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Have You Been In a Car Accident?
If you or a loved one are injured in a vehicle crash, you need to know who to call and what immediate steps to take. Depending on the circumstances of your crash, you may have grounds for a lawsuit against the at-fault drivers. A successful lawsuit could see you recovering compensation for your medical bills, lost property, and much more. Read on to discover the benefits of hiring a car accident lawyer, or contact Duffy & Duffy today for a free consultation and more information.
Recent Auto Accident Cases - Duffy & Duffy
Senior Trial Attorney Frank Torres shares some of the recent successes in auto accident cases at Duffy & Duffy. Contact our attorneys at (516) 394-4200 if you seek justice after your car accident.
1. Concussion or traumatic brain injury also known as TBI
2. Neck spinal cord or back injury
3. Fractures or broken bones
4. Nerve muscle and tissue damage
5. Internal organ damage
6. Disfigurations or lacerations
7. Paralysis
If you or your loved one has suffered an injury due to an auto accident give Duffy and Duffy a call.
Injured in a Vehicle Crash?
Not all car accidents end without injury. Many of the incidents, in fact, end with serious car accident injuries to one or all involved parties. Unfortunately, injuring auto accidents are far from uncommon throughout New York State.
For example, there are approximately 1000 hospitalizations each month from New York car accidents, alongside over 11,000 New York state resident emergency department visits. Large metro areas, like New York City, report frequent auto accidents compared to rural areas. April 2023 alone saw over 7500 car accidents in the Big Apple by itself.
Some of the most common injuries sustained in car accidents include:
- Concussions and other TBIs or traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Spinal injuries, like whiplash
- Lacerations and serious cuts
- Road rash
- And more
If you or a loved one are injured in an auto accident, you should speak to car accident lawyers right away. Although New York is a no-fault state – meaning that every legal driver has to carry car insurance, and those insurance policies pay for the cost of medical bills and other damages sustained in auto accidents – there are some circumstances in which you could sue the at-fault party.
For example, if a traffic accident is caused because of gross negligence or malicious intent, or your injuries are particularly severe, you could still file a successful lawsuit despite New York’s no-fault rules. Whether you were in a rear-end, side-impact or head-on collision it’s important to speak to experienced car accident injury attorneys to learn more.
What to Do After a Car Accident
However, don’t worry about calling attorneys in the immediate aftermath of an accident! Instead, you should:
- Get yourself and anyone else involved out of danger and out of the road, if possible
- Contact emergency services by dialing 911
Once emergency personnel arrive, allow them to examine you. Even if you believe that you aren’t injured, trained medical personnel will be able to perform various tests and make sure that you’re healthy before sending you away.
Some car accident injuries, such as concussions or internal injuries, can take a while to manifest or might have hidden symptoms. Don’t assume that you are uninjured just because you don’t have any apparent symptoms or injuries on the surface.
After a car accident, be sure not to admit to guilt, even partially. Exchange insurance information with the other driver if you are able to do so, or make a note to deal with it later if you require medical attention or hospitalization. Do not take any fault for the accident – this could compromise your ability to recover compensation later on.
Long Island Car Accident Attorneys
After you’ve been examined by medical professionals and have received medical attention, you should consider contacting knowledgeable car accident lawyers at the earliest opportunity. The right Long Island personal injury lawyers can provide a wide range of assistance to your case.
Personal Injury Lawyers
Personal injury lawyers are experienced legal professionals who specialize in personal injury law. These are the New York state laws that surround personal injuries, including:
- Car accident injuries
- Slip and fall Injuries
- Assault injuries
- And more
As opposed to other types of lawyers, personal injury attorneys focus on recovering damages for their clients only in these case types.
Personal injury lawyers such as Duffy & Duffy oftentimes have extensive experience in this legal arena. In our case, we’ve seen hundreds of distinct personal injury cases and helped to settle many hundreds of cases for the benefit of our clients. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars collectively, and our lawyers have several decades of experience shared between them.
The benefits of hiring personal injury lawyers for your car accident lawsuit are many, including:
- Personal injury attorneys can gather evidence on your behalf, allowing you to focus on recovering and healing from any injuries you sustained. They can speak to witnesses (such as other motorists), talk to police about the wreck or collision details, and much more
- Personal injury lawyers can also speak to insurance companies. Even if you don’t file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, an insurer may attempt not to pay out what they owe. You don’t deserve to have to deal with this stressful possibility; let attorneys handle it, as they know what to say and how to say it
- The right law firm can also represent you successfully in court. If you do need to sue the at-fault party, skillful lawyers will maximize your chances of recovering significant compensation
- Good lawyers will offer sound legal counsel and tell you, for example, whether a lawsuit is a wise choice for you should pursue some other means of legal recourse, like arbitration
That compensation could cover your past and future medical expenses, helping you to recover financially for any damages you may have incurred as a result of the accident. Compensation can also cover lost property, pain and suffering, loss of companionship (for fatal accidents), and other damages, depending on the circumstances of your case.
Car Accident FAQs
But wait, you might ask – if you are already in dire financial straits, how can you afford the fees for car accident attorneys? The best Long Island car accident law firms won’t charge you out-of-pocket or immediately.
Instead, they will operate on a contingency fee basis. In a nutshell, a contingency fee basis means that your car accident lawyers only charge a fee if they are able to recover compensation on your behalf. At Duffy & Duffy, we operate on a contingency fee basis to ensure that our clients – such as yourself – don’t have to worry about paying for the legal representation they deserve.
No one should have to go bankrupt to be represented in court, particularly for something as serious as a car accident lawsuit. Our fees are usually charged as a percentage of the total damages or compensation we recover on your behalf.
The best way to find a car accident lawyer near you is to do extensive research. You’ll want a car accident lawyer who is experienced in local auto accident lawsuits and similar cases. That way, they won’t be surprised by anything your case includes, and they will be able to develop an effective strategy depending on your legal goals. To determine whether a law firm has handled cases like yours, Google the law firm’s name and look for news results.
Alternatively, you can visit a car accident lawyer’s website and check out their testimonials page. Testimonials are positive reviews from previous clients. For an even more unbiased source, look for Google reviews or Yelp reviews for the law firm in question. This will help you determine whether a given attorney is worth your time.
Duffy & Duffy helps clients from Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Furthermore, we operate within Nassau County and Suffolk County, as well as Westchester County. Because we have offices everywhere, we are sure that we will be able to assist you if you live near any of our locations.
Even in the best circumstances, and even if you file a lawsuit as soon as you can, your car accident settlement may take several months or even years to finalize. There are a few big reasons for this:
- Evidence gathering takes time, particularly in complex cases where there are a lot of moving pieces
- The legal process itself also takes a lot of time. First, you have to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations kicks in. Then, you need to gather the appropriate evidence and present it to court. After that, the court has to review the evidence and potentially call both sides of the case to court for a hearing
- Even after an initial verdict is called, one side or another can call for a review of the verdict, further slowing down the process
Remember, the New York legal system handles thousands of cases each year. Because of this, there’s no guarantee that you’ll recover compensation for your car accident soon. Since time is of the essence, it’s a good idea to contact knowledgeable car accident attorneys right away. The sooner you get your lawsuit moving, the sooner you could recover compensation or, at the very least, hear a positive verdict in your favor.
Contact Duffy & Duffy Car Accident Lawyers Today
In the aftermath of a car accident, be sure to speak to emergency services and get medical attention if necessary. However, then you should contact car accident lawyers Duffy & Duffy right away. As experienced legal professionals, we’re well-equipped and ready to look at the details of your case, provide sound legal counsel, and help you recover compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.
