Accidents can occur at a moment’s notice, but many of them are preventable. When someone else’s negligence causes you injury or the wrongful death of a loved one, you may pursue compensation from them through a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
This legal action allows injured people to fight for financial recovery of damages, like medical bills and income loss. If you or a loved one was an accident victim, let a personal injury lawyer in Long Island from Morelli Law Firm help you build a case against the liable party.
A woman holds her neck after an auto accident. Whiplash is a common example of a car crash injury that a personal injury attorney in Long Island can help you win compensation for.
Learn What Your New York Personal Injury Claim May Be Worth
Many victims don’t know the value of their claims. Following an accident, the victim’s world may seem to be turned upside down and attempting to add up expenses can be daunting. There are a variety of damages for which you may be eligible to claim compensation after an accident.
Contact our Long Island personal injury attorneys to schedule a free case evaluation. We can review your case and assess how much compensation you may be entitled to receive.
Long Island Personal Injury FAQ
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you learn more about personal injury cases in New York and how an attorney may be a benefit to you.
What Damages Can I Collect in My Personal Injury Case in Long Island?
What Are the Types of Damages? Can I Collect for Pain and Suffering?
The Insurance Company Just Made Me an Offer. Should I Accept?
What Should I Do if an Insurance Adjuster Contacts Me?
What Kinds of Personal Injury Cases Do You Handle?
Why Should I Consider Hiring a Long Island Personal Injury Lawyer?
Will I Have to Go to Court?
Is New York a No-Fault State?
When Should I File a Personal Injury Case?
How Are Personal Injury Attorneys Paid for Their Services in New York?
What Damages Can I Collect in My Personal Injury Case in Long Island?
The following damages are compensable in Long Island personal injury cases:
- Medical treatment expenses, including costs for emergency room care, doctor’s appointments, prescription medicines, and physical therapy
- Property damage, which can involve repair costs or cash value to replace damaged property (e.g., a totaled car)
- Pain and suffering, both physical and emotional
- Diminished quality of life
- Current and future loss of wages and benefits
- Reduced earning potential
- Permanent disability and physical disfigurement
Once we review your case, we may suggest other damages not listed here. Each personal injury case is unique to an individual’s personal damages. Your Long Island personal injury lawyer will be able to offer you an estimated value and can explain the methods used to properly assess your damages.
What Are the Types of Damages? Can I Collect for Pain and Suffering?
All the above costs can be broken up into either economic or non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the damages that have a direct monetary value, like medical expenses. The compensation that an accident victim receives for economic damages is meant to equal the cost of the accident so that the victim suffers no financial setback as a result of the incident.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are the losses an accident victim suffers that do not have a monetary value, like diminished quality of life and pain and suffering. No amount of money can make up for the loss of a loved one or suffering a permanent disability.
However, this is the best form of compensation that our legal system has to offer. Because of this, non-economic damages tend to make up the largest part of a compensation package.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are far different from the other damages listed above. While money received for the above damages is supposed to compensate accident victims for losses they have suffered, punitive damages are more focused on the liable party.
Punitive damages are meant to punish the at-fault party for their behavior. They are only awarded in cases where the defendant’s actions are determined to have been grossly negligent.
The Insurance Company Just Made Me an Offer. Should I Accept?
Not accepting an insurance company’s first offer can be strategic for you if they reach out to give you a settlement for your damages. A Long Island personal injury attorney can calculate your damages and determine whether their number is fair. Typically, the initial offer from the insurance company is far below the true value of your claim.
The insurance company might give you minimum values that their policy allows without factoring in future damages you might experience because of your injuries. However, our team can discuss with you personally what hardships you’ve faced, thus allowing us to reach a more accurate figure of how much compensation you should receive.
Having an attorney on your side allows you to focus on healing while we handle the calls from the insurance company adjusters, and negotiate the details of your claim. If they refuse to make an acceptable settlement offer, we will already be prepared to go to trial.
A person with an arm cast filling out a medical history report. Discover how a Long Island personal injury attorney can help if you have been injured.
What Should I Do if an Insurance Adjuster Contacts Me?
The best course of action is to avoid giving any detailed statements and refer them to your personal injury lawyer. You may be asked questions or asked to provide a recorded statement that can seem harmless but has the potential to be used against you later.
An insurance adjuster’s primary focus is to settle your case rapidly and inexpensively. These are trained professionals who use extremely effective tactics to do their job and save their employers money. Nice as they seem to be, they are not on your side.
If they cannot get you to agree to a cheap settlement, they will delay and and drag the issue out as long as they can, deny responsibility, and defend their own interests. It isn’t personal, but it is the way that insurance companies typically handle personal injury cases.
What Kinds of Personal Injury Cases Do You Handle?
Our law firm handles the following types of personal injury cases:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Defective drugs and products
- Medical malpractice
- Construction accidents
- Railroad accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall cases
- Premises liability cases
- Nursing home abuse cases
This list is far from exhaustive, and our personal injury lawyers in Long Island can review the specifics of your case with you during a consultation. The initial consultation is free of charge, so there is no risk or obligation when you are considering working with our law firm.
Why Should I Consider Hiring a Long Island Personal Injury Lawyer?
Aside from calculating the value of your losses, working with our law firm comes with other convenient benefits. For example, if you are still recovering from your injuries or are overwhelmed by the prospect of building your own legal case, let us take that responsibility on your behalf. We can shoulder the burden of mounting your case while you rest.
Working with the Long Island personal injury lawyers from Morelli Law Firm will provide the following benefits:
- In-depth analysis of the true value of your damages and potential future damages
- Barring insurance companies from exploiting you
- Consulting with medical officials and our expansive list of professionals to determine future health care costs
- Handling legal paperwork on your behalf and making sure all documents are filed on time
- Communicating with insurance companies and the opposing counsel on your behalf
- Gathering evidence to support your claims about how you were injured, who injured you, and what damages you experienced
- Our personal injury lawyers are adept courtroom attorneys with years of trial experience in multiple jurisdictions
- Decades of combined experience, and the recovery of over $1 billion in damages on behalf of our clients
- Availability to answer questions, discuss strategy, and update you on the progress of your case
Will I Have to Go to Court?
In some cases, negotiations may not go as planned. The insurance company might not agree to your terms or believe you deserve the amount of compensation you are pursuing. If this happens, we may suggest filing a lawsuit to continue your legal efforts to fight for compensation.
We prepare every case as though it is bound for trial. In the event a settlement agreement cannot be reached, your personal injury lawyer will be prepared to proceed to the trial phase and fight to recover the true value of your damages. The courtroom does not intimidate our attorneys, and we have a long history of obtaining remarkable results.
Still, there is a deadline for personal injury cases. Per CVP § 214, you generally have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you do not file within this deadline, your case might get dismissed, and you may be barred from pursuing compensation.
Is New York a No-Fault State?
Because New York is a “no-fault” state, car insurance claims cannot determine the liable party following a car accident. Each party files a claim with their respective insurance company.
New York drivers must carry $50,000 no-fault insurance (the minimum auto insurance requirement) to cover damages in the event of an accident.
The no-fault policy covers compensatory damages, like damaged property, lost wages, or medical expenses. While no-fault states generally bar accident victims from suing another party after an accident, there are exceptions to this regulation.
Generally, when an accident victim suffers serious injuries that cause more damage than would normally be covered by insurance, they are eligible to file a lawsuit against the responsible party.
When Should I File a Personal Injury Case?
It is possible to settle insurance claims through alternative means. The process is complex and can happen before or after trial. A Long Island personal injury attorney from our firm can help you negotiate a settlement with an insurer.
Our team can help you abide by the statute of limitations by:
- Reviewing your medical records and accident report to determine your case’s statutory deadline
- Keeping track of the filing deadline while negotiating an insurance settlement for you
- Filing all the necessary paperwork and setting the process in motion well before a decision to file a lawsuit
Do not let your opportunity to hold a negligent party responsible for your losses slip through your fingers. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can begin putting together your case and reaching out to the liable parties.
How Are Personal Injury Attorneys Paid for Their Services in New York?
Our attorney’s fee structure is on a contingency basis, meaning we charge no upfront payment for representation. We only collect payment if we secure a settlement or court-awarded recovery on your behalf.
One of the biggest benefits of a contingency fee based payment structure is that you can feel confident your lawyer will do everything within their power to get you a victory. You can learn more about our fee system in a free consultation with one of our team representatives.
Long Island Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me 877-751-9800
Get Legal Advice From a Long Island Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident that could have been prevented, such as a car accident or a slip and fall, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your damages.
A Long Island, NY, personal injury lawyer can guide you through the litigation process to seek fair compensation. Call Morelli Law Firm or fill out our contact form to request a free case evaluation and guidance on your personal injury lawsuit.