You may feel hopeless and frustrated if you’ve been injured in a car accident on Long Island. Car accident injuries can be devastating and life-altering. Pursuing compensation through a personal injury lawsuit allows car accident victims to obtain the compensation they deserve for their medical expenses, property damage, pain and suffering, and more.
You don’t have to go through the complicated process of recovering compensation alone. The attorneys at Dell & Dean, PLLC are here to help you pursue the compensation and justice you deserve. Contact our Long Island car accident attorneys to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. One of our experienced attorneys will review your case and help you understand your legal options.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle on Long Island
A car accident can cause devastating or even fatal injuries in a few seconds. Many different circumstances can lead to severe car accidents. However, most car accidents are preventable and are caused by one or more driver’s negligence. Car accidents are more likely to occur when drivers are distracted, intoxicated, or inexperienced. At Dell & Dean, PLLC, our attorneys represent clients who’ve been injured in a wide range of car accidents, including the following:
- Head-on collisions
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Multi-vehicle accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Road construction accidents
- Rollover accidents
- Sideswipe accidents
- T-bone accidents
These are just a few of the many car accidents that can cause devastating injuries. Regardless of the type of car accident that caused your injuries, you may be able to pursue compensation for your medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering from the negligent party who caused your injuries.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Driver error and negligence are the leading causes of car accidents. When drivers break traffic safety rules, the likelihood of an accident increases. Driver distraction is one of the country’s leading causes of car accidents. Drivers can be distracted by eating and drinking, talking to passengers, staring out the window, and not focusing on the road. Other common causes include the following:
- Driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs
- Reckless driving, including speeding, tailgating, and street racing
- Defective auto parts
- Dangerous roadways
- Negligent maintenance of the vehicle
- Negligent passing on the highway
- Failure to follow traffic lights at intersections
Common Injuries from Car Accidents
- Whiplash
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Head injury
- Burn injury
- Back injury
- Broken bone injury
Where Do Most Long Island Car Accidents Occur?
The traffic in Nassau County and Suffolk County can be highly congested since there are thousands of motor vehicles on the road. If you’re driving on Long Island, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it safely to your destination, even if you are following the law and paying attention to avoid getting into a car accident. While car accidents can happen anywhere on Long Island, a few locations are more dangerous than others. In a report compiled by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, the following Long Island locations were found to have the most dangerous roads:
- New York Avenue/SR-110
- Jericho Turnpike/State Route 25
- North County Road/SR-25A
- New Hyde Park Road and Northern State Parkway
- Lakeview Road and Marcus Avenue
- Northern State Parkway
- Montauk Highway
- Route 24
- Hempstead Turnpike and Wantagh Parkway
- Old Country Road and Wantagh Parkway
- Roslyn Road and LIE South Service Road
- Connetquot Avenue and Sunrise Highway
We Have the Resources and Skills to Effectively Advocate for You
The Long Island car accident attorneys at Dell & Dean, PLLC have decades of experience successfully handling complex motor vehicle accident cases. We’ve practiced law in Suffolk and Nassau Counties for years and understand what it takes to recover compensation successfully. Our attorneys go the extra mile when representing our clients.
We have the resources and knowledge necessary to examine the circumstances leading up to the car accident. We will gather and scrutinize all relevant evidence, including photographs, video footage, police reports, medical records, and witness statements, to determine causation and liability. We will consult with injury and accident experts throughout the process to determine the total value of your claim and work diligently to disprove or minimize any claims that you are partially or fully at fault for the accident.
Proving Liability After a Long Island Car Accident
If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may pursue compensation through a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. However, if your injuries are severe, the cost of your damages might exceed what the insurance provider is willing to pay. Filing a lawsuit directly against the responsible party or parties may be your best legal option.
Under New York law, victims have a right to file personal injury claims against any party who contributed to the car accident that caused their injuries. When you work with Dell & Dean, PLLC, you can rest assured that we will carefully investigate your case to determine all of the parties who are liable, which may include:
- Truck drivers and their employers
- Third-party drivers
- The driver of your vehicle, if you were a passenger
- Bus drivers
- Transit companies
- Long Island Transit authorities
- Manufacturers
- Mechanics
- Uber or Lyft drivers
- Taxi drivers
- Government agencies
How Much Is My Car Accident Case Worth?
New York uses a modified comparative negligence system when awarding damages. As a car accident victim, you can pursue compensation for your crash-related injuries if you show that you were not entirely to blame for the accident. If you are partially at fault, your damages will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Plaintiffs can pursue compensation for economic damages, such as current and future medical expenses, property damage, rehabilitation, lost income, and lost earning potential. Additionally, plaintiffs can pursue compensation for non-economic damages, including their pain and suffering.
Can you sue for pain and suffering in New York?
In New York, pursuing a claim for pain and suffering typically necessitates meeting the serious injury threshold according to state law. Non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, fall under this category. To initiate a lawsuit and seek compensation for pain and suffering, your injury must be deemed “serious” under the legal criteria in New York.
How is fault determined in a car accident in New York?
In New York, determining fault in a car accident involves evaluating various factors such as traffic laws, witness statements, police reports, and evidence from the scene. The principle of comparative negligence is typically applied, allowing each party involved to share responsibility based on their actions leading up to the accident. Long Island car accident attorneys like those from Dell & Dean, PLLC can play a crucial role in advocating for clients and gathering evidence to establish liability.
How long after a car accident can you sue in NY?
In New York, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident is generally three years from the date of the accident. This means that you have up to three years to initiate a lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries, property damage, or other losses resulting from the accident. However, it’s crucial to consult with a New York car accident lawyer, such as those from Dell & Dean, promptly after the accident to ensure all necessary steps are taken within the required timeframe and to build a strong case for your claim.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with an Experienced Long Island Car Accident Attorney
Pursuing compensation after a Long Island car accident can be complicated and challenging. Working with an attorney can help you navigate the process smoothly. Contact the experienced attorneys at Dell & Dean, PLLC today to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about how we can advocate for you.
Dell & Dean, PLLC, are your dedicated allies for navigating the intricacies of car accident cases. Anchored in Long Island, we extend our unwavering support to Nassau and Suffolk County residents, as well as the neighborhoods across New York City’s five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Manhattan.
