Auto Accidents

As a passenger in a car accident, you are not liable for any damages, unless you somehow acted recklessly to intentionally distract the driver. However, as an injured passenger, you may be wondering if you can sue the driver of the vehicle you were riding in, and what your options are. As a passenger in an automobile accident, making a determination of liability will help you understand who you have the right to file a claim against for your injuries.  Passenger Rights As a passenger in a car accident,...

Approximately one-tenth of all car accidents in the United States are due to improper and unsafe lane changes. This common accident can seem relatively benign, but a driver’s misjudgment can cause catastrophic and permanent injuries. According to New York laws, an improper lane change (also known as “sideswiping”) on a roadway is when a driver changes or attempts to change lanes, without an actual path of safety to do so.  Motorists oftentimes are distracted, or negligent, and fail to monitor their surroundings and check their blind spots. This negligent...

According to the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey, approximately 44,000 car accidents occur due to defective automobile parts and components. Automobile manufacturing defects and design flaws are the subject of millions of recalls every year and are also, unfortunately, the cause of many severe injuries and deaths.  Defective Manufactured Parts and Components  The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards govern the manufacture of all vehicle parts and components in the United States. The two most common types of accidents include when the accident is directly a result of the...

For various reasons, roughly 97 percent of all injury cases settle out of court. These settlements usually benefit everyone. Trials are usually expensive, time-consuming, and unpredictable. Agreed settlements, on the other hand, are relatively inexpensive in terms of legal fees, reduce the amount of litigation my several months in many cases, and give the parties complete control over the outcome. Settlement may occur at any time. In fact, many times, Brooklyn personal injury attorneys settle these matters quickly before court papers are even filed. Nevertheless, most cases follow the...

Every year, car accidents kill or seriously injure millions of Americans. Especially in places like New York City, these victims have a number of options in terms of legal representation. Sometimes, there are so many choices that it is difficult to choose an attorney. The stakes are high. While substantial compensation is available, insurance companies do not simply give away this money. In fact, these companies have large groups of lawyers who are committed to minimum compensation for victims. So, to level the playing field, you need a very...

Nationwide, about one driver in eight has no auto insurance at all. This problem may be even worse in New York. The Empire State also has one of the lowest auto insurance minimum requirements in the country. So, many drivers are either uninsured or dangerously underinsured. If the wreck caused catastrophic injuries, the tortfeasor (negligent driver) may not have enough insurance coverage to provide fair compensation. Fortunately, New York also has very broad vicarious liability (third-party liability) rules. These doctrines give victim/plaintiffs an additional source of recovery in these...