Nassau and Suffolk truck crashes · Uniondale main office
Long Island Truck Accident Lawyers
Which rules bind the truck depends on what it was doing: operating in interstate commerce, staying within New York, making local runs or working for a government. That decides which records exist and who must keep them.
Over 40 years of experience. Free consultation; no fee unless there is a recovery.
Start here
Which rules apply to this truck?
The cab, the paperwork and the police report usually tell us which row fits. More than one can apply.
- A truck of 10,001 lb or more in interstate commerce
- Federal motor carrier rules on drivers, hours, inspections and records, generally where the weight rating or actual weight, whichever is greater, is 10,001 lb or more, among other categories (49 CFR 390.5).
- What we ask for: Driver logs, maintenance and qualification files; see the table below.
- A truck that stays inside New York
- New York adopts many of the same rules, with listed exceptions (17 NYCRR 820).
- What we ask for: The same records, where the State rule reaches the carrier.
- A local delivery truck back at base the same day
- Drivers within 150 air miles who return within 14 hours may be exempt from logs (49 CFR 395.1(e)).
- What we ask for: The carrier’s time records, kept for 6 months, plus GPS and dispatch data.
- A county, town or village truck
- The federal motor carrier safety rules in 49 CFR parts 390–399 generally do not apply to trucks a government operates (49 CFR 390.3T(f)); negligence and other applicable State vehicle and equipment laws still matter.
- What we ask for: For an ordinary injury claim, a notice of claim within 90 days (GML 50-e).
- A for-hire interstate general-freight carrier
- For for-hire carriers of non-hazardous freight in interstate commerce with vehicles rated 10,001 lb or more, a federal minimum of $750,000; other cargo, classes and exceptions differ (49 CFR 387.9).
- What we ask for: A floor, not a cap or a promise of what a policy holds; we request the actual policies.
Tractor-trailers
Long Island Semi-Truck and 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer
A crash with a tractor-trailer usually involves more than one company: the driver’s employer, the owner of the tractor, the owner of the trailer and sometimes the shipper or loader. Each can hold different records and different insurance.
For a crash in Nassau, see Nassau County truck accidents. For how the rules work across New York, see our truck accident overview; for benefits, the no-fault and PIP guide.
Parkways
Long Island parkways closed to trucks
- Bethpage State ParkwayNassau
- Heckscher ParkwaySuffolk · special rules
- Loop ParkwayNassau · special rules
- Meadowbrook State ParkwayNassau · special rules
- Northern State ParkwayNassau & Suffolk
- Ocean ParkwayNassau & Suffolk · special rules
- Robert Moses CausewaySuffolk · special rules
- Sagtikos ParkwaySuffolk
- Southern State ParkwayNassau & Suffolk
- Sunken Meadow ParkwaySuffolk
- Wantagh ParkwayNassau · special rules
The State and City transportation departments list these parkways as closed to commercial vehicles, trucks and tractor trailers; some carry special rules, and bridges can be as low as 6 feet 11 inches. Their guidance warns drivers not to rely on GPS alone (NYSDOT / NYC DOT parkway brochure).
A truck on a parkway, or a bridge strike, is evidence about the route, the dispatch and the navigation tools. It does not prove fault by itself.
Nassau or Suffolk
Where the claim is handled
- Police report
- Nassau County: Nassau County Police reports online about 48 hours later (NCPD).
- Suffolk County: Suffolk County Police reports online after 7 to 10 business days, or at Yaphank (SCPD).
- Court
- Nassau County: Supreme Court, Nassau County, in Mineola.
- Suffolk County: Supreme Court, Suffolk County.
- Public bodies
- Nassau County: The county, its towns, cities and villages.
- Suffolk County: The county, its towns and villages.
Evidence
The records we ask the carrier to keep
Driver hours, maintenance, loading and dispatch are proved from records the carrier holds. Federal rules set only how long some of them must be kept.
- Driver logs (records of duty status) and supporting documents
- At least 6 months from receipt
- 49 CFR 395.8(k)
- Inspection, repair and maintenance records
- 1 year where the truck is housed or maintained, and 6 months after it leaves the carrier
- 49 CFR 396.3(c)
- Driver qualification file
- While the driver is employed, plus 3 years; some items may be removed 3 years after they were made
- 49 CFR 391.51
These periods are minimums, not permission to destroy evidence once a claim is expected. Each rule applies only to the carriers and drivers within its own scope; the federal definition of a commercial motor vehicle starts at 10,001 pounds for interstate carriers (49 CFR 390.5). Post-crash test results, where a test was required, are requested too.
New York's Department of Transportation adopts many of the same rules for trucks that operate only within the state, with listed exceptions (17 NYCRR 820.1, 820.6). Dashcam video and telematics have no federal keep period here, which is why we ask for them in writing early. Text current as of the eCFR update of October 7, 2026.
Published results
Truck and motor-vehicle results
Quoted exactly as recorded. The first six describe collisions with a truck: two name Brooklyn, one New Jersey, two were federal cases and one involved a rideshare driver rear-ended by a truck. The last two are car crashes that name Long Island (a Suffolk County jury) and Nassau; neither is described as a truck case. Over 40 years, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for clients.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
See the full verdicts and settlements archive$300,000
$300,000 Recovery — Brooklyn 18-Wheeler Rear-End Collision
Our client, a NYC probation officer, was stopped at a red light in Brooklyn when an 18-wheeler rear-ended his vehicle. He suffered multiple injuries. We fought to get him the compensation he deserved. We are proud to secure a $300,000 recovery for our client.
$380,000
$380,000 Recovery — Brooklyn Truck Rear-End Collision
Our client, a NYC probation officer, was a passenger in a work vehicle rear-ended by a truck at a red light in Brooklyn. She suffered multiple injuries including surgery. We're proud to have secured a $380,000 recovery for her.
$750,000
$750,000 New Jersey Truck Accident Settlement
Michael Licatesi and our New Jersey trial team secured a $750,000 settlement for our client who was seriously injured in a truck accident.
$350,000
$350,000 Federal Case Result — Truck Rear-End Collision
A 40-year-old woman was rear-ended by a truck while properly restrained. She suffered serious injuries, including an annular tear in her neck, back injuries requiring ablation and multiple injections, and injuries to her right shoulder, knee requiring surgery, hand, and elbow.
$499,000
$499,000 Federal Truck Accident Settlement
Our client was involved in a truck accident that resulted in federal litigation. Despite the complexity of the case, we secured a $499,000 settlement for injuries sustained to multiple parts of the body.
$400,000
$400,000 Settlement
Settlement involving 68 year old male who was rear ended by a truck while driving for UBER requiring a lumbar fusion with a history of prior injury to his lumbar spine.
$1,021,235
Million Dollar Verdict — Long Island Auto Accident
Plaintiff was involved in an auto accident in Long Island sustaining an exacerbation of prior neck and back injuries resulting in spinal surgery and physical therapy. Following careful deliberation, a Suffolk County jury awarded plaintiff a verdict for pain and suffering in the amount of $1,021,235 after a minimal $50,000 pre-trial offer.
Read the case study$300,000
$300,000 Settlement
Settlement involving a 50 year old male who suffered an ankle injury requiring surgery following a motor vehicle accident in Nassau.
Hurt in a Long Island truck crash?
If a county, town or village truck was involved, a notice of claim may be due within 90 days. Call us so the deadline and the carrier's records are protected.
Deadlines
Deadlines that depend on who is responsible
Meet us at our Uniondale (main office), 423 RXR Plaza, East Tower, Uniondale, NY 11556; (516) 227-2662, or by phone or video. We have no Suffolk office; Suffolk clients meet us in Uniondale or by video.
- A private driver, owner or company
- No notice of claim. An injury lawsuit generally within three years (CPLR 214).
- A county, town, village or city
- For an ordinary injury claim: a notice of claim served within 90 days, a possible sworn examination, then suit within one year and 90 days (GML 50-e, 50-h, 50-i; County Law 52).
- The State itself
- For an ordinary injury claim, file the claim in the Court of Claims and serve it on the Attorney General within 90 days, unless a timely notice of intention, served on the Attorney General within those 90 days, extends the time to file (Court of Claims Act § 10).
- A public authority
- Its own notice statute. Identify the exact operator first; do not assume the three-year rule.
- A death
- A wrongful death action is generally due within two years of the death (EPTL 5-4.1). Against a county, town, village or city, its notice of claim runs 90 days from the representative's appointment (GML 50-e). The State, public authorities and the estate's claim for injuries before death follow different rules.
- A child was hurt
- The time to sue can be extended (CPLR 208), but notice deadlines still need attention.
Owner liability: VTL 388; rental and leasing companies: 49 U.S.C. 30106.
No-fault still comes first
Your benefits claim has its own short clock, whatever happens with the truck company.
- Within 30 days
- Written notice of the accident to the applicable no-fault insurer.
- 45 days
- Proof of claim for medical services, within 45 days after the date each service is rendered.
- 90 days
- Proof of claim for lost earnings, within 90 days after the work loss is incurred, and for other necessary expenses, within 90 days after the services are rendered.
- If late
- Each of these limits applies unless written proof gives a clear and reasonable justification for the delay (11 NYCRR 65-1.1). Do not wait on that exception.
- Alongside
- A separate file on fault, injuries and any claim against whoever caused the crash. Our no-fault and PIP guide covers denials and medical exams.
2026 changes apply by commencement date. They cover personal-injury actions under New York's no-fault law (Insurance Law article 51) commenced on or after May 26, 2026; what matters is when the lawsuit is commenced, not the accident date (DFS Circular Letter No. 3 (2026)). For those actions:
- the former 90/180 serious-injury category no longer applies;
- a claimant whose culpable conduct is greater than that of the defendant, or of the defendants combined, is barred from recovery; otherwise, including at an even 50/50 split, damages are reduced by the claimant's share (CPLR 1411);
- except in an action for death, non-economic damages are limited to $100,000 for an injured person who is at fault, is not barred under CPLR 1411, and was operating an uninsured vehicle they were responsible for insuring (unless the lapse in coverage was less than 30 days), was operating while impaired and was convicted of that offense, or was operating in the commission of, or immediate flight from, a felony and was convicted of it (Insurance Law 5104(d)).
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Freight to and from Long Island moves by road, mostly on the Long Island Expressway and on State and county roads that serve stores, warehouses and construction sites, alongside heavy commuter traffic. We do not publish crash counts. In a claim, what matters is what this truck and its driver did, proved from the carrier’s records, video and the scene.
We do not rank roads without reliable data. The road matters for other reasons: trucks are barred from Long Island’s parkways, so a truck on one is evidence to examine; and if a public body may be responsible, for its truck or a road defect, its own notice rule applies. Our office is in Uniondale and serves both counties.
Against a private driver, owner or carrier, an injury suit is generally due within three years. For an ordinary injury claim against Nassau or Suffolk County, a town, a village or a city, a notice of claim is generally due within 90 days and suit within one year and 90 days. A State claim must be filed in the Court of Claims and served on the Attorney General within 90 days, unless a timely notice of intention extends filing. Death claims and public authorities follow separate rules.
The New York State Department of Health lists these designated adult trauma centers. Nassau: Nassau University Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital–Long Island (Level I adult) and Mount Sinai South Nassau (Level II adult). Suffolk: Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, South Shore University Hospital, Stony Brook University Medical Center (Level I adult) and NYU Langone Hospital–Suffolk (Level II adult). Ambulance crews choose the hospital; keep every record.
Depending on the facts: the driver; the carrier that employed or dispatched the driver; the truck’s owner, who may be liable for a permitted driver under VTL 388, subject to federal protection for rental and leasing companies; a shipper or loader; a maintenance contractor; a parts manufacturer; another driver; or, for a government truck or a road defect, a public body with a short notice deadline.
No-fault pays eligible medical bills and part of lost earnings, up to $50,000 of basic economic loss. A claim against those responsible can add other losses; where the no-fault law applies, pain and suffering needs a serious injury. In those actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026, a claimant more at fault than the defendants is barred, and specified at-fault claimants face a $100,000 non-economic limit, except in death actions.
The State and City transportation departments list Long Island’s parkways, including the Northern State, Southern State, Meadowbrook, Wantagh, Sagtikos and Sunken Meadow, as closed to commercial vehicles, with special rules on some, and warn drivers not to rely on GPS alone. Bridges can be as low as 6 feet 11 inches. A truck where it was not allowed is strong evidence, but fault still has to be proved.
If no-fault applies, a driver or passenger generally claims against the insurer of the vehicle they were in, and a pedestrian against the striking vehicle’s insurer. Motorcycle riders are excluded. Benefits reach $50,000 of basic economic loss; written notice is ordinarily due within 30 days. Pain and suffering requires a serious injury, and the 90/180 category does not apply to suits commenced on or after May 26, 2026.
Call 911 and get medical care. If it is safe, photograph the truck, the company name and USDOT number on the cab, the trailer, the plates and the scene, and get witnesses’ names. Note whether Nassau or Suffolk police responded and ask for the report number. Do not give a recorded statement to the truck’s insurer before getting advice, and call us so a preservation letter goes out early.
You can file a no-fault claim yourself. A lawyer helps when injuries are serious, several companies may share responsibility, or a government truck was involved and a notice is due within weeks. We identify the carrier and owner, send preservation demands and track every deadline. Our Long Island office is in Uniondale. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless there is a recovery.
Long Island truck crash? Start with the truck's paperwork
Tell us what you know about the truck, where it happened and which police department responded. We will identify the operator and owner, send preservation demands and tell you the deadline that applies. Free consultation; no fee unless there is a recovery.
What to bring
- Photos of the truck, its company name and USDOT number
- Police report number
- Your auto insurance card, if you were in a car
- Medical records so far
Related
Other truck accident guides
- New York truck accident lawyer
- Brooklyn truck accidents
- Queens truck accidents
- Bronx truck accidents
- Manhattan truck accidents
- Staten Island truck accidents
- Nassau County truck accidents
- New Jersey truck accidents
- Find the office nearest you
- Long Island auto accidents
- Long Island personal injury
- Long Island wrongful death
- Our Uniondale office
- NY no-fault and PIP benefits guide
- All verdicts and settlements
Photo credits: Long Island Expressway at Exit 49 (plates and badges blurred) by Mitchazenia, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized; Sagtikos Parkway by Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.