Driver Files Lawsuit After Large Chunk Of Concrete Falls From Brooklyn Overpass, Strikes Cab
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A livery cab driver is suing over a piece of concrete he said fell from an overpass and hit his vehicle while passengers, including a baby, were in the back.
CBSN New York's Dave Carlin spoke to the driver on Wednesday.
The concrete, all 23 inches and 25 pounds of it, crashed into Uber driver Mohammed Hossain's vehicle as he took five passengers under a bridge on 7th Avenue over Prospect Expressway in Brooklyn on June 23.
"It thrown on my car, you know?" Hossain said.
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That his passengers, including a baby, are okay, he considers a miracle.
Hossain's shoulder injuries are slow to heal, he said, and, "My lower back is killing me."
His lawyers told Carlin the piece of concrete they have for show and tell is only part of the section that came down.
"There was a 6-foot piece of concrete that fell down, that struck the car at this angle," attorney Alex Omrani said, demonstrating. "And it broke in three pieces, two pieces going inside and one piece falling out."
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Hossain, 39, moved to America from Bangledesh 12 years ago, and said he thinks highway infrastructure is better in his native country than here in New York City.
Becoming an Uber driver about two years ago to support his wife and two kids, he said worried about the long hours, and difficult customers, but he never expected this.
Hossain said he repeatedly finds himself back in the spot where he almost lost his life and he has flashbacks.
"Of course, I'm lucky. Everybody says so. Police, hospital said, 'You are a lucky guy,'" Hossain said.
The lawyers are seeking a multi-million dollar settlement, primarily naming the state of New York, which they said owns the bridge and should do a better job of protecting and inspecting it.
"Hopefully, it won't take a larger tragedy that this for them to finally do something and address the problem," attorney Michael Taub said.
CBS2 reached out to the New York State Department of Transportation, asking what caused this and who needs to be held accountable, but was told the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Hossain said he keeps driving despite the pain, saying a prayer every time he drives under something he always considered solid.
Not anymore.
The passengers are not included in the lawsuit. Hossain's lawyers said it would be a conflict of interest to represent both the drivers and passengers.