should be that if you bring a lawsuit against someone and lose, the amount sued for should be paid by the plaintiff instead.
People, yes, she's suing city for God knows what and for a hell of a lot of money. It is rather unreasonable. But I think the lawsuit against Ford is pretty backed up.
Also, all of you who are mad at her, think this. That was a _track_ team. So this girl was evidently good at running. How do you think she feels now being paralyzed?
Nothing like this kind of story to bring out all the assholes.
JMH, so true.
#29 - Are you serious? SO what if she was good at running and she became crippled on the way to a track meet. A little ironic, yes, but not worthy of a ridiculous lawsuit for a ridiculous amount of money. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!! Shit happens as the saying goes. It sucks, it's terrible, but fuck off with the suing of everyone for everything and anything.
Maybe I should sue some of the people who sympathize with this chick - cuz it makes me physically ill and I'm unable to work right now because I'm so disheartened by people like this girl who are basically working a get rich quick scheme. Punitive damages! Tell me - does that make one bit of sense?? Didn't think so.
Vermont police cleared the driver of any wrong doing. The only thing left here is whether or not Ford is culpable.
Unless they wrote "Hahaha - hope this comes loose when this van rolls over" - I don't think she is deserving of $300 million dollars.
#28 - Hahahahaha - I concur
HolyDriver, you're physically ill, because you're a prime douche bag. If this would ever happen to you, the first thing you'd do is consult with an attorney to consider your legal options and filing a lawsuit. That's how your type is - judging others until it happens to you, then you'll be the loudest plaintiff of them all.
Oh, and if you are annoyed enough to respond to this comment, know that I'll be laughing at the thought of your permanently losing use of both of your legs.
>>Unless they wrote "Hahaha - hope this comes loose when this van rolls over"
LOL -- I didn't thing there was one line in this thread that could make me laugh.
300M is ludicrous, yes, even if it is some lawyer saying "We'll have to shoot for 300 to get 100."
HUGE injury though and let's face it: you're in the street looking at the van thinking: "WTF, guys? Maybe spend a little more making sure the roofs stay on." You'd be furious too. I've rolled two cars, roofs and doors stayed on as I would expect, selt belts stayed bolted in as I would expect, I lived w/o paralysis. It can go wither way, but bottom line is that gear should function at basic levels/standards.
But 300M, give me a break. You stick 20M in a Citibank no brainer account and you've got an 800k ann. salary rest of your days. 40 Mill is 1.6 salary. So, cover the med, award 20-40M. Plennnnnty I think to live and have some help around the house to reach the shit on high shelves, no?
What am I missing?
ntasv - if you understood anything I wrote you would realize I'm the exact opposite of someone who would sue over an ACCIDENT!!! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know the definition of the word. Understanding it apparently is an entirely other thing for you.
"They bought their ticket, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let em crash" - Airplane
I don't wish the loss of someones legs on my worst enemy. But I do wish people who have accidents don't clog up the legal system with horseshit suits like this. All my initial sympathy flies out the window when I see crap like that. SHE IS SUING NYC for God's sake! WTF?
As I stated before - the only way I would sue is if there was evidence of the man or woman who installed the seatbelt she was strapped into, laughing a Bela Lugosi laugh and wringing their hands in suspense of what might become of the person who was strapped into the seat belt when, and if, there was an ACCIDENT.
So rid yourself of your holier than though soap box rant about my character, ya jackass. Just because its sad she has no legs, doesn't mean she gets $300 million for AGREEING to go on a fucking field trip.
cmon, yes the amount is absolutely ridiculous (and i did already point it out in the previous comment), but she has to be significantly rich right now to afford all possible treatments, and if she isn't, and won't be suing something, the way things are here the chances are she'll never get any treatment at all. the other thing is, that yeah, if she get's anything, she'll get much-much less. so who cares what amount she initially suing for?
and again, i totally think that suing nyc is ridiculous, i'm only pro ford suing, if she really was wearing the seatbelt. if she wins, maybe (maybe!) it will make them think if they should try to improve their buses or something... (yeah, not likely, i know)