Bronx, New York.  MONIER LAW Personal Injury Attorney, Phil Monier, obtained $475,000 as compensation for a jazz musician who was struck by a vehicle while he was crossing a downtown Manhattan street.  Jury selection commenced before Justice Gonzalez in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Bronx County, which was to be followed by a two-week trial.  The Bronx County keyboard player suffered neck, back and other injuries as a result of the accident.  Herniated discs occur as the result of a trauma, such as a car accident.  Trauma causes the jell-like interior of the discs located between pairs of vertebrae in the spine to rupture through the hard cartilage exterior and press against the nerves causing pain.  This serious injury to the soft tissue is permanent, unlike a bone fracture which heals usually without surgery.  The lawyer for the operator of the car argued that the pedestrian was also responsible for the accident, for crossing in the middle of the street and not avoiding the car that was backing up.  “In the City of New York drivers have to be use reasonable care in looking out for pedestrians crossing the street, especially when they back their cars.  It is not unexpected that someone crossing the street will be focused on looking for oncoming traffic and not observe a car approaching from the opposite direction, explained Phil Monier.  We were prepared to have our experts testify and ask the jury to award a sum that would fully and fairly compensate him for his past and future damages.  The offer was accepted as an amicable resolution of the issues presented in this case.