Injured Boston Woman Awarded $3.9 Million

Earlier this week, a Suffolk Superior Court jury reached its verdict in a civil suit involving a Boston woman who was struck by an MBTA bus in 2005 and lost her right leg as a result of the bus accident. Rita Traybman, 61, was awarded at least $3.9 million in a judgment that her lawyer says could the largest of its kind in Massachusetts history.

According to an article in The Boston Globe, Traybman was crossing an intersection in Boston’s South End when an MBTA bus struck her from behind, causing massive injuries. MBTA policies and Massachusetts law state that, as a pedestrian, Traybman had the right of way and the driver should have stopped for her.

The bus driver was cited and fined for violating a pedestrian crosswalk. It is unclear whether he is still employed by the MBTA.

Traybman is a Ukrainian immigrant who became a US citizen. At the time of the bus accident, she was her mother’s caregiver. Now on lifelong disability, she is dependent on others for her care.

The MBTA said it is considering filing post-trial motions and possibly an appeal.

Jury awards woman hit by T bus $3.9m, Boston Globe, December 2, 2008
Our Massachusetts MBTA accident lawyers can assist you if you have been injured by a bus, train, or other vehicle.

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