A New York City, Brooklyn woman, shot and severely wounded in a Mass Shooting aboard a Brooklyn N train last month, filed a Lawsuit Tuesday against Glock, which manufactured the 9-mm. Gun used in the 33-bullet Attack on straphangers.
Ilene Steur, 49, was shot in the buttocks and suffered life-changing Injuries during the gas mask-wearing Gunman’s rampage as the rush-hour train pulled into the 36th St. Station in Sunset Park.
Her Lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court alleges Glock, one of the world’s largest Gunmakers, markets its Weapons and Distributes them in a way that is a “public nuisance” under New York State Law and endangers Public Safety. “They are the ones who put it out there for almost anybody to get — anyone can get a gun,” Steur said. “Texas, Buffalo, an innocent little girl in the Bronx. Someone got shot and killed on the Q train. ... There has to be better regulation.”
The Gun maker Glock faces a Major Lawsuit brought by a Victim of the Mass Shooting in April, aboard a Brooklyn N train. Last week, President Biden asked, “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”
Steur was among the 10 People shot April 12th, during the N train Shooting spree. There have been 97 Mass Shootings across the Country since that headline-grabbing Attack, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a Mass Shooting as an Incident where a minimum of Four Victims are Shot.
Steur said she was on her way to work at a real estate company near Union Square from her home in Bensonhurst, her regular morning commute for the past 10 years. “I saw an empty seat and a man dressed like an MTA worker told me, ‘Don’t sit there,’ and I saw the seats were wet,” she recalled. “I sat four or five seats away and then I heard someone yell, ‘Oh s--t, run!’ ”
The Man in the MTA getup turned out to be the alleged Shooter, Frank James. “I looked over, a smoke bomb went off and I saw gray smoke,” Steur said. “I ran away from it and heard the pops and I felt an electric shock go through my whole body.” One of the Bullets went into her left butt cheek. She fell forward in the chaos. A woman who had crawled under the seats for cover pulled Steur under the seats with her.
Steur recalls being carried off the Train onto a waiting R Train and then getting to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Brooklyn Methodist, where doctors had grim news. The Bullet had fractured her sacrum bone, which is at the base of the spine and connected to the pelvis. “The bullet ... ruptured my rectum, and the bullet is still there and it will be there for a long time,” she said. “They can’t take it out because I might bleed to death.”
Steur said she now has to wear a colostomy bag while she awaits a second major Surgery to repair her colon. She has nerve damage that makes it hard to walk, stand or sit for long periods. She has 38 staples used to close her stomach after her initial surgery. Still, she’s determined to work from home when the pain allows. “It’s helping to keep my mind off things,” she said. “But I don’t think I’ll ever go back on the train. I don’t want to be in New York anymore. I’m scared.”
She said she remains grateful to the man who helped her off the train. “I would like to find him and thank him for saving my life. The doctors basically told my family that a little bit longer might have been a different outcome,” she said.
The Gun allegedly used by Frank James aboard a Brooklyn N train, had the serial number defaced.
The Lawsuit alleges that Glock continues to recklessly Market its Guns even though the company is well aware they fall into the wrong hands. The marketing strategy first targeted Law Enforcement, then used the Entertainment industry to build the Glock brand’s profile, before promoting the Guns to Civilians, the lawsuit alleges.
“Glock and its distributors encourage police departments to make trade-ins earlier than necessary or originally planned so that they can sell more firearms to the police and sell the former police guns at a markup on the civilian market,” the Lawsuit alleges, noting that James allegedly bought the Glock at an Ohio Pawnshop in 2011.
“Glock knows that by oversaturating the market with guns, the guns will go to the secondary markets that serve illegal purchasers,” the Suit states. One of the Lawyers who filed the Suit, Mark Shirian, said Glock’s Mmarketing emphasized that the Gun can be easily Concealed and has a High Capacity, features that he argues appeal to People with Criminal intent.
The Suit relies on a New York State Law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in March 2021. Victims of Gun Violence can seek to hold Gunmakers accountable in Court by arguing the Companies are Liable for creating “a public nuisance” through unreasonable Marketing or Distribution. The Law notes that roughly 75% of Guns used in Crimes in New York are bought Out-of-State.
A group of Major Gun Manufacturers, including Glock, Sued in Albany Federal Court to Overturn the Law, but Judge Mae D’Agostino, Dismissed their challenge Wednesday. The Gunmakers, which argued the Law improperly Circumvents Federal Protections for the Firearm industry, Plan to Appeal.
The Lawsuit follows the Landmark $73 million Settlement in February, paid by Gun manufacturer Remington, to Families of the Victims of the 2012 Mass Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The Families argued the Company recklessly Marketed the Bushmaster AR-15-style Rifle to young adults.
“Let this lawsuit send a message to gun manufacturers as new statutes are enacted: You will, in my opinion, be held liable for damages to victims,” said Steur’s other Attorney, Sanford Rubenstein. “You have a moral responsibility, as well as the government, to work to end this epidemic of gun violence and mass killings.”
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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