With a location in Central Queens, Forest Hills offers dining, shopping, recreation, and a family-friendly environment to its residents. While it typically has less traffic than higher-density parts of the borough, Forest Hills still reports serious and fatal car accidents each year.
If you get injured in any type of motor vehicle accident, you may have the right to hold someone responsible. At Abaev Law Firm, PLLC, our local car accident attorneys are passionate about bringing careless, reckless, and dangerous drivers to justice for causing preventable collisions.
Request a free legal consultation to find out how our Forest Hills injury attorneys can help you after a crash by calling (212) 763-7738. We proudly serve clients throughout Queens, including in Forest Hills, Far Rockaway, Ozone Park, Queens Village, Cambria Heights, South Jamaica, and Saint Albans.
Why Choose Our Forest Hills Car Accident Lawyer?
- We accept clients in Forest Hills on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t pay us anything unless your car accident case results in financial compensation for you.We charge our personal injury clients $0 upfront, guaranteed.
- Customer service and satisfaction are our number one priority. We are aggressive trial lawyers with years of experience to put to use on your Forest Hills car accident case. Your lawyer will tailor your services to meet your unique needs.
- Our car accident lawyers in Forest Hills have recovered millions of dollars in case results for clients. We will fight to get you the compensation you deserve – standing up to car insurance companies in and out of the courtroom.
How Can Hiring a Lawyer Help After a Car Crash in Forest Hills, NY?
New York’s no-fault car accident laws can be difficult to navigate if you’re badly injured in a collision. You may not realize that the circumstances of your crash allow you to file a claim against another party outside of the no-fault system. An experienced personal injury attorney can give you a full look at your legal rights and financial recovery options after reviewing your case.
A car accident attorney can protect and preserve evidence to prove fault for your collision. Then, your lawyer can use a personalized legal strategy to fight for fair compensation during insurance settlement negotiations or a car accident trial. Your lawyer will be able to navigate New York’s specific rules, deadlines, and requirements for you to maximize your case results.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Forest Hills, Queens
Our New York law firm offers lawyers with extensive experience in personal injury law and car accident claims. We have experience handling all types of auto accident cases in Queens, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus and public transit accidents
- Delivery vehicle accidents
- Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) accidents
- Taxi accidents
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist accidents
- Hit-and-runs
- Fatal accidents
Our lawyers can help you get appropriate medical care for injuries such as broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, amputations, and permanent disabilities after a Forest Hills car crash. We care about your recovery.
Common Causes of Local Car Accidents
Driver error is the number one cause of car accidents in Forest Hills. Common examples of driver negligence, or the failure to act with proper care, include:
- Driver inattention or distraction
- Texting while driving
- Speeding or reckless driving
- Red-light running
- Rolling through stop signs
- Failing to yield the right-of-way
- Drugged and drunk driving
- Following too closely
- Aggressive driving or road rage
- Improper lane changes
- Driver fatigue
At Abaev Law Firm, we can thoroughly investigate your motor vehicle accident to determine its cause. This can enable us to identify one or more defendants to hold responsible for your losses.
Common Injuries in Car Accidents
A car accident can cause a serious impact between the occupant of a vehicle and elements within the car, such as the seat belt, steering wheel or dashboard. This can cause impact and blunt-force trauma injuries. The sudden halt of the passenger’s forward motion can also cause internal injuries.
Common types of injuries suffered by car accident victims include:
- Bone fractures
- Whiplash
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Disk herniation
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal injuries
- Burn injuries
- Cuts, lacerations and scarring
- Catastrophic injuries
- Amputations
- Wrongful death
It is important for any victim of a Forest Hills car accident to seek medical care right away. Many injuries, even serious injuries, have hidden and delayed symptoms. Prompt medical care can find these injuries so that the victim receives prompt treatment. Immediate care also shows a car insurance company the connection between the crash and the injury.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Forest Hills
After any type of motor vehicle accident in Forest Hills, pull over and check yourself for injuries. See a doctor as soon as possible. Call 911 to report the accident to the police. While you wait for the police, exchange information with the other driver.
Collect evidence at the scene, including photographs and eyewitness details. Notify your car insurance company right away, but don’t accept a settlement before talking to an attorney. Avoid admitting fault or giving recorded statements to insurance claims adjusters.
Next, contact a lawyer. A free consultation at ALF Law can give you the legal information you need to make educated decisions moving forward. If you choose to hire an attorney, he or she can handle the rest of the legal process for you while you heal.
Navigating New York’s Car Accident Laws
New York’s no-fault law means your first choice for car accident compensation will be to contact your own car insurance provider and file a first-party claim. Your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance will offer coverage for your medical bills and lost wages, regardless of fault for the crash.
If your injuries are serious enough, however, you can seek additional compensation from the at-fault person or party. This could be another driver, a product manufacturer, the government, or a third party. If you wish to file a car accident lawsuit in Queens, you must do so within at least three years of the date of the crash under New York’s statute of limitations.
Do I Have to Go to Court for a Car Accident Claim in New York?
No, you most likely will not have to go to court to seek or recover financial damages for your car accident claim in New York. The vast majority of these cases do not require trials. Filing a claim simply means seeking a financial settlement from your insurer or (depending on the case) the car insurance provider of the at-fault party.
Most cases involve settlement negotiations between the insurer and the claimant, which ultimately result in a signed agreement to relieve the defendant of any further liability in exchange for the agreed-upon sum. However, it is possible for a complicated car accident case to have to go to court to be resolved.
If a case in New York involves complex issues such as severe or catastrophic injuries, one or more deaths, multiple liable parties, an uncooperative insurance company, the comparative negligence defense, or a lack of insurance, taking on a defendant in court may be the only way to get fair compensation. This is why it is important to find a local trial attorney to represent you.
What Compensation Is Available?
The amount of financial compensation you may be able to access as a crash victim in Forest Hills depends on the circumstances. All New York drivers legally must carry a minimum of $25,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for death per person in insurance, $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more persons, and $10,000 in property damage coverage.
You may be eligible for compensation for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Vehicle or property damage
- Lost wages and future capacity to earn
- Pain, suffering, and emotional injuries
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death damages, if a loved one died
- Punitive damages, in rare cases
The value of your settlement or judgment award will depend on the severity of your losses, insurance policy limits, and whether or not you can sue outside of your own PIP coverage. Working with an attorney at Abaev Law Firm, PLLC, can improve your odds of maximizing your financial recovery.
What if the Other Driver Doesn’t Have Insurance?
If the other driver involved in your Forest Hills car accident does not have insurance, you should still have coverage on your own policy. Thanks to New York’s no-fault law, all drivers are required to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance to pay for their own medical bills and lost wages, regardless of fault.
If you do not have enough insurance on your own policy to completely pay for a serious injury or expensive property damage, another option may be suing the at-fault driver directly. If he or she has personal assets, you may be able to access them to help pay for your losses.
Another solution may be bringing a lawsuit against a third party, such as an auto part manufacturer or the government, depending on the cause of your injuries. Contact an uninsured/underinsured motorist attorney at ALF Law to discuss your potential legal options in detail.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers
Contact the Forest Hills Car Accident Lawyers at ALF Law for a Free Review of Your Legal Options
If you or a loved one suffered painful, expensive, or debilitating injuries in a car accident because of another person’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation from more than one insurance provider.
The most effective way to protect your rights as a crash victim is by contacting an attorney. At Abaev Law Firm, our trial lawyers in Forest Hills are committed to aggressively pursuing the compensation that our clients deserve.
Contact us online or call (212) 763-7738 today to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer in Queens about your legal rights and options. Initial consultations are absolutely free, with no fees for our services until you get paid.