Car Accidents Causing Serious Injuries

Thousands of car accidents occur in New York each day. While many people are fortunate enough to escape a crash without any injuries, others suffer significant harm that impacts not only their physical health but also their emotional and financial well-being. If you sustained critical injuries in a car crash, you may be owed compensation from the party that caused the collision, and you should consult an attorney. Valerie Crown of The Law Firm of Valerie J. Crown, Attorney at Law, P.C., is an experienced Rockland County car accident lawyer, and if you engage her services, she can assess your potential claims and assist you in pursuing the maximum damages available under the law. Ms. Crown routinely represents people in cases arising out of car accidents causing serious injuries in Rockland, Orange, Westchester, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties, as well as the greater metropolitan area.

While severe injuries can arise following any car accident, they most often occur in collisions involving a significant impact, such as T-bone or head-on collisions and rollover accidents. For example, the force produced by an impact can cause traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, hemorrhages, and coup contrecoup injuries, as well as fractures and damage to internal organs. Burns and amputation injuries can arise from collisions as well.

Car accidents, resulting in serious injuries, often require comprehensive medical care, including hospitalization, surgical procedures, rehabilitation through occupational and physical therapy, and the use of prosthetic devices. In addition to physical pain, people who suffer serious injuries in car accidents often face additional challenges. For example, they commonly suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression due to the physical and emotional trauma endured. Consequently, psychiatric care is frequently required to assist them in coping with the psychological impact of their injuries.

People, who suffer serious injuries in car crashes, will often pursue damages from those responsible for the accident via a civil lawsuit. In New York, all owners or motor vehicles must have automobile insurance. The insurance company will defend and indemnity both the owner of the car and the driver (as long as the owner gave the driver permission to drive the car) up to the bodily injury policy limits. (In another article we have addressed issues of uninsurance and underinsurance.) In most instances the defendant, in a car accident case, will be one of the drivers involved in the accident, but depending on the conditions out of which the crash arose, other parties may be named as defendants as well. Generally, regardless of the specific elements that contributed to a collision, the core cause of most crashes is negligent driving. As such, a plaintiff in a car accident lawsuit typically must prove the defendant’s negligence to recover damages.

Under New York law a party, alleging negligence, must first show that the defendant owed a duty. The duty owed is often the obligation to act with reasonable care under the circumstances, but it may also be a duty imposed by law. The plaintiff then has to show that the defendant’s acts or omissions constitute a breach of the duty. Next, the plaintiff needs to establish that they suffered actual damages in the crash and that there is a causal connection between the defendant’s breach and the harm suffered.

A plaintiff, who successfully demonstrates a defendant’s negligence, may be awarded compensation for the cost of any past and future pain, suffering, mental anguish, economic loss other than basic economic loss covered by no-fault insurance, and past and future medical treatment to the extent that the cost exceeds the Personal Injury Protection (no-fault) limits.

Catastrophic collisions often result in lasting physical and emotional wounds, and people, who carelessly cause car accidents resulting in serious injuries, should be held accountable. If you sustained critical harm in a car crash, you have the right to seek compensation from the person that caused your damages, and you should speak to an attorney. Valerie Crown of The Law Firm of Valerie J. Crown, Attorney at Law, P.C., is a trusted personal injury attorney who possesses the skills and experience needed to develop compelling arguments in favor of your recovery of damages, and if she represents you, she will fight tirelessly on your behalf. Ms. Crown’s office is located in New York, and she regularly represents injured people in lawsuits arising out of car accidents in Rockland, Orange, Westchester, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties, as well as the greater metropolitan area. You can reach Ms. Crown by calling 845-708-5900 (office number) or 845-598-8253 (Valerie’s direct cellphone 24/7) or via the form online.