An accelerated number of subway riders are filing injury claims this year, trying to get in on some of that $2 billion cash infusion approved last month, according to a report.
In March, MTA figures show a 21-percent increase in injury reports compared with the same time last year, the New York Post reported.
Many such claims lead to lawsuits that can cost the until-recently cash-strapped agency huge dollars.
Two noteworthy -- and alcohol-fueled -- payouts this year have totalled nearly $10 million against the MTA.
Dustin Dibble admitted he was so drunk that he didn't remember falling into the path of a subway train, an accident that cost him his leg -- and the MTA $2.3 million.
Weeks later, James Sanders took the agency for a $7 million ride after a night of rum-swilling fun went horribly wrong. Sanders, a 47-year-old Army vet, stumbled onto the tracks at the Winthrop Street station and was struck by an oncoming train. He lost his right eye and leg as a result of the collision.
The MTA paid out more than $57 million to nearly 1,200 personal-injury claimants last year, the Post reported.
More than 2,700 claims are filed each year, according to the paper.
