Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Car accidents can lead to serious injuries that leave you with chronic pain, disabilities, and thousands of dollars in medical debt and lost wages. When a careless driver causes your injuries, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. Our award-winning Staten Island car accident lawyers have over a decade of experience helping New Yorkers get the compensation they deserve, with over $700 million in successful case results.
What Makes Shulman & Hill the Right Choice for Your Car Accident Claim?
Our accomplished Staten Island car accident attorneys are proven trial lawyers with a national and statewide reputation for consistent results. Founding attorney Alex Shulman has been named among the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association, a highly exclusive association of the top attorneys in the nation. He has also been named a New York Super Lawyer every year since 2017, an honor only given to the top five percent of attorneys in the state. Our firm is a proud recipient of Attorney and Practice Magazine’s Top 10 Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Award.
For over ten years, we have secured countless successful settlements and verdicts for people injured in all types of car accidents in Staten Island and throughout New York City, including the following:
No matter what type of car accident led to your injuries, no case is too complex, significant, or challenging for our talented Staten Island auto accident attorneys.
Strong Community Connections
We are New Yorkers representing New Yorkers, with headquarters in Manhattan and offices in all five New York boroughs and Long Island. As active members of the Staten Island community, we understand the unique needs of Staten Islanders, and we know the lawyers, judges, and doctors who may be involved in your case.
Our Staten Island personal injury lawyers are as diverse as our community and dedicated to being accessible to all Staten Islanders, with attorneys fluent in Russian and Spanish. We will travel to your home or hospital room or meet with you virtually if you cannot come to us. We charge no upfront fees, and you only pay if we win. Our “No-Win, No-Fee Guarantee” allows you to access high-quality legal representation regardless of your financial status.
With Shulman & Hill on your side, you’ll receive compassionate, personalized representation with maximum results. Our caring attorneys and staff redefine the level of service you would expect from a law firm through open communication, attention to detail, and vigorous representation.
Aggressive Advocacy for Maximum Compensation
We are committed to providing a personalized experience with maximum results. We will not settle for less than you deserve. We consistently win outstanding results because we know what it takes to prove your claim, and insurance companies know we can win. Our successful motor vehicle accident case results include the following:
- $1.5 million settlement for a bus driver rear-ended in stop-and-go traffic
- $1.35 million settlement for a client in a heavily contested case involving a head-on collision
- $1.1 million settlement for an Uber driver rear-ended by a commercial vehicle
- $1 million settlement for a young man injured in a T-bone accident
- $650,000 settlement for a taxi driver struck by a truck.
Your Rights After a Staten Island Car Accident
New York’s no-fault laws allow you to receive compensation for basic economic losses when you are injured in a car accident in Staten Island, regardless of who was at fault. It covers you, your passengers, and pedestrians injured by your car. Every New York driver must carry no-fault insurance, also known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP). A basic no-fault insurance policy pays up to $50,000 to cover the following:
- Reasonable and necessary medical and rehabilitation expenses.
- Up to 80 percent of your lost wages, up to $2,000 per month.
- Up to $25 per day for incidental costs, such as housekeeping services.
A death benefit of $2,000 is also available in addition to the $50,000 in coverage for other costs. No-fault insurance does not cover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. However, you may be entitled to more than what no-fault insurance pays if you suffer serious injuries.
Your Rights When Your Injuries Are Serious
If you or your loved one suffers serious injuries, you may be entitled to additional compensation through a fault-based auto liability insurance claim or lawsuit. However, your injuries must meet New York’s serious injury threshold, or your basic economic damages must be greater than $50,000. “Serious injuries” are legally defined as follows:
- Death
- Dismemberment
- Significant disfigurement
- Fracture
- Loss of a fetus
- Permanent loss of use or limitation of a body organ, member, function, or system
- Significant limitation of use of a body function or system
- An impairment that prevents you from participating in your usual activities for at least 90 of the first 180 days following the accident
In some cases, non-driving parties such as vehicle manufacturers, employers, and government entities may be liable. We are dedicated to identifying every source of compensation available to you so you can receive the maximum amount available.
Damages You May Be Entitled To
You may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages for your car accident injuries. Economic damages include financial losses, while non-economic damages include intangible losses related to your quality of life. Your economic and non-economic damages may include the following:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Emotional distress
- Loss of bodily functions
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If the driver’s conduct was grossly negligent or deliberate, you may also recover punitive damages. These damages are awarded to punish the defendant and deter others.
How Soon Should I File a Claim After a Staten Island Car Crash?
New York’s insurance law requires you to file your no-fault insurance claim within 30 days of the accident. If you miss the deadline, your insurance provider can deny coverage. However, you should file your claim as soon as possible to avoid a delay in recovering compensation. Additionally, the insurance company could use a delay against you and say you were not injured.
When you exchange information with the other driver, you should receive their insurance information. You should file a claim with the other driver’s insurance as soon as possible. It is best to have an attorney help you with your claim. It takes time to build a case, and your attorney will need access to evidence that may only be available for a short time, so it is important to contact an experienced law firm like Shulman & Hill as soon as possible.
The New York personal injury statute of limitations requires most car accident lawsuits to be filed within three years. The deadline for fatal accidents is shortened to two years. If you miss the deadline, the court will likely dismiss your case, and the insurance company will have no incentive to settle your claim.
Why Recovering Compensation Can Be Challenging Without Legal Representation
Recovering full compensation for car accident injuries requires you to go up against insurance companies that look for ways to minimize your compensation. They hire lawyers and adjusters to work against you. Dealing with insurance adjusters after a car accident can be tricky because they often hold themselves out as being on your side. However, they will report everything you say to the insurance company.
Insurance companies have unlimited resources to investigate your accident and find ways to blame you. They will misconstrue your statements as admissions of fault, minimize your injuries, and stall your claim if they can. The last thing you need when you are injured is an insurance battle.
You will need access to investigators, forensic analysts, and medical experts to have a fair chance against the insurance company. Our Staten Island car accident attorneys have all of these resources available to us and more, and we can level the playing field with the insurance company.
How Our Staten Island Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You
We will take the burden of the legal process off your shoulders so you can focus on rest and recovery. You can count on us to handle the following and more:
- Investigate the accident.
- Gather evidence.
- Identify all of the liable parties.
- Deal with the insurance company and handle the paperwork.
- Negotiation for the maximum settlement available.
- Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to pay fair compensation.
If you were in a car accident while you were on the job, we can also handle your workers’ compensation claim. We are one of the few law firms in New York City that handle personal injury claims and workers’ compensation claims in-house.