If you were involved in an accident with your car before, then you will know the importance of having a Harlem car accident lawyer on your side to make sure you are compensated fairly for the damages you have incurred. What will happen when an insurance company is refusing to cover costs for car repairs or your medical expenses? You will also need compensation for lost wages due to the injuries you suffered as a direct result of the accident.
At Cellino Law, our attorneys provide an initial consultation for free to review your case and to help you get started with the claim process. Regardless of how major or minor the accident, our lawyers are here to provide you with excellent legal counsel and to answer queries or questions you may have.
Our polished team of professional Harlem injury lawyers has extensive experience when it comes to building strong cases and protecting the rights of car accident victims. We are here to support you every step of the way along with ensuring you receive the compensation that you rightly deserve. Our success rates and knowledge of the laws that relate to car accidents have made our firm one of the prominent leaders when it comes to personal injury laws in New York.
How To Report A Car Accident In NY
The laws in New York require that drivers report accidents to the closest authority directly after the accident, especially when the accident has resulted in a fatality or injury. The driver that caused the accident needs to be the first person to report the accident. However, this doesn’t always happen, so it is always a good idea to report the accident yourself.
If your accident has resulted in damages to property, the driver at-fault is required to file an accident-damage report regardless of whether the other drivers are present. However, accident damage reports only become necessary when the estimated damage exceeds $1,000.
After any car accident, drivers have 10 days to file a written statement and the appropriate reports. If the driver was injured in the accident and they are unable to report the accident, then there is no specific stipulation in place as to when the report should have been made. However, cunning lawyers suggest that the injured victim should file a report as soon as they are able to.
What Type Of Information Should You Collect After A Car Accident?
There is important information to gather while you are at the accident scene that will help your claim later on:
- The registration, license, year, model, and make of all the vehicles that were involved in your accident.
- The driver’s license numbers, residential addresses, name, insurance information, and contacts of all the drivers that contributed to the accident.
- The precinct, badge numbers, and names of the officers that arrived on the accident scene.
- The location of your accident.
How Much Can I Expect To Pay For A Car Accident Lawyer?
At Cellino Law Firm, we are aware that medical bills and any other expense that you can incur after an accident, can mean that paying for legal representation and advice is either impossible or difficult. We provide legal counsel with no upfront costs, which means you can take advantage of our services without having to worry about having to pay upfront. In fact, we only ask for our fee once you are awarded compensation from the damages and injuries you sustained.
Our law firm works with contingency fee arrangements. This means that we cover the costs of legal representation until compensation is rewarded. These contingency fee models offer our clients with an added advantage of making sure they will receive compensation for their injuries. Our attorneys evaluate every individual case with care and whether we believe the client has a chance of a favorable outcome.
What Type Of Compensation Can You Expect After Your Car Accident?
In most cases, compensation claims for personal injuries have to come about due to loss. These losses are non-economic, financial, or both. Punitive damages can also become available for the victims of a car accident where misconduct or negligence by the driver at-fault is proven.
Economic or financial claims offer monetary reimbursement when it comes to losses and expenses incurred due to a direct result of an accident involving vehicles. These typically include:
- Loss of income
- Damage to property and the vehicle
- Medical costs (current and future expenses)
- The current along with a potential for future loss of wages or income caused by the victim not being able to return to work
The non-economic losses will only be awarded for cases whereby the victim sustained serious injuries, according to Section 5102 of State Insurance Law. These are usually injuries that include:
- Losing a baby while in utero (still in the womb)
- Physical disfigurement
- Bone fractures
- Losing the function of a bodily system or bodily organ
- Loss of limbs
- Severe limitations to the use or function of bodily systems or organs
In certain cases, victims can go after punitive damages to form a part of their personal injury claim or lawsuit. These are not non-economic or economic damages and more commonly have to do with the misconduct or negligence of the driver at-fault. This form of compensation is usually worked out as an added award to the rest of the compensation received.
Statute Of Limitations For Car Accidents In New York
Claiming compensation for the damages and injuries incurred in car accidents must be filed within a set time-frame from the accident date. This is why it is so important to contact a lawyer in Harlem, NY, directly after your car accident.
In New York, damage claims against defendants have to be filed within 1 week from the accident date. The statute of limitations makes meeting this deadline vital if you would like to receive compensation.
According to the statute of limitations, victims have 3 years to file an accident claim, from the date that the accident happened. However, if you are claiming against one of the government agencies, you only have 90-days to file your claim.
Call Cellino Law To Schedule A Free Consultation With A Harlem Car Accident Lawyer!
Keep in mind that initiating your compensation claim as soon as possible is very important. Contact our Harlem injury law firm to discover how we can help you to obtain compensation for your injuries, damages, loss-of-income, any other type of loss you sustained due to the accident.