Nassau County · Uniondale office · Car accidents
Nassau County Car Accident Lawyer Serving Uniondale
After a Uniondale crash, the no-fault claim and the question of who caused the collision can get tangled together. They are different matters.
Licatesi Law Group has a Uniondale office and reviews car collisions across Nassau County. You need not have settled fault at the scene to ask for help.
The first weeks after a crash
- At the scene and afterMedical care as needed. Report number, insurance details, photos and witness contacts.
- Within 30 daysWritten notice to the applicable no-fault insurer, with dated proof of receipt.
- Bills and wage claimsSeparate clocks for medical bills and lost-earnings claims. See the PIP guide.
- Alongside the benefits fileA separate review of fault, injuries and any claim against a responsible party.
Paperwork
What to do with the first few days of paperwork
Seek medical care as needed and follow the treating professional's advice. Keep the report number if one was made, insurance details, photos and witness contact information. A picture of vehicle damage may help explain the impact, but does not decide how the collision occurred.
Then identify the applicable no-fault insurer. The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) no-fault FAQ says written notice with identifying accident information generally should be given as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 30 days after the crash. It describes a written-justification exception for delay.
The right insurer can depend on whether you were a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist and the coverage involved. Do not send a form to an assumed insurer and consider the job done. Keep a dated copy and proof it was received.
Borrowed car, passenger, or on foot?
Say so. Those details may change which policy needs notice. A passenger need not guess at the driver-at-fault question before seeking guidance about benefits.
The firm's New York PIP guide explains the separate notice, medical-bill and wage-claim clocks in more detail.
Two files, two questions
A benefits claim is not a fault finding
No-fault benefits
May pay eligible economic losses under the coverage rules without first proving another driver was negligent. An insurer's request for records, or denial of a particular bill, is not a ruling on fault.
A bodily-injury claim
Needs a different analysis: how the crash happened, what injuries it caused and, for non-economic loss in the covered-auto setting, whether the applicable statutory serious-injury requirement is met.
The relevant provisions are Insurance Law § 5102 and § 5104. A diagnosis alone does not establish a statutory category or a viable suit.
A dispute about fault does not excuse ignoring the no-fault notice process. If the letters and dates are becoming difficult to reconcile, .
Published firm results
Car accident results from the firm's archive
The first result's published description identifies a Nassau crash. The others are auto accident results from across the firm's practice; many do not say where the crash happened and some describe crashes elsewhere. They are not presented as Nassau County results.
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 Settlement
Settlement involving a 50 year old male who suffered an ankle injury requiring surgery following a motor vehicle accident in Nassau.
$250,000
$250,000 Settlement — Queens Parkway Rear-End Collision
After being rear-ended on a busy Queens parkway, our client suffered a torn shoulder and herniated discs in his lower back. His injuries disrupted his work and daily life, ultimately requiring surgery.
$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$800,000
$800,000 Settlement — Auto Accident with Severe Injuries
A hardworking individual's life changed dramatically after an accident at an intersection, leading to severe injuries that required spine surgery. Beyond the physical pain, the accident brought significant emotional and financial hardship.
Read the case study$650,000
$650,000 Verdict — Auto Accident with Injuries
The Licatesi Law Group obtained a $650,000 verdict for a 55 year-old woman who underwent discectomy after being rear-ended at a red light. The Defendant argued the accident was of minimal impact, and that the plaintiff had pre-existing conditions due to a previous spinal surgery. The last offer prior to trial was $12,500.
Read the case study$899,940
$899,940.10 Settlement
69 year old female with underlying osteoporosis and preexisting spinal degeneration awarded as a result of a motor vehicle accident causing an acute T12 fracture of her spine.
Read the case study
Liability
Reconstruct the collision without inventing a story
A rear-end impact, intersection crash and parking-area collision call for different questions. Where was each vehicle? What did each person say they saw?
Write down the sequence while it is still reasonably fresh: direction of travel, signals you saw, the point of impact and what happened after the vehicles stopped. Keep uncertain observations uncertain.
No single document answers every question
Police report
Helps with: Who was involved, and an initial account.
Cannot show: It may record someone who did not see every movement.
Photos of vehicle damage
Helps with: The point and rough force of impact.
Cannot show: How the collision occurred.
Witness account
Helps with: Signals, lanes and sequence from another angle.
Cannot show: Certainty; memories differ.
Treatment notes
Helps with: The injuries and when they were documented.
Cannot show: Traffic signals or right of way.
Possible camera footage
Helps with: The movements before impact.
Cannot show: Anything, if it was not kept. Retrieval cannot be promised.
The firm's general car accident page addresses wider New York crash issues, and its Uniondale personal injury page covers other kinds of injury claims. This page focuses on Nassau County car collisions and Uniondale intake.
2026 change
What if fault is shared?
No-fault coverage and comparative fault are separate questions. In its 2026 motor-vehicle reform circular, DFS describes a modified comparative-negligence rule for personal-injury actions subject to Insurance Law Article 51.
Under that rule, recovery is barred if a claimant's culpable conduct is greater than the culpable conduct, or combined culpable conduct, of the people against whom recovery is sought.
When it applies
Actions and proceedings commenced on or after May 26, 2026
DFS states this is about when the action is commenced. It is not simply a rule for crashes after that date, nor a rule for every injury case. A New York attorney must check the current statute, the action's timing and the facts.
If you were a passenger or are unsure whose policy applies, say so when you call. If a government vehicle or entity was involved, ask about separate notice and filing requirements promptly. The no-fault 30-day notice rule is not the deadline for every possible lawsuit.
It depends on whether you were a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist and on the coverage involved. DFS says written notice with identifying accident information generally should go to the applicable no-fault insurer as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 30 days after the crash, with a written-justification exception for delay. Keep a dated copy and proof it was received.
No. No-fault benefits may pay eligible economic losses without first proving another driver was negligent. A claim against a responsible party needs a different analysis of how the crash happened and what injuries it caused.
For non-economic loss in the covered-auto setting, the applicable statutory serious-injury requirement in Insurance Law §§ 5102 and 5104 must be met. A diagnosis alone does not establish a statutory category or a viable suit. DFS describes 2026 amendments that apply to actions and proceedings commenced on or after May 26, 2026, so current law and timing need attorney review.
DFS describes a 2026 modified comparative-negligence rule for personal-injury actions subject to Insurance Law Article 51: recovery is barred if the claimant's culpable conduct is greater than that of the people against whom recovery is sought. DFS says it applies to actions and proceedings commenced on or after May 26, 2026, not simply to crashes after that date.
Ask about separate notice and filing requirements promptly. The no-fault 30-day notice rule is not the deadline for every possible lawsuit.
Speak to the firm about the Nassau case
No result from another crash predicts yours. The firm can discuss what still needs investigation and which deadlines require individual review.
What to bring
- Report number, if one was made
- Insurer names, claim numbers and letters
- Treatment dates, bills and work-absence records
- Names of witnesses you know