Queens Auto Accident Lawyers

No-fault pays eligible medical bills and part of lost earnings, up to $50,000 of basic economic loss per person, without first proving who caused the crash. It comes from the applicable insurer: a driver or passenger claims against the insurer of the vehicle they were in, and a pedestrian against the insurer of the vehicle that struck them. Unknown or uninsured vehicles follow household-policy and MVAIC rules. No-fault does not pay pain and suffering or car repairs.

Queens mixes highways such as the Long Island Expressway, Van Wyck and Grand Central with busy local corridors such as Queens Boulevard and Northern Boulevard, plus airport and for-hire traffic. A crash may involve a rideshare or commercial vehicle, several insurers, and video held by nearby businesses that should be requested quickly. A Queens case can be brought in Queens County when a party lives there or a substantial part of the events happened there (CPLR 503(a)).

You can sue the at-fault driver, and in some cases the owner, for economic loss beyond basic no-fault benefits and for property damage. For pain and suffering you generally need a 'serious injury' under Insurance Law 5102(d). For actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026, the former 90/180 category no longer applies; the date the lawsuit is commenced, not the crash date, decides which rules apply. An injury lawsuit against a private driver generally must be started within three years.

Move to safety and call 911 so the police respond. Only if you can do it from a safe place, photograph the vehicles, plates and damage; never walk into or back into traffic. Get witness contacts and the police report number, and do not argue about fault. Get medical care, for example at Elmhurst Hospital, Queens Hospital Center or Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, and keep every record. Give written notice to the applicable no-fault insurer within 30 days, then call our Corona office.

For actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026, a serious injury means death; dismemberment; significant disfigurement; a fracture; loss of a fetus; permanent loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system; permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member; or significant limitation of use of a body function or system (Insurance Law 5102(d)). The former 90/180 category is historical context for actions commenced before that date.

It depends on fault, the injuries and their proof, and the insurance available; we do not quote ranges. A claim against the at-fault driver can add excess economic loss, property damage and, with a serious injury, pain and suffering. In personal-injury actions under the no-fault law (Insurance Law article 51) 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 cap, with statutory exceptions including death.

You can file a no-fault claim yourself. A lawyer helps when injuries are serious, fault is disputed, a rideshare or commercial vehicle is involved, or a public body may be responsible. We request the police report and video, track the no-fault deadlines, assess the serious-injury question, deal with the insurers and file suit in the right county when needed. Our Corona office is on Northern Boulevard. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless there is a recovery.

No-fault benefits move on their own claim process. A claim against the at-fault driver usually cannot be valued until treatment shows the long-term picture; if a lawsuit is needed in Queens County, discovery and court conferences add time. Disputed fault, several defendants or surgery make a case longer. Timing is decided case by case; settling before future care and lost earnings can be estimated can leave costs uncovered, and we do not promise a timetable.

If you were a passenger, no-fault comes from the insurer of the rideshare vehicle you were in; if you were on foot, from the insurer of the vehicle that struck you. The injury claim may be against the at-fault driver and, depending on the facts, the vehicle's owner, which can be responsible for a driver using it with permission (VTL 388). Which commercial policy applies can depend on the app status, so we ask for trip records early.

We do not rank roads without data. New York City publishes crash and injury maps through Vision Zero View, which show where crashes are reported. For your case, the road matters for evidence: a highway crash may have state or traffic-camera records, while a crash on Queens Boulevard, Northern Boulevard or Woodhaven Boulevard may be on a store's or bus's camera. We try to identify and request that footage early, because systems overwrite it.