In the event you are in a car accident in New York City, your search for legal help should begin with law firms that specialize in such cases. Start immediately after emergency medical issues are addressed. Look for phrases like “personal injury,” “injury and accident,” or “car accident attorney” in listings found in the phone book or on the Web. You can even write down contact information ahead of time for car accident lawyers you see advertised in public.

The number of motorists who experience motor vehicle accidents annually in New York City is 225,000 and this leads to having several attorneys claiming to be experts in motor vehicle accidents. New York City has the boroughs of Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. When you get legal help, you should make sure that the attorney helping you knows the area where you were involved in the accident and that the person has practiced law in the area.

Some specific roads and streets in the city, if it is New York, are notorious “black spots.” If a lawyer knows those places, it can be helpful. The other thing that can be beneficial is for an attorney to meet the people who work in the local court system. Therefore, it is recommended that you seek the services of an attorney who practices in the area where your accident occurred. For example, if your accident occurred in Brooklyn, finding a lawyer who practices in Brooklyn will help the lawyer to be familiar with the roads, other lawyers, and judges in the area.

Almost all attorneys who specialize in car accidents have a section detailing the settlements and verdicts they have found in settling cases on their websites or in printed material. Typically, attorneys list the financial settlements their law firms have won for car accident victims. You can also find customer testimonials, but it is not possible to talk to your previous customers. You should do your best to find an attorney whose firm has won such settlements before saying yes to use the legal services offered by that firm. This can help you verify if such settlement claims are genuine.

Car accident attorneys can agree to waive their fees until you collect a settlement. Some may state that they will not charge you anything for their services in case they fail to obtain any compensation for you. You should always ask to validate such promises in writing.

You need to take immediate legal action in car accident cases. The type of claim you are filing can affect the amount of time you have to file. In New York, people generally have three years in which they can file a claim, but other issues in the case can affect this time.

The amount of money you can expect your attorney to take after subtracting expenses charged for contingency fees or in situations where you had not paid your attorney upfront is thirty-three and one-third percent. Attorneys can also deduct fees to recover money damages. As an example, if the amount you receive as a net settlement is $ 200,000, your attorney’s fees cannot exceed $ 666.66. This is just an example because other issues can affect attorney fees.

Even if New York State were a “no fault” area of ​​legal authority when it came to car accidents, you would still need an attorney. The No Fault clause represents the idea that your insurance company will pay for damages or injuries you incur due to an accident within the limits of your policy. Your insurance company will compensate you regardless of who caused the accident.

You may still need a car accident attorney if the injuries are serious and likely permanent or if the accident has resulted in death. If fault is not a clear issue or if a police report is incorrect, you will need an attorney. There are also times when you don’t have adequate insurance, your liability insurance limits are too low, or your insurance company has involved its own legal help in the case.