New York City’s Most Trusted Car Accident Lawyers
At Raphaelson & Levine, our New York City car accident lawyers have provided thousands of injury victims — from motorcyclists and bicyclists to drivers and passengers — with hope for a better future.
Over the past 30 years, our attorneys have recovered more than $700 Million in personal injury settlements and verdicts, including numerous muilti-million dollar car accident settlements for our clients.
After a car wreck, don't settle for less than you deserve with an insurance company that will try to bully you into settling for the bare minimum. You deserve better.
If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident in New York, our experienced NYC car accident lawyers will aggressively fight until you receive maximum compensation.
We only get paid when we win, so you'll never pay an out-of-pocket fee.
NEXT STEP: Call 212-268-3222 now or complete our free case evaluation form below for a free consultation with a car accident lawyer nearby.
Millions Won in car accident lawsuits
Our New York City car accident lawyers have helped victims recover more than $700M
Recovering from a car accident can be more overwhelming than you ever expected. Some car accident victims start out thinking they can handle their own personal injury claim and quickly learn that it can be a complex matter.
When you retain an auto accident attorney at Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, we handle every detail of your case.
Our law firm handles all types of car accident injuries in New York
A rear-end collision is commonly associated with whiplash because the jolt of having the car struck from behind causes the accident victim’s head and neck to violently snap forward several times until the car stops.
Although the injuries from whiplash vary significantly depending on the force of the crash and other unique factors, common symptoms include ligament damage, neck pain, facial swelling, and temporary paralysis of the vocal cords.
Unlike head-on collisions that often result in fatalities, it’s important to keep in mind that the effects of an injury may not be apparent right away. This is common in cases of concussion, whiplash, internal injuries, and emotional trauma.
At the personal injury law firm of Raphaelson & Levine, we encourage you and your passengers to receive prompt medical attention even when it doesn’t seem like anyone has significant injuries. Children can especially be easily venerable after a car accident.
Please make sure you get them checked out right away, even if they appear safe in a car seat. A doctor can determine issues that aren’t visible as well as help to create a medical record associated with the accident.
Other common causes of car accident injuries sustained by car accident victims include:
Back Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can leave a person a paraplegic or quadriplegic for life. Even those who don’t suffer a permanent handicap can struggle with lasting nerve damage that makes it difficult to feel or control their hands, arms, legs, or feet. A herniated disc in the back can cause ongoing pain, weakness, and tingling as well. (Learn more about back injuries)
Chest Injuries
The blunt force of a car crash can lead to a collapsed lung, broken ribs, internal bleeding, and internal organ damage. People already susceptible to heart issues may go into cardiac arrest from the shock of the sudden collision.
Head Injuries / Traumatic Brain Injury
When another driver strikes your car at a high speed, it’s common for the driver and passengers to strike their head against the steering wheel, windows, or another seat. This can cause a traumatic brain injury in an instant with effects that last for a lifetime.
Even a mild concussion can cause cognitive processing difficulties, personality changes, and other serious issues for months or years. Severe brain injuries can lead to paralysis, hearing loss, vision loss, and skull fractures. (Learn more about TBI)
Other Bodily Injuries
The arms, hands, legs, and feet can also sustain significant damage in a car accident. This is especially true for motorcycle drivers and riders who may suffer road rash, serious burns, or broken bones from attempting to break their fall. Some people have such severe injuries to a limb that a doctor must amputate it shortly after the accident. (Learn more about other serious injuries)
Emotional Injuries
In addition to the above physical injuries, it’s common for people to experience ongoing emotional distress due to the accident. They may become so fearful of another accident that they refuse to drive. Obviously, the loss of independence would have a major impact on the quality of life.
Others deal with frightening flashbacks to the scene of the accident, anxiety, anger, and depression. If a passenger died at the accident scene or received much more serious injuries than the driver, he or she may struggle with guilt even though another person’s actions caused the accident.
New York laws affecting car accident claims
New York is a comparative fault state when it comes to determining the payout in a personal injury lawsuit.
For example, a jury may decide that your actions contributed 30 percent to the accident and the actions of the other party contributed 70 percent.
That means a judge would deduct 30 percent from the amount of the payout the jury decided to award you.
No-fault & uninsured driver laws in New York
New York allows several provisions to get around its no-fault rule. You may have a personal injury case against the driver or partially at fault party in these situations:
- Fracture of a bone
- Permanent limitations on the use of a body part, organ, system, or member
- Full disability for 90 days or longer
- Other serious injuries (like disfigurement) as determined by a medical professional
It can be difficult to determine if your injuries qualify as significant or permanent when you don’t know how they will affect you in the future.
In addition to receiving a comprehensive exam from a doctor, the NYC car accident lawyers at our law firm can help you determine if you should go beyond your own insurance company and file a personal injury lawsuit, accept an insurance offer or proceed to trial and get a jury verdict.
Like every other state in the country, New York requires all drivers to purchase auto insurance and maintain the policy.
Technically, a driver should not be on the road in New York if his or her policy has lapsed by even a day. While you like to think that everyone is a responsible driver, this is simply not the case.
The Insurance Information Institute reports that one in eight drivers, or about 13 percent of the population of people with a driver’s license, driving without insurance. In New York, that number is one in five.
Getting into a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, drunk driving, or distracted driving is bad enough. It can get especially stressful when that person made the irresponsible choice to drive without even the minimum of auto insurance or leaves the scene after a hit and run.
According to the New York State Department of Financial Services, every company that offers auto insurance policy must include an uninsured motorist portion.
This covers you as the driver, any family members that live with you, and any occupants in your vehicle who sustained an injury due to the negligent actions of an uninsured motorist.
You would need to file a claim with your own insurance company if this situation happens to you. However, you may wish to retain our services to track down the assets of the other driver or when you feel that the settlement offered by your auto insurance company is inadequate to meet your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What you can expect from our NYC car injury lawyers?
When you retain an auto accident attorney at Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, we handle every detail of your case. Here's what you can expect from our New York City personal injury attorneys:
- Handle all communication with the other party as well as the insurance company and lawyer representing him or her
- Obtain all necessary documentation to prove your version of events, including medical bills, the official police report, proof of lost wages, statements from witnesses, and any other documentation that helps you build a strong case and prove your catastrophic injuries
- Determine sources of compensation you might not have considered, such as suing the manufacturer of your vehicle for making a defective part
- File your car accident lawsuit within the state’s time limit, known as the personal injury statute of limitations
- Fight to reduce or eliminate any liability on your part since New York is a comparative negligence state with no-fault insurance
How much is my car accident case worth?
We have earned our clients over $700,000,000 of compensation, including a $1.5 Million settlement for a car crash victim with a history of prior injuries.
Many variables determine compensation in car accident cases, including the severity of your injuries, the extent of your medical expenses, whether you can return to work, insurance coverage, non-economic damages, and how the effects of the accident impact your daily life.
After our legal team learns more about your specific situation, an experienced NYC car accident attorney from our law office will be able to share the amount our clients have been awarded based on our previous car accident verdicts and settlements with similar scenarios.
MORE: Learn more about the critical factors that influence how much an auto injury settlement may be worth, visit FAQ: How Much Is My Car Accident Settlement Worth or contact us today for a free consultation with New York City's most trusted car accident trial lawyers.
What damages can a personal injury lawyer help me recover after a motor vehicle accident?
The potential compensation you could receive from a car accident falls into two categories. The first type of payment covers your monetary losses.
This includes past, present, and future expenses related to medical care, property damage, and lost wages.
Monetary Losses
It also pays for such things as the need for durable medical equipment and modifying your home or vehicle to accommodate your new physical situation. If you’re unable to return to work or must work part-time or at a less demanding position, the jury would determine your lifetime lost wages and set your award accordingly.
Non-Monetary Losses
You may also be eligible to receive one or more types of compensation for non-monetary losses. This includes such things as pain and suffering associated with the accident, loss of enjoyment of life because you can no longer pursue hobbies, and post-traumatic stress disorder caused by reliving the accident.
Punitive Damages
Lastly, a jury may award punitive damages as well, however, they reserve this for situations when the defendant acted in a reckless manner that showed a complete disregard for the safety of others.
How does no-fault insurance affect my MVA claim?
You may not be aware that New York is a no-fault state, which means you must first file a claim through your own insurance company regardless of who caused the accident.
However, the state still allows people to file personal injury claims in cases of severe injury or when they receive inadequate compensation from their insurance provider.
Our New York City car accident attorneys will carefully evaluate your case and give you an honest answer as to whether you should follow through with filing a lawsuit.
Car crash? Get a free consultation with a trusted NYC car accident lawyer today
At Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, we’re proud of our reputation as the “Voice of the Injured.”
With more than 30 years of experience in personal injury litigation, our lawyers for accidents have won thousands of car accident claims and recovered over $800 Million for our clients.
We are New York City's most trusted car crash lawyers.
Our “No Win, No Fee” policy provides you with the confidence that we will expend every resource possible to secure you maximum compensation with no legal fees or expenses until we win your claim.
Our responsive car accident attorneys in New York City will handle every aspect of your claim and ensure you always know what's happening throughout your case — from legal advice during your consultation to negotiations with the insurance company.
If you've been injured in a car accident in New York City (including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island) you deserve to have your voice heard.
NEXT STEP: Don't wait! Call 212-268-3222 today or contact us online for a free case evaluation with a skilled New York City car accident lawyer at Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm.
