New York Chrysler Car Accident
Each year there are thousands of car accidents in New York, resulting serious injury, death and property damage. Some are head-on collisions, read-end collisions, sideswipe accidents, and side collisions while others are caused by drunk driving. Regardless of the type of accident, if you are a victim of a New York Chrysler car accident you know just how confusing the moments immediately following the accident can be. You may be confused about what happened, and you may be in pain from your injuries and focused on your medical needs. For example, it is not uncommon for a victim to suffer a concussion or another type of severe brain injury, broken bones, lacerations, internal injuries or a spinal injury. These injuries may render you immobile, cause you great pain, or leave you confused. However, in order to make sure that your legal rights are preserved you must immediately take certain steps. If you were seriously injured in a car accident it is critical that you immediately contact an experienced New York car accident lawyer who will work closely with you to ensure that you receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and other losses through a personal injury claim against the negligent person.
Proving a car accident claimWhile there are many reasons for car accidents such as distracted driving, typically an accident is caused by someone’s negligence. In order to show that a driver was negligent, you must show the following:
- Duty of care. Each driver in must drive carefully. It is important that the roadways remain save for all drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Thus, a negligent driver who caused an accident had a duty of care to the victim and others to behave in a manner that does not put others at risk.
- Breach of duty of care. If the driver who caused the accidents drove in an unsafe manner then the driver breached his or her duty of care. Examples of unsafe driving include speeding, failing to stop at red lights, and drunk driving.
- Injuries. You must have suffered injuries in the accident in order to prevail in your claim against the negligent driver. The injuries must be serious such as a broken bones or a traumatic brain injury.
- Losses. It is not enough that you suffered an injury. You must have suffered some sort of loss. Examples of compensable losses include medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and property damage. In other words, if your injury was minor and required little or no medical attention, and you did not miss any work, you do not have a strong personal injury case.
If you were injured in a New York Chrysler car accident that was caused by another person’s negligent act, you deserve to be compensated for the losses you suffered. Fortunately, the law allows victims to seek compensation through personal injury lawsuits. As an experienced attorney will explain, depending on the type of injuries you suffered and the severity of them, there are a variety of types of compensation that you have the right to demand.
- Past medical bills. At the time that you file your claim it is likely that you accumulated a significant amount of medical bills, including bills from the emergency room, hospital, and your doctors. You also may have had to pay for prescriptions and special medical equipment. Through a personal injury lawsuit you can demand that the negligent party reimburse you for all of these expenses.
- Future medical expenses. It is also likely that at the time you file your claim your treatment has not ended and you have not fully recovered. You can demand that the negligent party compensate you for the medical bills that you anticipate that you will accumulate in the future.
- Lost wages. Missing work while you recover means that you have less money pay your bills and provide for your family. You can demand that the negligent party compensation you for the paychecks you missed as well as for other types of compensation that you missed because you were recuperating from your injuries.
- Loss of future earning capacity. In some cases victims who were injured in car accidents are not able to return to the same position and earn the same money as they did prior to the accident. Such victims may have permanent injuries that prevent them from working at all or that prevent them from earning the money they otherwise would have earning. If this is the case you can demand that the negligent party compensate you for this loss in future earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering. You can demand damages to compensate you for both the physical pain you suffered and the emotional pain.
If you or a family member suffered a serious injury in an auto accident, there are steps that you much immediately take in order to preserve your legal rights. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates are experienced in handling personal injury cases stemming from auto, truck, motorcycle, boat, and construction accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We serve individuals hurt in car accidents in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.