New York Car Accident Lawyer
If you were injured in a car accident in New York, The Sanders Law Firm can steer you in the right direction to a full recovery. We represent crash victims in Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and throughout New York on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no upfront legal fees and no fees at all unless you win.
Helping New Yorkers For Over 50 Years
The Sanders Law Firm has been helping injured in motor vehicle accidents since 1967. Over the past 50+years, we’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for car crash victims’ medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, property damage, and other costs. Insurance companies know that we don’t just make phone calls and file paperwork. We are trial lawyers who are committed to winning.
We represents accidents involving:
Don’t Pay Unless You Win
No-Fault Insurance Laws
Auto crash victims generally process their New York car accident injury claims following the state’s No-Fault insurance rules. No-Fault, also known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), ensures that up to $50,000 per person, per accident is paid to cover the medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses of the driver and all passengers injured in a crash, regardless of who caused the NYC auto accident. However, a basic No-Fault claim does not cover non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, or damage to your car or personal property.
Lawmakers passed these regulations to reduce the number of New York crash-related lawsuits. But for many injured parties, NYC No-Fault coverage is wholly inadequate to reimburse the total cost of hospital bills and lost income, and it doesn’t account for non-economic damages.
This coverage is often adequate to cover minor injuries, but policyholders should know that No-Fault coverage will only reimburse up to 80 percent of the victim’s lost earnings — or a maximum of $2,000 per month. In addition, the $50,000 does not pay for physical/emotional pain and suffering stemming from the NYC car accident. To take legal action and pursue compensation for injuries sustained, you must prove that you have suffered a “serious injury” as defined by NY law. According to the State of New York statute, a serious injury means a personal injury resulting in:
- Death
- Dismemberment
- Significant disfigurement
- Fracture
- Loss of a fetus
- Permanent loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system
- Permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member
- Significant limitation of use of a body function or system
- A medically determined injury or impairment of a non-permanent nature that prevents the injured person from performing substantially all of the material acts constituting their usual and customary daily activities for at least 90 days during the 180 days immediately following the injury event.
Protect Your Legal Rights: Speak to a New York Car Accident Lawyer
New Yorkers involved in NY auto collisions—from fender benders to head-on collisions—know how frustrating it can be to work with NYC insurance companies to get full and fair compensation. In theory, New York No-Fault insurance simplifies the claims process. But in practice, these insurance companies follow the same cost-cutting measures, whether they’re “your” insurance company or somebody else’s. It’s possible for No-Fault insurance to deny your claim, in whole or in part, forcing you to take legal action. You might also need to file a lawsuit if your accident case is serious enough.
If a negligent motorist harmed you, the New York, NY auto accident lawyers at The Sanders Law Firm can help you file a claim to demand compensation for your legal damages. Let our lawyers handle your personal injury case so you can focus on getting better. Schedule a free consultation today to get started.
When You Can File a New York Car Accident Lawsuit
To summarize, you can only file a New York car accident lawsuit against another party if you suffered a serious injury, as defined by New York State law. A lawsuit will also be necessary if your expenses exceed the $50,000 available under No-Fault insurance, and/or you suffered damage to your vehicle or other personal property. Finally, only a lawsuit can bring relief for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering that result from a statutorily defined serious injury.
When you file a lawsuit, you are taking the claims process outside of your own PIP insurance coverage, and bringing a claim against the other motorist’s insurance company. At this point, the claim goes from a no-fault matter to a fault-based matter. This means that you’ll have to prove your case. You can be almost certain that aspects of your case will be disputed. It might even be argued that your injury is not, in fact, a “serious injury” to avoid paying you full and fair compensation.
No-Fault Claims Can Still Be Denied
While intended to simplify the auto accident claims process, in some ways No-Fault law makes it more complicated. For serious injuries such as a traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, disfigurement, or permanent disability, PIP insurance will not be enough. In addition, it is possible for a No-Fault claim to be denied, totally or partially. If this happens, you may have to file a claim with the State of New York, request arbitration, or bring an action in the courts. Needless to say, this further complicates matters and could jeopardize your recovery.
You may want to discuss your injury claim with our New York car accident lawyers. During a free case review, we’ll explain whether you may qualify for a lawsuit and how we can help. There is no risk and no obligation to receiving expert advice from The Sanders Law Firm. To discuss your personal injury case, please contact us.
Compensation For Car Accident Injuries
With a qualified New York auto accident attorney as your advocate, a successful car accident claim in the five boroughs can help you obtain the following compensation:
- Past, present, and future medical expenses: This may include costs for all hospital stays, treatments, ER visits, rehabilitation, and appointments with health care professionals.
- Lost income: Compensation for all wages lost between the time of the accident and the close of the lawsuit. Those who were unemployed at the time of injury may still be eligible for lost wages if they can show earning potential during that period.
- Diminished earning capacity: If a serious injury or disability affects one’s ability to earn a living moving forward, the courts may factor in additional damages.
- Pain and suffering: Physical pain and suffering often make up a significant portion of a car accident case. The actual amount of these damages is determined by reviewing the type and extent of car crash injuries sustained, and the expected recovery period. Experts are often used to make this calculation. Remember that a No-Fault claim does not provide compensation for these so-called “non-economic” damages. You must have suffered a serious injury, as defined by the law, to file a lawsuit for pain and suffering.
- Mental anguish: Juries may award compensation for emotional distress, including anxiety, nervousness, grief and other forms of emotional trauma caused by the car accident (if the law permits you to file a New York auto accident lawsuit).
- Loss of consortium: Courts award these damages to uninjured spouses who have suffered loss of companionship, affection and support due to his or her partner’s injuries.
How is Compensation Calculated?
The amount of compensation an individual claimant is entitled to is largely based on the circumstances of their case. However, a New York car accident lawyer plays a crucial role in determining the actual award. We leave nothing to chance and employ a team of experts to substantiate the types and amounts of damages. The insurer has their own experts that come up with their own figures. They might seem reasonable, but how can you be sure? Shouldn’t you have experts working for you, too?
When you hire The Sanders Law Firm, you’re not just hiring car accident attorneys. You’re hiring a support staff and leading experts in their fields, including medical experts, accident reconstruction experts, economists, rehabilitation experts, mental health experts, and engineers. With the full strength of our firm behind your accident case, you have the best possible chance of receiving maximum insurance coverage.
How New York Car Accident Claims Work
New York State Auto Crash Authorities
Determining auto crash liability, filing NYC insurance claims, assessing personal injury harm and property damages, and understanding the nuances of New York’s No-Fault laws makes litigating auto accidents in New York notoriously complex. This is why car accident victims must only seek out New York City car accident lawyers who specialize in personal injury litigation and are well-versed in the state’s No-Fault legislation. Be advised that without a trusted NY auto accident lawyer representing you, insurance companies may try to reduce your legal compensation, including the money you receive to cover medical bills and post-crash general damages.
The Sanders Firm proudly represents NY motor vehicle accident victims, helping them get fully compensated for their losses. Whether you have suffered injuries in a vehicle rollover, bus crash, pedestrian incident, or other types of car accident, our New York auto accident attorneys have the experience and resources to protect your legal rights. Our counsel will cost you nothing out of pocket, and you’ll receive one of New York’s finest car crash attorneys scrutinizing facts and evidence to determine the true value of your claim and whether you can sue for personal injury or wrongful death.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
The Sanders Law Firm will make sure you receive maximum compensation from New York City insurance companies and will also determine your eligibility to sue for additional damages against negligent New York motorists. Those who have suffered serious NYC auto accident injuries may further be entitled to other compensation in a court of law.
If you or a family member has sustained injuries such as dismemberment, loss of use of a body organ, loss of a fetus, or other serious harm, our Manhattan auto crash lawyers will begin the process of preparing your New York car accident lawsuit by:
- Reviewing police reports of the accident
- Questioning eyewitnesses
- Utilizing crash reconstruction experts
- Photographing the accident scene
- Evaluating medical records and injury reports
- Obtaining documents and opinions by medical experts
- Speaking with insurers on your behalf
By working with Sanders, you’re retaining a top NYC personal injury lawyer who understands the New York State No-Fault laws and who has decades of experience fighting the big insurance companies. We are known and respected in this industry because we’ve established a strong track record as tireless, aggressive, and highly-effective trial lawyers.
The Sanders Law Firm Car Accident Verdicts and Settlements
At The Sanders Law Firm, Success Is A Tradition
Founded in 1967, The Sanders Law Firm has flourished into one of New York’s most successful personal injury practices, with an accomplished team of attorneys, paralegals, health care consultants, and support staff. Our trial attorneys take new cases on a contingency basis, which means there is no cost to the client unless we secure monetary damages on your behalf.
Our personal injury law firm continues to make its industry-leading legal services even better, and hire attorneys and staff that enable us to serve a more diverse population.
At The Sanders Firm, there is never any charge to evaluate your case. We have helped thousands of injured clients throughout New York City, Long Island, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, and we’re prepared to help you too. In just the last five years we have procured over $100 million dollars on behalf of our clients, thanks to our vast resources and experienced attorneys. Our personal injury law firm continues to make its industry-leading legal services even better, and hire attorneys and staff that enable us to serve a more diverse population.
To set up your free, no-obligation case review with a New York personal injury lawyer, please call (516) 591-3208 or contact us using our online form. Our friendly staff is standing by to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Locations
The Sanders Law Firm is a New York personal injury practice with offices in Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.