Driver injured by debris on George Washington Bridge gets $10.5M
The Port Authority settled for $10.5M with a driver injured for life when metal pierced his windshield and struck him on the George Washington Bridge
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has settled a lawsuit for $10.5 million with a motorist who was struck and seriously injured by metal debris that crashed through his windshield as he drove across the George Washington Bridge, court records show.
Joseph Rosario was driving west toward New Jersey on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge on March 2, 2020, when a piece of steel “suddenly and without warning” pierced his vehicle’s windshield, according to a lawsuit filed later that year. The debris struck him “in the head with tremendous force,” the suit added.
Rosario, 28 at the time, sustained a “traumatic brain injury resulting in significant and permanent cognitive and functional disabilities” that caused permanent disfigurement and loss of bodily function, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was settled on May 8, 2026, more than six years after the incident and just three days before it was expected to go to trial. Skanska Koch Inc. and El Sol Contracting — construction firms doing work on the bridge at the time of the crash — also settled for an undisclosed amount.
“I hope they do a better job maintaining that bridge knowing what they know,” said Edward Capozzi, Rosario’s attorney. “The amount of debris on that bridge — they have to inspect it more frequently, they have to have cameras, and I think they already corrected that situation.”
Court filings cited ‘voluminous’ debris-related crashes on bridge
Capozzi’s legal team reviewed about 19,000 documents to prepare the lawsuit and get ready for a possible trial, according to court filings.
That review raised questions about how often the Port Authority conducted sweeps of the George Washington Bridge and the bistate agency’s limited use of software to help predict high-debris zones, as well as suggestions about how frequently to conduct sweeps.
Before Rosario’s crash, “there were voluminous accidents involving vehicles striking large road debris” on the George Washington Bridge, according to court documents.
Asked whether the sweeping processes have improved since the incident involving Rosario, the Port Authority declined to answer those questions or go into detail about what, if any, changes it has made.
“The Port Authority works diligently to keep the millions of people who drive across the George Washington Bridge safe,” said Halimah Elmariah, a Port Authority spokeswoman. “Cleaning trucks sweep the bridge in both directions to remove any debris and clear any clogged basins, and crews conduct regular surveys to ensure roads remain clear.”
Investigation could not determine source of debris
After Rosario’s crash, the Port Authority Police Department launched a dayslong investigation to determine where the piece of steel originated and how it came to strike Rosario’s vehicle.
Investigators determined the object was a leaf spring, a steel part of a truck’s suspension system. Detectives reviewed surveillance footage, interviewed witnesses, and tracked down several trucks that had been traveling near Rosario at the time of the crash.
One witness told police he saw an object “tumble through the air from the eastbound lanes” and smash through Rosario’s windshield after hearing a loud “bang,” according to a 113-page Port Authority Police report detailing their investigation. Another driver reported seeing an object “fly across the roadway” and appear to come from the direction of a reddish-colored dump truck, the report states.
Police traced and inspected multiple trucks, but found no evidence that any had shed the leaf spring, according to the report. Surveillance footage from a truck later reviewed by investigators appeared to show debris consistent with the object sitting on the roadway before the incident rather than being launched by a passing vehicle.
The Port Authority Police Department ultimately concluded the incident appeared to be “accidental in nature” and closed its criminal investigation.
How often did the bridge get cleared of debris?
What remained unclear was where the leaf spring came from and how long it had been on the bridge before the crash.
“We know it was at least 10 minutes and 49 seconds — that’s how much video we got from the bridge,” said Capozzi, who was frustrated the Port Authority stopped investigating and didn’t preserve more video footage.
Capozzi’s review of years of bridge-maintenance records raised questions about the frequency of debris sweeps and the Port Authority’s record-keeping practices. Those logs showed how the bridge was typically swept of debris a few times a week and each time crews filled multiple dump trucks with items left behind by vehicles or crews working the bridge.
But there was no specific maintenance schedule to identify and remove debris, according to court documents.
“Even though the upper level has more debris than the lower level, the upper level is swept at the same frequency as the lower level,” according to the court documents. The incident involving Rosario occurred around 10:42 a.m. local time, but “during the day, the bridge is not swept at all,” court records state.
Capozzi said the Port Authority used a software system to record debris sweeps. But the sweep logs his team reviewed showed that workers would “cut and paste general information every single night” rather than document all pieces of debris collected and where it was found, according to Capozzi.
“They could have managed the cleaning of this bridge much more efficiently,” he said.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY