In wake of complaints about dripping water at Hudson Yards train station, woman slips and falls on escalator, files serious personal injury lawsuit.
A woman who says she fell and injured herself on the escalator at New York’s new Hudson Yards-34th St. No. 7 train station due to a slippery surface caused by a water leak has filed a serious personal injury lawsuit against the city. The civil claim comes on the heels of recent complaints about chronic dripping at the much-hyped station on Manhattan’s far West Side, which has Metropolitan Transportation Authority board members fired up and looking for answers. For 29-year-old Meng He, the agency’s attention to the leak dilemma comes too late. Meng was on a trip back from sightseeing with her mother in Flushing, Queens, to her apartment at W. 37th St. and Eighth Ave. on Feb. 7. It was a leisurely Sunday afternoon and they decided to take a detour to the end of the line to see the new station, Meng said at her attorney’s office Friday. The woman and her 64-year-old mom, who lives in Massachusetts and was visiting for the weekend, got off at the station and rode up what is considered the highest and longest escalator in the subway system. It was not raining outside, but they were getting drenched below ground as they took the escalator from the lower mezzanine level to the upper floor where the turnstiles are — about 80 feet above. Meng He suffered ligament damage after taking a spill at the station. She was on crutches for weeks and is still wearing a protective boot to walk. “We both felt it. I felt it on my face and my head but the escalator just felt like a roller coaster without any safety harnesses,” Meng said. “I didn’t care as much but my mom didn’t want to get dripped on.” Her mother slipped backward, the woman said. “(It was) the most terrifying thing I can imagine. I was so nervous she was going to break her neck,” Meng said. But it was Meng who sustained the injuries. In the chaotic moment, Meng said she tried to catch her mom and hold her up. The pair, as a result of the domino effect, took a scary spill down several sets of steps on the escalator. They stumbled off at the top where the younger woman realized she couldn’t stand or walk. They called for help. “She fell directly on me … It was difficult to stop,” Meng said. “There was so much momentum.” Asked about Meng’s injury, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said he could not comment on pending litigation. Ortiz said that this is the first incident of an injury reported since the leaks became an issue. Originally posted by Shayna Jacobs on New York Daily News. Serious Personal Injury Lawsuit – Ball & Evans & Ball & Evans Trial Attorney – Los Angeles
