Managing Partner
Last Updated: November 25, 2025
New York is known as a “no-fault” state for car accidents. In most cases, an injured party’s car insurance will cover the cost of his or her injuries following an accident. And if people are hurt in the other vehicle, they should be covered by their own insurance. The idea behind this law is to speed up the process and quickly provide compensation to injured parties for their injuries. However, the no-fault system doesn’t cover all situations. In this article, we discuss some things to consider following a big medical bill stemming from a car accident in New York.
Insurance Considerations
Car insurance policies typically cover at least $50,000 worth of no-fault insurance to pay lost wages and medical bills. This insurance kicks in before any other policies that an injured party may have. Insurance policies usually cover necessary expenses for medical treatment, including:
- Medical procedures and surgery
- Hospital stays
- Prosthetics devices
- Assistive technology
- Ambulance
- Helicopter airlift
- Diagnostic imaging
- Emergency medical services
- Nursing services
- Prescription medication
- Physical Therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Mental health counseling
- Medical follow-up visits
However, sometimes an injured party’s medical expenses exceed the $50,000 coverage provided by insurance. If the injured party has supplemental insurance, it is applied once the basic coverage threshold has been met. And if an injured party doesn’t have any additional coverage (or any coverage at all), then it would be up to that party’s healthcare provider, whether public or private, to contribute towards the claim.
Going Beyond Insurance
Medical expenses sometimes go beyond what is covered by insurance. Fortunately, New York permits accident victims to step outside of the no-fault system when an injury meets what is called a “serious injury threshold.” Under New York law, a serious injury is defined as:
- Dismemberment
- Significant disfigurement
- Loss of a fetus
- Fracture
- Death
- Permanent loss of an organ or body part
- Significant limitation of a bodily function or bodily system
In addition, a serious injury includes any non-permanent injury that prevents a person from performing his or her daily duties for 90 out of 180 days in the immediate aftermath of the accident.
In cases meeting the serious injury threshold, an injured party may contact a car accident attorney to file a lawsuit against the responsible driver. However, time is of the essence in a car accident case. Therefore, if you’ve been injured in a car accident in New York, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible.
Contact Our Long Island Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one have been hurt in a car accident in Long Island, New York, you should contact the experienced personal injury attorneys of Dell & Dean, PLLC. When you come to us for assistance with your car accident case, we review your situation, plan a case strategy, and aggressively seek financial compensation for the responsible party. Please contact us to schedule a consultation with a Long Island car accident attorney.
Dell & Dean, PLLC, represents clients throughout Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Garden City on Long Island, as well as the boroughs of New York: Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx.
