Category: Motor Vehicle Accidents

Can I Sue after an Accident Caused by Poor Road Design or Maintenance?

According to the New York City Police Department, there are over 200,000 car accidents

Involved in a Rear End Accident on the Streets of New York?

Motor vehicle accidents injure thousands of people each year, sometimes resulting in long-term medical complications. They are also

Avoiding an Accident With a Truck

Semi-trucks are a common sight on American highways. These vehicles are essential to our economy and transport millions of tons of freight

from coast to coast each year. Unfortunately, they can also pose a significant risk of injury to motorists and other people using our roadways.

Due to their large size and heavy weight, tractor-trailers can cause extensive damage and serious injury when they are involved in accidents with other vehicles. When these accidents are due to someone’s negligence, victims may be able to recover for any losses they sustain.

Because of the myriad of federal and state regulations that apply to the trucking industry, as well as the number of parties that may be implicated, truck accident cases are often more complicated than other types of motor vehicle accidents. As a result, anyone who has been involved in a tractor-trailer accident should contact an experienced NY personal injury attorney as soon as possible to obtain legal representation.

By applying some common sense tips while you’re out driving the roads of the Big Apple, you’ll greatly reduce the chances of getting into a collision with a semi-truck. These include the following:

Avoid driving in a Truck’s Blind Spots

Trucks have larger blind spots than passenger vehicles. These “no-zones” are to either side of the truck, and directly behind and in front of it. Spend as little time as possible in these areas, and always try and make sure you can see the truck’s mirrors. In addition, be sure that you have enough clearance when getting in front of a truck that you have just passed.

Keep Your Distance

Make sure to give trucks plenty of room, both when behind and in front of them. Trucks require much longer stopping distances than passenger vehicles, so be certain to give them plenty of space when driving in front of them.

Follow the Rules of the Road

When drivers drive predictably, it is easier to avoid accidents. Be sure to follow all rules of the road, always passing on the left and maintaining a safe speed.

Do not Pass Trucks That are Turning

Trucks and other large commercial vehicles make wide turns. Attempting to pass a turning truck puts you at an increased risk of being involved in a collision.

Should you get into an accident with an 18-wheeler on the streets of New York, contact Daniella Levi & Associates today. An experienced accident attorney will meet with you for a free consultation.

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Accident Attorney after a Car Wreck in NYC

If you suffered injuries as a result of a car accident in New York, you’ve likely had to go through some of the following things: You went to the emergency room, your car is at the repair shop and you reported the accident to your insurance agent.

There may be many other complications that don’t always present themselves right away. This can add stress to an already frustrating and painful time. It’s stress that you don’t need to deal with when you have the right support in your corner.

Here are five reasons why you should consider calling an attorney as soon as possible:

Determining fault in chaotic traffic is not always straightforward

Although the rear-most driver in a multi-vehicle accident. is usually presumed to be at fault,  as there may be others who may share in the responsibility.

If you’re the first car in a chain of an accident, some or all of the drivers behind you could share a degree of liability. If you’re that rear-most driver,  those fingers could point at you even if the accident wasn’t your fault.

Things get even more complicated when the crash is an intersection collision or a sideswipe. How to determine who is at fault is not a straightforward process. New York is a comparative negligence state, which means that even though you may be partially at fault for an accident, you may still be able to recover from the other at-fault driver

Motor vehicle injury claims are complex cases

Your emergency room staff and doctors could provide you with the best care available. Yet, they may not know how to document evidence for a personal injury attorney.

Injuries like muscle strains and tendon or ligament damage could take days to show up. It also might be years before doctors can measure the true extent of your limitations. Insurance companies love to use circumstances like these to fight your claim.

Multiple defendant lawsuits are intricate and challenging

Injury claims against one or more insurance companies are filled with intricate details, deadlines to be met, and evidence that must be proved to succeed.

There are countless variables that all factor in to back up your claims. There will be lots of documentation and endless evidence necessary. Investigators may determine that a manufacturer’s defect contributed to the accident. A faulty repair may have been a cause of the accident.

If this happens, you may have to also deal with a large corporation or insurance company with lawyers.

Insurance companies are in the business of not paying

Insurance companies assure you that they will be there in your time of need. It’s discouraging to find out that they are working to pay you as little as possible and delay those payments as long as possible. If you’ve waited to get medical attention, or have delayed symptoms, they may likely try and deny your claim.

If your injury is severe enough, you can qualify for a claim beyond New York’s no-fault insurance laws. You could be eligible for big bucks, and that is why insurers will fight you that much harder.

When you’re recovering from injuries from a car wreck, you don’t have time to deal with insurance companies. You won’t have the resources and experience to negotiate the best settlement offer.

That’s where we come in with our experience and resources to help you put your life back together.

Contact Daniella Levi & Associates today. An experienced accident attorney will meet you for a free consultation.

In today’s article, we look at some of the causes of accidents involving motor vehicles, along with some ways you can minimize the risk of getting into an accident.

Failing to Maintain Lane Position.

Changing lanes without regard for other road users is one of the top causes of motor vehicle accidents around NYC. From blind spots to high speed, several factors may contribute to a driver making the decision to change lanes before checking if it’s safe to do so. We encourage all motorists to understand the importance of exercising extreme caution prior to switching from one lane to another.

To limit the risk of an accident, follow these tips

• Use your turning signals prior to switching from one lane to another. Turning signals are a way to communicate to other road users of your intention.
• Only change one lane at a time, as other drivers may assume you’re only changing a single lane.
• Never cross lanes separated by solid lines.
• Never change lanes in an intersection or even close to an intersection.
• Be sure to maintain your current speed while changing lanes.

Speeding

This is New York – our life is packed with social and professional events, and sometimes drivers try to make up time by speeding. Going faster than the posted speed limit is dangerous (not to mention illegal), but so is driving too fast for the prevailing conditions. If it’s snowing or pouring with rain, you’ll want to reduce your speed accordingly.

Some tips on how to drive at a safe speed include:

• Leave a few minutes early to reach your appointment on time. A side benefit is that you arrive relaxed and ready to fully engage with your friends, coworkers or client.
• Watch your speed. Even if others are speeding around you, don’t feel socially pressured to do the same. Chances are they’ll get tangled in a fender bender at some point.
• At lower speeds, even if you get into a crash, the consequences will be less severe, especially if it involves a pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist. A pedestrian has a 90 percent chance of survival if hit by a vehicle moving at 20 mph, decreases to 70 percent at 25 mph, and less than 20 percent at 30 mph.
• Recognize what makes you speed – keeping up with traffic, overtaking or being tailgated.

Distractions While Driving

Eating is a common distraction among drivers. With so many fast-food places along your route, it can be difficult to resist. Perhaps you brought a couple of bagels from home plus some coffee. You’re in a hurry to get to where you need to be. Dropped food and hot liquid spills are huge distractions, causing you to lose focus on driving.

A cellphone is probably the number one reason for distracted driving. The use of any hand-held cellular device while driving is prohibited on any New York road. Anyone who violates this law will be issued a traffic violation, pursuant to Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1225c, which will carry a fine of up to $200. Additionally, there will be points assessed to the offender’s driver’s license and driving record.

Tips on how to reduce the chances of distractions include:

• Leave for your appointment a few minutes early and have a quick light snack before you leave your home or office.
• Place your cellphone in the back seat or away in a bag. Out of sight, out of mind.

While we may never reduce road accidents to zero, each of us as responsible drivers can do our part to help make the NYC roads a little bit safer.

In the event you do get into an accident on the roads which caused injuries, possibly loss of time at work or other traumatic events, please reach out to our experienced legal team. With decades of experience helping victims of car accidents, let us give you a free case evaluation to see if you’re eligible for compensation.

Car insurance coverage… what insurance companies don’t want you to know

.. and everyone should know

If you are like most people, you did not read the declaration pages of your car insurance policy, and therefore, there is a good likelihood that you are not carrying a sufficient amount of insurance. Well, you should read it!

Let us go through the different coverages:

Bodily Injury Liability (each person/each occurrence)

This is the coverage limit if you cause damage to someone else. In NY the minimum limits required are $25,000 ($25K) per person and $50,000 ($50K) per occurrence or accident. That means if you injure only 1 person, the most they can get is $25K, if you injure 2 people they can each get a maximum of $25K and if you injure 3 or more people, they would have to share a maximum of $50K.

Let’s face it; those limits are absurd in today’s economic times. In my opinion, no one in NY should be driving with less than a $100K/300K limit or preferably a $300K single limit policy, so that although the maximum limit per occurrence is $300K, there is no maximum per person limit.

Property Damage Liability

This coverage is for property damage you may cause to another car and/or property. In my opinion $100K should be the minimum limit to carry.

Basic Personal Injury Protection

The minimum in NY which everyone gets is $50K in No Fault benefits (covers all medical expenses associated with your treatment as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident, regardless of who is at fault. The host vehicle’s policy covers those benefits. If you are injured as a pedestrian, then the insurance carrier of the car that struck you is the primary carrier for the N/F benefits. In addition, you get up to $2K in monthly lost wages (calculated at 80% of you monthly salary not to exceed $2K per month if you are unable to work as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident.)

Those are minimums, but in my opinion, if you earn more than $30K a year, you should get APIP. Additional Personal Injury Protection doubles all of the benefits you are entitled to under No Fault (up to $100K in medicals, up to $4K in monthly lost wages etc).

Supplementary Uninsured (UI)/Underinsured Motorist Insurance (SUM)

That offers you coverage in the event that you get injured in an accident involving a car without insurance or with limited insurance coverages. Insurance companies don’t like to talk about these coverages (because they lose money on those) and regardless of how much in liability insurance you carry, they give you, the insured, only the minimum $25K/50K limits.

What that means is that even if you carry for example a $300K single limit liability policy to insure others, if you are injured by an uninsured or underinsured car, the most you would be covered for yourself is $25K.

Therefore, your UI, SUM limits should equal what your Bodily injury Liability Limits are.

So for example, if you have a $300K UI and SUM limit and you are injured by a car that is not insured, you will be covered for bodily injury claims up to $300K. If you are injured by a car carrying for example the minimum $25K bodily injury limits, if they tender their full policy, you have the availability to go after the SUM limits for another $75K.

I know this sounds complicated. If you have any questions about your car insurance policy, call me to discuss.