Why Choosing the Right Brooklyn Personal Injury Attorney Matters
The outcome of your personal injury claim can directly affect your financial stability and access to medical care. Full and fair compensation can cover ongoing treatment, protect your income, and reflect the ways your injury affects your quality of life long after your case settles. That is why your choice of a personal injury attorney carries real weight.
Insurance companies often use aggressive tactics to encourage injury victims to settle for significantly less than their cases are worth. It takes serious pushback and a comprehensive legal strategy to challenge these attempts. When you turn to our firm, we’ll be ready to fight for every dollar you’re entitled to under the law.
With nearly 60 years of experience advocating for injured New Yorkers, our deep understanding of Brooklyn’s courts allows us to handle each case with precision from start to finish. Whether your claim proceeds in Kings County Supreme Court or, for lower-value matters, the Civil Court of the City of New York, we prepare every case with a trial-ready strategy.
$1.75M
Slip and Fall
Our client, a 60-year old painter, fell down her apartment steps that she had used for over 10 years without incident. She suffered a bad compound ankle injury that required multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. She also underwent skin grafts and was told she would require further surgery.
We employed experts who found no code violations for the steps in question since the building was a prewar building. The owner was a Greek dual citizen who did not make a good witness and could not produce any records for the stairs in question. Senior partner E. David Woycik Jr, attorney Matt Kittrell, and paralegal Katie Ramos handled this case.
$1.5M
Car Accidents
This case involved a “Zone of Danger” claim for a mother who saw her son cross within the crosswalk and get hit by a truck. Tragically, the boy died within seconds without any signs of life and therefore, under NY State law, minimal damages were available for his pain and suffering. However, the mother had a claim for being within the Zone of Danger which we were able to receive a settlement for.
New York’s Zone of Danger rule allows an individual threatened with bodily harm due to the defendant’s negligence to recover compensation for emotional distress resulting from witnessing the death or serious injury of that individual’s immediate family member.
Senior partner E. David Woycik Jr, attorney Matt Kittrell, and paralegal Katie Ramos secured the $1.5 million settlement.
$200K
Car Accidents
Mr. Huh was injured when a motor vehicle negligently changed lanes and sideswiped his vehicle. Due to the impact, Mr. Huh, 58 years old at the time of the accident, injured his right elbow. He was diagnosed with an elbow ligament tear and underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear.
At a mediation Mr. Huh’s case settled for $200,000.00 despite initial allegations that the tear in his elbow was degenerative and not caused by the accident.
Elements of a Strong Personal Injury Case
To recover compensation in a personal injury claim, you typically must prove four key elements of negligence:
- Duty of Care: The at-fault party had a responsibility to act with reasonable care under the circumstances.
- Breach of Duty: They failed to meet that responsibility.
- Causation: Their failure directly caused your injury.
- Damages: You suffered measurable losses as a result of the injury, such as medical expenses, lost income, or pain and suffering.
While most personal injury claims are based on negligence, some cases involve different legal standards. For example, if a defective product caused your injury, the manufacturer may be liable even if it didn’t act negligently.
We Have Your Back
Founded in 1967, The Sanders Law Firm has grown into a large, thriving organization of attorneys, paralegals, medical consultants, and support staff – all committed to providing the highest level of legal representation to injured New Yorkers.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Brooklyn
Personal injury claims can arise in many different situations. Below are some of the most common types of cases our attorneys handle in Brooklyn:
- Car Accidents: Collisions on local roadways, such as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Flatbush Avenue, are often linked to dangerous driving behaviors. We handle car accident claims involving speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, tailgating, failure to yield, and other forms of negligence.
- Truck Accidents: Crashes involving commercial trucks can cause catastrophic damage due to their size and weight. While large trucks are banned on some Brooklyn roads, such as the Belt Parkway, they still travel on many major routes and expose others to the risk of driver error or poor maintenance.
- Motorcycle Accidents: Riding a motorcycle is a convenient way to get around Brooklyn, but riders can suffer life-altering injuries when drivers overlook them.
- Construction Accidents: Brooklyn’s aging infrastructure and steady growth have led to a heavy demand for new construction projects, where unsafe conditions can result in serious injuries. Our team pursues both personal injury lawsuits and workers’ compensation claims for workers injured in these accidents.
- Premises Liability: We represent people injured on someone else’s property due to preventable hazards, including elevator accidents, slip and fall accidents, and negligent security.
How New York’s "Serious Injury" Threshold Affects Your Options After a Car Accident
If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident in Brooklyn, your legal options may be limited unless your case meets certain criteria.
New York’s no-fault system requires your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance to cover your medical bills and lost wages, regardless of who caused the crash. Under NY Insurance Law § 5104, you may only step outside this system and bring a lawsuit or third-party claim against the at-fault party if your injuries meet the state’s serious injury threshold. This option allows you to pursue compensation for losses not available through PIP, such as pain and suffering.
State law defines a “serious injury” as an injury involving at least one of the following:
- Death
- Dismemberment
- Significant disfigurement
- Broken bones
- Loss of a fetus
- Permanent loss of use of a body part or system
- Permanent or significant limitation of a body function or organ, such as in spinal cord injury cases
How Long Do You Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Brooklyn?
In most cases, you have three years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in New York. The deadline is much shorter if a government entity is responsible for your injury—in that case, you generally need to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days and file your lawsuit within 1 year and 90 days of the incident.
It’s important to act quickly if you believe someone else’s negligence caused you harm. If you miss the filing deadline, you may lose your right to pursue compensation.
How Compensation Works in a Brooklyn Personal Injury Case
A fair verdict or settlement should reflect the full financial, physical, and emotional impact of a life-altering injury. This compensation can play a critical role in how smoothly you move forward and rebuild your life. When we handle your case, our Brooklyn personal injury attorneys will work diligently to pursue maximum compensation for all of your past and future losses.
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover the immediate and long-term financial losses tied to your injury. They’re intended to prevent you from carrying the financial burden of someone else’s negligence.
These commonly include medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity. In cases involving catastrophic injuries, such as birth injuries, these damages may also account for the cost of lifelong support needs.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages address the ways your injury has affected your quality of life beyond finances. Common examples include physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring and disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life due to limitations on activities you previously enjoyed. While no amount of money can undo these losses, fair compensation can make it easier to cope with them.
What To Expect When You Work With Our Brooklyn Injury Firm
You’re dealing with enough stress after a serious injury—you don’t need to add insurance battles to your list of worries. From the moment you hire our firm, we’ll take over all communication with insurance companies and protect you from their attempts to lowball you.
Our team will handle every task necessary to pursue full compensation on your behalf, from investigating the incident to completing paperwork to representing you in court. While you focus on healing and moving forward, we’ll be busy doing the heavy lifting and protecting your future.
Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury Claims in Brooklyn
How Much does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Brooklyn?
We represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing out of pocket to hire our attorneys. Our personal injury law firm in Brooklyn covers all the expenses of the investigation, expert witnesses, and court filings upfront. We only get paid a percentage of the final settlement or verdict we win for you.
Will I have to Go to Court for My Brooklyn Injury Case?
Most personal injury cases settle out of court. However, our philosophy is to prepare every case for possible trial. By building a “trial-ready” file from day one, we show insurance companies that we aren’t afraid to fight in front of a Brooklyn jury. This can lead to stronger settlement outcomes and position us for greater success if we do end up going to trial.
What Documents do I need for My Brooklyn Personal Injury Claim?
Helpful documents include the official accident report from the New York City Police Department, photos of the accident scene, hospital discharge papers, and diagnostic records such as MRIs or X-rays. It’s also important to keep a record of your lost wages through recent pay stubs or written communication from your employer. While our attorneys can gather formal evidence on your behalf, having this documentation on hand early in the process can help us build your case more efficiently.
What Role does Insurance Play in a Personal Injury Case?
Insurance is often the primary source of compensation in New York injury claims. If you were injured on someone else’s property, the property owner’s liability insurance may apply. If you were injured in an auto accident, your own no-fault coverage will typically cover your initial medical bills and a portion of your lost wages, regardless of who caused the crash. However, if your injuries are considered “serious” under state law, we may pursue additional damages from the at-fault driver’s liability insurance.
Get Trusted Guidance After a Serious Injury in Brooklyn
If you or a loved one was injured in Brooklyn, you have an ally in The Sanders Law Firm. Our Brooklyn personal injury lawyers are ready to listen to your story, explain your options, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Contact us online or call (833) SANDERS to start moving forward with a free consultation. We’re standing by to take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week from our office locations in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Garden City.