Westchester Car Accident Lawyer
You can put a stop to your stress after a car accident by putting your claim for compensation in the capable hands of a Westchester car crash lawyer.
A wise man once said that, if it doesn’t kill you, it’ll make you stronger. While that seems well-intentioned, it clearly came from someone who hadn’t been in a car accident of any consequence. Personal injuries are nothing to take lightly.
To fully recover from a serious car accident, you will likely need substantial compensation, which can be hard to come by when you’ve already spent your last dime and no one seems to want to take responsibility for their role in your crash.
Fortunately, personal injury law in New York state—and, by extension, Westchester County—allows car accident victims like you to obtain much-needed compensation for their various injuries and losses, letting them once again live a relatively worry-free life.
To learn more about your legal options after a crash, contact a Westchester car accident lawyer at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP today.
Handling Insurers After a Westchester County Crash
Insurance companies are often characterized as being greedy like Scrooge McDuck, which isn’t an all-too-inaccurate comparison. Held hostage by their investors and shareholders, insurers will do whatever they must to turn a profit, even if that means forcing accident victims to spill the beans when there’s nothing—or little—to tell.
It’s usually safe to speak with insurers to let them know an accident occurred and that you will likely be pursuing compensation, but you won’t likely want to give much more detail than that. Insurers—even your own—will be looking for ways to turn your own words against you to blame you for what happened, which will lessen their obligation to pay you.
Instead, it’s often best to let a Westchester County car wreck lawyer handle the communications with the insurance companies.
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Westchester
Car collisions can happen in Westchester County for a variety of reasons, both big and small. Common causes of car accidents include the following:
- A driver being intoxicated (e.g., on drugs, alcohol, etc.)
- Tiredness or exhaustion
- Phone-related distractions (e.g., talking, texting, checking notifications, etc.)
- Poor visibility or weather conditions
- Reckless driving
- Tailgating
- Excessive noise, including arguing passengers
- Speeding
- Inexperienced drivers
Often, some of the factors leading to a serious car wreck will not be readily identifiable, and your case may very well involve a factor that is not listed above.
Having clear documentation of another driver’s degree of fault in your crash will play an enormous role in getting the damages you desire, in large part due to the liability standard of comparative negligence, which will we explain next.
Understanding the Legal Details That Pertain to Your Case
Every car accident case in Westchester County should be viewed through the lens of personal injury law in the state of New York, which means that you will have to be aware of a handful of relevant legal concepts.
We briefly alluded to comparative negligence, which can be dangerous because it can reduce your compensation to the extent you’re found liable for your own losses and injuries. Being found 33 percent at fault in your accident, for instance, would effectively reduce the amount of damages you’d be able to recover by a full third.
Because fault is ultimately up to interpretation by a judge or jury, it’s important to not give the slightest inkling of doubt to anyone examining your case.
Another legal consideration to take into account is New York’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases, which is three years. In other words, you will be given three years from the date of your Westchester auto crash to file a claim seeking compensation.
By no means do these two concepts cover every legal aspect of your case, which is why you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to a car accident lawyer in Westchester County with any pressing legal questions pertaining to your car accident case.
Identifying Your Westchester Car Accident Injuries
Compensation for a car accident case in New York is uncapped, which means that, in theory, you can be awarded as much as is deemed reasonable or necessary.
A big factor in determining compensation in such cases in New York is your ability to identify and chronicle the injuries to which you’ve been subjected, no matter how minor or severe they may be.
Common types of injuries Westchester car accident victims suffer include the following:
- Whiplash
- Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
- Spine damage
- Fractured and broken bones
- Face or eye damage
- Severe burns
- Amputations
- Nerve damage
- Organ damage or failure
- Internal bleeding
- Various fatal injuries
How Compensation Is Usually Determined
In your claim or suit, you should also clearly communicate the losses to which you’ve been subjected, such as medical bills, lost wages or reduced earning potential, pain and suffering, emotional distress, repair or replacement of your vehicle, loss of consortium, and diminished quality of life.
Car accident victims are typically entitled to damages for not only past and present losses and injuries, but any they could reasonably incur at some point in the future.
When mentioning losses, it is important to differentiate economic and non-economic losses—the former describes losses that are purely financial, while the latter refers to losses that are difficult to put in purely financial terms.
Pain and suffering, for instance, could be considered a non-economic loss; medical expenses could safely be considered an economic loss. Overall—but particularly with non-economic losses—you may need to dig deep to find records and witnesses supporting your side of the story. A Westchester County car crash attorney can help you with that.
Call a Westchester Car Accident Attorney
On the outside looking in, a car crash may appear to be a minor inconvenience or source of stress to victims, as opposed to a life-changing event with real ramifications. While there is no way to change other people’s perceptions, you can do yourself a major favor by acknowledging your need for help, which New York state law is very happy to oblige.
To get started on filing a claim for a brighter tomorrow, contact a Westchester car accident lawyer at Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP today. To schedule a free consultation, call our firm at 1-800-VICTIM2 (842-8462), stop in to our Westchester Law Office, or enter your information into the online contact form at the bottom of the page.
Find your Westchester Car Accident Attorney:
Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP
73 Market Street STE 300, Yonkers, NY 10710, United States
Phone: (888) 842-8462