Brooklyn Car Accident Lawyer

We face off against tough insurance companies and well-funded defendants every day – winning big for our clients in the process. Take control after your car crash. Put yourself in the best position to win your case. Choose The Platta Law Firm to represent you. Call our law office serving Brooklyn at 212-514-5100 to schedule a free consultation now.

Why You Should Hire Our Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyers After a Car Accident in Brooklyn

Hiring a Brooklyn personal injury lawyer is one of the best decisions you can make after getting into a wreck. Here’s why:

• You’re more likely to win your case.
• There’s a good chance that you’ll be blamed for your car accident.
• You’ll give yourself the opportunity to focus on recovering from your physical injuries and trauma.
• You’re more likely to get a settlement or win a verdict that reflects the true value of your case.
• Insurance companies (and other parties) will be well-funded and have access to resources that you don’t.

It’s not just about hiring any attorney. You need a lawyer who has experience, an in-depth understanding of New York tort law, and resources to match your defendants. That’s why The Platta Law Firm should be your first call after your car accident in Brooklyn. When you choose our Brooklyn personal injury attorneys after an auto accident, you’ll benefit from:

• More than 130 years of combined experience.
• A demonstrated track record of success – we’ve won $100 Million+ for our clients.
• Nationally acclaimed attorneys recognized by SuperLawyers, Lawyers of Distinction, and American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys.

We are here to help you get through this tough time. You take the time you need to get back on your feet. Let our Brooklyn car accident attorneys take on your fight for maximum compensation. We provide a free consultation, so call us at 212-514-5100 to schedule yours now. We can arrange to meet at a time and place that’s convenient for you – whether that’s your home, the hospital, or our law office.

How Common Are Car Accidents in Brooklyn, New York? (Feburary 2022 Update)

According to NYPD crash data, there were 13,361 car accidents in Brooklyn, NY in 2021. That accounted for 32 percent of all collisions in New York City that year, making it the most dangerous borough in NYC. As a result of these Brooklyn car accidents in 2021:

• 14,204 people were injured, and
• 76 were killed.

Preliminary data for the first few months of 2022 indicate that traffic accidents are still a huge problem in Brooklyn. In February 2022, the last month for which data is available, there were 2,367 wrecks across the borough. Those resulted in at least 1,133 injuries and no fewer than 9 deaths.

What Causes Most Car Accidents in Brooklyn?

In 2021, the leading causes of crashes in Brooklyn included:

• Driver distraction (6,404 total collisions and a factor in 35 percent of all wrecks).
• Following too closely (1,164 accidents and factoring into 10 percent of all crashes).
• Failure to yield the right of way (2,104 wrecks and a factor in 12 percent of all accidents).

Other common causes include:

It’s important to determine every possible cause of your car accident. Once you know why it happened, you can determine who’s at fault (and liable).

How Do I Recover Compensation After a Brooklyn Car Accident?

New York has no-fault insurance rules, which means that you’ll be required to turn to your own insurance company for compensation after an accident. This is true regardless of who’s at fault. You must carry minimum levels of personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage:

• Property Damage: $10,000 per accident.
• Death: $50,000 per person; $100,000 per accident.
• Bodily Injury: $25,000 per person; $50,000 per accident.

You can purchase more in insurance and even add on other types of protection, like uninsured motorist coverage. When you’re in a crash, you can recover benefits up to your policy limits.

What Happens When My Costs Exceed What My Car Insurance Company Will Pay?

Under New York state law, you have the right to file a lawsuit and seek additional compensation if you suffer a “serious injury.” A serious injury – or threshold injury – is essentially a catastrophic injury that is likely to have long-lasting effects. These include severe fractures, trauma resulting in disability or impairment, disfigurement, dismemberment, and death. You may have the right to file a lawsuit against anyone who directly or indirectly caused your car accident.

Liable parties might include other motorists, passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians, property owners, or even government agencies like the MTA. In New York, insurance won’t cover things like pain and suffering. Fortunately, those types of damages can be awarded in a personal injury lawsuit.

What’s My Car Accident Case Worth?

The value of your case will depend on a lot of different things that are unique to your situation. This includes the severity of your injuries, whether you’re able to work, and how the trauma of your accident has affected your life. There are two types of damages that will need to be valued in your case: economic and non-economic.

Economic Damages

Economic damages make up for the verifiable financial costs of your accident, such as:

The value of your economic damages will be equal to your present and reasonably calculably financial costs. You’ll have to be able to prove these costs through receipts, invoices, bills, pay stubs, tax returns, and other forms of documentation.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for accident-related consequences that don’t have a set financial cost. These are things that are incredibly personal and affect every victim differently. Examples of pain and suffering damages include:

How do you put a value on pain and suffering after a car accident? In most cases, a multiplier (a number between 1 and 5) will be applied to the agreed-upon value of your economic damages. The more serious your trauma and suffering, the higher the multiplier. Let’s say your economic damages after a crash in Brooklyn total $100,000. Your injuries are quite severe and really impair your quality of life. So, a multiplier of 4 is considered fair. Your non-economic damages would be valued at $400,000 ($100,000 times 4). In total, your personal injury case would be worth $500,000.

Typically, the more serious the injury, the more a case is worth. According to the National Safety Council, crashes resulting in disabling injuries are worth, on average, $1.29 Million. Crashes causing evident but injuries (but not catastrophic) are worth an average of $335,000. Make the most of your fight for compensation. Call The Platta Law Firm to have our team review your case and help you fight to get you an award that really reflects what your case is worth.

I’m Getting Blamed For a Brooklyn Car Crash, Can I Still Recover Compensation?

Under New York’s pure comparative fault rule, you can recover compensation as long as you’re not solely responsible for an auto accident. Your insurance coverage will be unaffected, but fault will impact how much money you can recover from other parties. Your financial award will be limited by your share of the blame. If you’re assigned 35 percent liability then your settlement or verdict will be reduced by 35 percent.

Liability isn’t always clear. Other parties will try to use that to their advantage and point fingers. They’ll even try to blame you. Hiring our car accident attorneys in Brooklyn to represent you can help to limit how effective these (often baseless) allegations will be.

Fighting to Get Money For All of Your Car Accident Injuries

Any injury has the potential to change your life – now and for years down the road. At The Platta Law Firm, we represent clients who’ve suffered crash-related injuries that include:

Do not hesitate to reach out to our law office to begin your journey toward a meaningful financial recovery. We’re available to take your call right now.

What’s the Statute of Limitations For Car Accident Lawsuits in New York?

In New York, the statute of limitations is three years for an injury and two years for wrongful death. While there are exceptions, they’re not all that common. If you miss the deadline then you’ll miss out on meaningful compensation. Speak with a qualified attorney immediately to protect your rights.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Brooklyn?

Here’s a quick rundown of what you should (and shouldn’t) do after a motor vehicle accident in Brooklyn:

• Exchange information with other parties.
• Take photos of the scene, property damage, and resulting injuries.
• Remain at or near the scene (leaving can be considered a hit and run).
• Call to report the accident and have an officer dispatched to the scene.
• Seek medical care as soon as you can, regardless of whether you think you’ve been injured.
• Don’t offer a recorded statement or speak with an insurance adjuster until you’ve consulted with your lawyer.
• Resist the urge to apologize or admit fault (anything you say could be taken out of context and used against you if you file a claim).

Of course, one of your first steps should be to call an experienced personal injury attorney in Brooklyn.

Schedule a Free Consultation With a Brooklyn Car Accident Lawyer

Were you recently involved in a car accident in Brooklyn, NY? Contact our Brooklyn car accident lawyers for immediate legal assistance. We handle all types of car accident cases, including head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, rollovers, sideswipes, and wrecks with hit and run drivers. The Platta Law Firm can help you file a claim with your insurance carrier and pursue additional damages from any liable parties.

Our law office serves Brooklyn and all boroughs in NYC. We offer a free consultation and work on a contingency fee basis. So, it literally costs nothing to hire our law firm unless we win your case. Call 212-514-5100 to learn more and arrange your initial case evaluation now.