Staten Island Car Accident Lawyer

When car accidents occur, injuries often result. Injuries that were someone else’s fault often warrant compensation for the victim, and a Staten Island car crash lawyer can help you win what you’re owed.

Car accidents of any kind can be traumatic affairs. The worst involve serious injuries or death, but even less severe crashes create stress and hefty costs. No matter how clear the situation may seem, you can’t afford to risk being blamed for anything, and you deserve justice against those who are truly at fault.

These high stakes explain why so many victims hire a Staten Island personal injury lawyer to represent them in settlement negotiations and, if necessary, in court.

Your attorney must be familiar with Staten Island’s legal players, including judges, defense attorneys, and insurance company representatives. Furthermore, your lawyer needs to be compatible with you and understanding of your goals for your case.

Start by contacting our team at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP. We offer experience and knowledge and will always treat you with the respect you deserve by answering difficult questions honestly.

What Causes Car Accidents in Staten Island?

Our professional investigators will tirelessly seek out the cause of your Staten Island car accident so we can identify the person or business that’s to blame. It’s often the other driver’s fault, but there are plenty of instances in which the other driver was your fellow victim in an accident due to a pothole or shoddy brake installation.

Some of the most common causes of car accidents on Staten Island include the following:

• Drunk, drugged, drowsy, and distracted drivers
• Speeding
• Mechanical failure on your car or the other driver’s
• Part installation errors
• Incomplete vehicle inspections
• Road hazards like potholes or uneven shoulders
• Construction zone problems

Who’s at Fault for the Car Accident?

Once you’ve determined what caused your car crash, you’ll need to find the person responsible, as well. While New York is a no-fault state, meaning your insurance should cover your damages regardless of fault, you may need to take your claim out of the no-fault system and into the tort system to recover full compensation for your serious injuries.

While identifying the person at fault may be as simple as finding the other driver involved in your Staten Island car accident, it’s not always so easy. You may need to contact an attorney for help finding the person responsible for compensating you.

The groups that may hold some or all of the blame for your car accident in Staten Island include the following:

• The other driver
• A third driver
• Repair shops and mechanics
• Part installers
• Manufacturers
• Government entities tasked with keeping the roads safe for travel
• Vehicle inspectors
• Construction companies

Car Accident Injuries on Staten Island

The high speeds and large masses involved in car accidents create some devastating injuries. The severity of your injuries doesn’t always correlate with the apparent severity of your car accident. People walk away from crumpled clumps of metal and others are paralyzed due to seemingly minor rear-end collisions.

Your Staten Island car wreck lawyer has to calculate the costs of your injuries in order to justify the amount of compensation you’re seeking. To that end, we’ll work closely with your doctors and our own medical experts to itemize every injury and related consequence.

Injuries in car accidents, motorcycle accidents or truck accidents on Staten Island can range widely, but many involve the following injuries and consequences:

• Facial and head damage can cause hearing and vision impairment, traumatic brain injuries, and disfigurement that might require reconstructive operations.
• Neck, back, and spine trauma could end in nerve damage, resulting in chronic pain, numbness, tingling, and reduced limb mobility; whiplash; permanent back pain; and spinal cord injuries, which can lead to permanent full or partial paralysis.
• Internal injuries may include internal bleeding, which must be found and treated quickly, and organ damage that requires extensive waiting for expensive and dangerous transplants.
• Seriously broken bones can create a permanent limp or even be so badly damaged that the limb may need to be amputated.
• Severe burns across large portions of your body may have been caused by scalding engine liquids, caustic chemicals, or, more likely, fire. All severe burns are agonizing and can cause serious disfigurement that requires skin grafts and other reconstructive surgeries.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition caused by traumatic experiences and is as damaging as many physical wounds. Any traumatic car accident can lead to PTSD.

Compensation for Your Staten Island Car Accident

Your hospital bills aren’t the only expense you’ll have to deal with. You’ll have missed work and may not even be able to return for some time, if at all. Beyond those economic damages, we’ll have to deal with your non-economic damages, as well. These include the scars we can’t see and the mental anguish involved in knowing you can never walk or care for your children again.

Your Staten Island auto accident attorney will continue collaborating with your doctors, therapists, and our medical specialists to clearly account for everything you’ve suffered, including the following damages:

• Medical costs
• Decreased or lost income
• Disability accommodations implemented in your workplace, home, or car
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of care, companionship, or consortium
• Property damage
• Punitive damages
• Wrongful death

Your lawyer will assess the total value of your damages and pursue every cent you’re owed.

Let Your Lawyer Handle the Insurers

There are many things to remember when working on a car accident claim. You have to remember that insurance companies are out to protect their own bottom line. They’re not in the business of protecting car crash victims. This includes your own insurance company.

New York’s No-Fault Rules in Car Accidents

When you’ve been in an accident, your first response may be to turn to the insurance company. After all, New York is a “no-fault” insurance state, meaning you will need to file your car accident claim with your own insurance company. Even if you believe you were partly at fault for your accident, you may still be eligible for compensation from your insurance company.

However, not every car accident claim is covered under PIP, or personal injury protection, insurance. Instead, you might have suffered a loss that surpasses the “serious injury threshold.” Major injuries may not be covered by PIP insurance. Instead, you’ll have the opportunity to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault party.

When you’ve suffered a severe crash on Staten Island, you’ll need to find the best way to get the full compensation you deserve. The only way to file a personal injury lawsuit for a Staten Island car accident is if you are severely injured in any of the following ways:

• Bone fracture
• Disability within the first 180 days following the injury that lasts at least ninety days
• Significant disfigurement or dismemberment
• Loss of a fetus
• Permanent loss of the use of a body organ, member, function, or system
• Permanent consequential limitation of the use of a body organ or member
• Significant limitation of the use of a body function or system
• Death

Comparative Negligence in Car Accidents

You need to be careful of what you say and how you say it when it comes to all the insurance company inquiries. Insurers will try to twist your words and comments in a way that shifts the blame to you. This lessens their profit loss through New York’s comparative negligence rules about monetary compensation for injuries.

These rules require any compensation to be reduced by the same percentage of fault you bear. For instance, if you’re awarded $1 million but are found to bear 20 percent of the blame, then you’ll only receive $800,000—that’s 20 percent less.

This type of limitation on your car accident compensation can significantly affect your family’s standard of living. Your car accident lawyer in Staten Island will work hard to perfect the wording of any comments to avoid these often exploited legal loopholes.

Staten Island Car Accident FAQ

When you’ve suffered a serious auto injury, you’ve likely left the car accident with some questions about your compensation and claim. You want the full amount you deserve, but you’re struggling in the aftermath of your crash and you’re not sure where to start.

Fortunately, an attorney can help. We understand how tough it can be to get the answers you need. If you’re struggling with questions, reach out for help finding the answers you need. For now, check out the FAQ below.

How do I determine who’s responsible for my car accident?

When you’re injured in a serious car accident, you’ll need to show that the responsible party caused the accident. Often, this means gathering witnesses and information about the crash that supports your claim. For example, if the other driver was texting or talking, someone might have seen them doing so. Otherwise, you may be able to ask for their phone records.

What if I lost a loved one to a car accident on Staten Island?

Sadly, there’s a chance that your loved one may have been killed in a car accident. If your relative passed away because of crash-related injuries, contact a fatal accident attorney to seek the compensation your family deserves. While the injured party is deceased, your family still deserves compensation for the loss.

How long will my car accident claim take?

The amount of time your claim will take will depend on your claim and the other party involved. Some claims may be resolved in a few months, while others may take longer. Your attorney can provide details about your unique claim. You can rest assured that our lawyers will take the time to ensure you get the full compensation you deserve as quickly as possible.

Contact a Staten Island Car Accident Attorney

You shouldn’t pay for someone else’s mistakes and negligence, but that might be what you end up doing if you don’t fight for your right to full compensation. It can be a long battle, but your family’s financial wellbeing is important, and the negligent person who hurt you should be brought to justice.

Our team of qualified attorneys at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP would like to provide you with the legal guidance you need. For a free, no-obligation case consultation with a Staten Island car accident lawyer, call us at 1-800-VICTIM2 (842-8462) or fill out the online contact form at the bottom of this page to schedule one as soon as possible.