NEW YORK (PIX11) – A Florida woman and her husband were awarded $72.5 million in their case against New York transit authorities on Thursday – seven years after the 61-year-old was struck and dragged by an MTA bus, according to her lawyers.
Aurora Beauchamp took on the transit authority and the bus driver that she said severely injured her pelvis and paralyzed her left leg during the 2017 crash, all while she was already in treatment for cancer, court records show.
It was a crash that left her hospitalized for months and robbed her husband, Saul Beauchamp, of his companion, according to the initial complaint from 2017.
“After fighting for my life for seven years, I am grateful to see this jury come through and help me get the medical care I need and make my future brighter," Beauchamp said in a statement to PIX11 News on Friday.
The MTA plans to appeal the judgment, according to Communications Director Tim Minton. The MTA was named in the case alongside the city's Transit Department and the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.
“Obviously, we intend to appeal. This is another indication of how excessive awards in personal injury litigation impact funding that otherwise could be available to deliver transit service,” Minton said.
The Crash
Beauchamp was crossing East Houston Street at a crosswalk at Avenue D in Manhattan just before 9 p.m. in March 2017 when she was struck by an M14 bus, court records show. She was dragged about 20 feet underneath the bus before it came to a stop, resting on her legs, according to her lawyers.
The bus driver, Eduard Khanimov, was arrested just after the crash and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, according to the New York Daily News.
The crash haunts Beauchamp in the form of ongoing infections and a paralyzed leg, her lawyers said. In the settlement, Beauchamp was awarded over $40 million for future medical expenses, losses, and suffering, according to her lawyers.
Even still, the crash has not slowed Beauchamp down, her lawyer Ed Cooper said.
"Aurora Beauchamp is an incredibly strong and resilient woman," Cooper said in a statement to PIX11 News on Friday. "The devastating injuries Aurora suffered would have stopped many people, but her faith, family, and will to live have enabled her to keep fighting and giving back to her community."
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered local news for years. She has been with PIX11 since 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.
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