Is a Driver Responsible for His Passengers?

The driver whose negligence caused a car accident is responsible for compensating all injured parties. However, a driver is responsible for his passengers after an accident only if his negligence caused the accident. In either case, if you suffered injuries as a passenger, we could help you seek compensation.

Put Our Personal Injury Team to Work for You

Our personal injury team can help you identify the right party to pursue for compensation, prepare a comprehensive case file, and present it to the at-fault driver and their insurer. You can request monetary recovery of your lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. When our law firm represents you, you do not have to calculate your damages or prove your right to recovery on your own.

As you recuperate from the injuries you sustained in a car accident, the time you have to seek compensation starts ticking away because the state imposes a statute of limitations – a filing deadline – on your right to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. To ensure your case meets the state’s filing deadline and avoid losing investigative time, our team will:

• Scrutinize your crash report
• Prepare a comprehensive evidence file
• Prove the at-fault driver’s negligence
• Fight hard to settle your case out of court

Work with Us at No Risk to You

Our firm’s representation comes at no upfront cost to you. That means you do not have to wait to pursue the at-fault driver because of a concern about legal fees. Instead, we only receive a payment if we win a settlement or court award on your behalf, and we’ll deduct our fees as a percentage of your award.

Damages You Can Recover After a Car Accident

If the at-fault driver has insurance, the Insurance Information Institute (III) explains their policy should have some basic types of coverage. In New York, the Department of Financial Services determines the minimum levels of coverage drivers must maintain.

Calculating your recoverable damages after an accident can be more complicated than you think. We help you through this involved process by creating a list of your recoverable expenses and making sure not to omit any valid expense from the following list:

• Current and future lost income
• Current and future medical care
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Mental and physical pain and suffering
• Lasting scarring and disfigurement
• Vehicle repair or replacement
• Wrongful death damages if applicable

Our Team Builds Your Evidence File

We do more than create a detailed list of your expenses. We also collect the evidence that proves their value and the cause of the accident because it establishes your right to financial recovery.

The evidence file we build for you contains as much information and as many details as possible about the collision. The III recommends collecting the following information after an accident:

• Names and contact information for the at-fault driver and their insurer
• Names and contact information for all injured parties in your vehicle
• Vehicle make, model, license, and registration information

We also gather police-generated, smartphone, and dashcam photos and videos of the accident. If the at-fault driver received any tickets or citations, we include that information as well. In addition, we obtain statements from any available witnesses. In other words, our team leaves no stone unturned when we build your case file.

Read About Our Client-Oriented Legal Service and Support

Every personal injury case we take means one of our clients suffered life-altering injuries. When we fought for injured clients in the past, they said the following about our service and support:

• “We ended up with a much larger than anticipated settlement amount due to Michael’s exceptional negotiation skills… My entire family and I couldn’t thank Michael and his team enough for what they did for us. This is an exceptional law firm for anyone who is looking for [a] personal injury lawyer.” – Xiang Mei Cao
• “They won the case in court, obtaining a significant settlement that allowed me to move on with my life. Attorney David Sirotkin was amazing. He always kept me informed and was available…whenever I needed to speak with him. I would recommend [them] to anyone who needs a top-flight firm.” – Dillon John

You do not deserve physical or financial harm because of another person’s negligence. We’ll fight as hard for you as we did for these happy clients.

Review Your Case at no Cost

If you were the passenger in a car involved in an accident, we could help you seek compensation. We can also clarify when a driver is responsible for their passengers’ injuries and when another driver is liable. Find out who owes you compensation by completing our contact form or calling our team at Morelli Law Firm today at (212) 751-9800.