Personal Injury Attorneys in Queens, NY

People suffering from personal injury often experience physical pain, emotional trauma, and financial strain. Car accidents, construction accidents, and premises liability complaints are not easy to navigate alone. When your physical and psychological well-being is your top priority, having someone to handle your legal claim and financial recovery is invaluable.

If you’re recovering from an injury-causing accident in Queens, contact Mark E. Seitelman Law Offices for individualized guidance on filing a personal injury claim.

Types of Personal Injury Cases in Queens We Handle

We handle a wide range of personal injury cases for clients in Queens. Our areas of practice include motor vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, construction accidents, and premises liability.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car accidents happen every day in Queens. We help clients negotiate with insurance companies, determine the value of their claim, establish fault, and litigate, if necessary. Our legal team can represent you in accidents involving:

• Uber and Lyft drivers

• Large trucks

• Taxis and cabs

• Buses

• Motorcycles

• Pedestrians

• Bicycles

• Passenger vehicles

Workplace Accidents

When employees are hurt on the job, they deserve compensation for the losses and pain their injuries cause. If you’ve experienced a workplace accident, such as on a construction site or any other job site, we can help you obtain financial recovery for incidents like the following:

• Slip and falls

• Repetitive stress injuries

• Electrocution

• Exposure to chemicals

• Falls from an elevation

Premises Liability

Premises liability is a broad, general term for accidents that occur on someone else’s property. When you’re hurt in places like a store, office building, or another person’s house, the property owner or tenant may be liable for your injuries. Premises liability cases can include, but are not limited to:

• Dog bites

• Slip and falls

• Electrocution

• Drowning/near-drowning

• Inadequate security

Components of a Personal Injury Complaint

Building your personal injury claim or complaint properly is the key to a successful outcome, which is why it’s important to work with an experienced attorney who will ensure everything is completed properly. There are four elements that each personal injury case must prove:

• Duty of care – In order to file a complaint against someone for your injuries, they must have had a legal obligation to act with a reasonable amount of care in order to avoid harming other people. For example, all drivers on the road in Queens and surrounding boroughs have a duty of care to other motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

• Breach of duty – This occurs when the person who has a responsibility to avoid harming others fails to uphold that duty. Breaching the duty of care can occur through negligence, recklessness, or intentional wrongdoing.

• Causation – There must be a link between the other person’s negligence and your injuries. This can occur either through what’s known as cause of fact or proximate cause. Cause of fact means that your injury would not have occurred if not for the other person’s action or inaction. Proximate cause applies if your injury was or should have been a foreseeable consequence of a breach of duty.

• Damages – Lastly, you must prove that you suffered physical, emotional, and financial damage as a result of your injury. This can include medical bills, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, and various other types of losses.

Immediate Steps After a Queens, NY Car Accident

New York law requires that anyone involved in an accident, whether they caused the accident or not, stays on the scene. Depending on the severity and individual circumstances of the accident, the next steps may involve some or all of the following:

• Notify the police and emergency medical services of the accident

• Exchange information with the other people involved in the accident (this is required by state law)

• Get contact information from any witnesses

• Contact your insurance company to report the accident

• Seek medical attention

Obtaining legal representation is another vital step following an accident. An attorney will guide you through the claims process and can handle communications with the insurance companies, gather evidence to support your claim, and pursue a lawsuit if no fair settlement is reached.

Damages Available in Queens Personal Injury Litigation

In New York, there are three categories of damages available in a personal injury claim: economic, non-economic, and punitive.

Economic damages, also known as compensatory damages, cover losses that have a clear value or easily calculable total. This includes past medical bills, future medical costs, lost wages, therapy costs, and property repair or replacement.

Non-economic damages are subjective losses that are not directly associated with a dollar value. They include emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and pain and suffering.

Punitive damages are rare and only awarded in extreme cases of gross recklessness or intentional, malicious conduct. These damages are intended to punish the responsible party and set an example against future similar conduct.

Experienced Injury Attorneys in Queens, NY

Whichever type of accident has led to your injuries, you deserve qualified legal representation that is dedicated to your recovery. At Seitelman Law Offices, we have been serving clients in Queens for over 30 years. When you’re ready to have support and guidance from an experienced personal injury lawyer, contact us to schedule a free consultation.