Marion London,
Claims Specialist

Last year, the Transit Authority paid out $61 million in claims to people injured in the largest metropolitan bus and subway system in the world.

Without the expertise of workers like E. Marion London, the liability would be significantly higher.

Ms. London is one of 20 Claims Specialists who handle a total of 3,000 cases a year at the TA’s Law Dept. Whenever possible, they resolve cases in hearings before lawsuits are filed.

“This saves a lot of money,” said Ms. London. The Claims Specialists conduct up to 20 hearings a day in addition to their other responsibilities.

Claims Specialists also save the TA money by spotting fraud, which Ms. London says is extensive. They regularly catch people who seek compensation for old injuries and even imaginary accidents. As civil servants, they have the “institutional memory” that helps them identify “multiple claimants,” people who practically make it a business of filing false claims.

Day-to-day, Ms. London handles preliminary investigations and pre-trial cases. She is authorized to award up to $10,000 on claims involving back injuries and so-called soft-tissue injuries, such as sprained ankles and ligament damage.

Ms. London also investigates cases that are going to trial.

One of her most memorable jobs was handling 79 claims stemming from one accident when two trains on the G and R lines collided at Steinway Street in Queens and injured more than 100 people.

Her complex work requires legal and medical knowledge as well as people skills, said Ms. London, who chairs the TA Chapter of Local 154. To do investigations, Claims Specialists need to be familiar with the jobs of TA workers at the scene of accidents, and they often need to do careful interviewing for background.

“You really have to be a people person to do this job, because you deal with everybody,” said Ms. London, who has worked for the TA since 1985.