Car Accident Lawyer NYC

Raphaelson & Levine's car accident lawyers represent people hurt in crashes across New York City and throughout New York State. We represent only injured people, never insurance companies.

After a crash, two claims run side by side. Your own no-fault coverage pays basic medical bills and lost wages whoever caused the crash, and a lawsuit against the at-fault driver covers the rest when your injury meets New York's serious injury threshold. We file both on time, preserve the evidence, work with experts to show how the crash happened, and prepare every case as if it will go to trial.

Call (212) 268-3222 or request a free consultation. You pay no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

We handle every type of motor vehicle collision on New York City’s streets, bridges, and highways. Whether you were hit at a busy intersection or injured in a multi-car highway pileup, our firm has the experience and resources to hold negligent drivers and insurance companies accountable.

Collisions and Traffic Accidents

• Rear-End Collisions: The most common crash on NYC streets, often caused by tailgating or sudden stops. When fault is disputed, we answer the insurer's defenses with the evidence of how the crash happened.
• T-Bone and Intersection Crashes: Side-impact crashes usually come down to right-of-way. We move early to secure traffic camera footage, vehicle event data and witness accounts that show who had the green light.
• Sideswipe Crashes: Unsafe lane changes and drifting in heavy traffic cause many sideswipes on NYC avenues and highways. We use dashcam and traffic camera video, the damage on both vehicles and witness accounts to show which driver left their lane.
• Head-On Collisions: Among the most dangerous crashes on the road. We investigate wrong-way driving, center-line drift and distraction to build a clear case on fault.
• Rollover Crashes: Rollovers can cause serious head, neck and spinal injuries. We look at every possible cause, including road hazards, excessive speed and vehicle design defects.
• Highway Accidents: High-speed crashes on the FDR Drive, the Long Island Expressway or the Belt Parkway often involve several vehicles and insurers. We manage the multi-party claim so you can focus on getting better.
• Speeding Accidents: Proving speed takes more than a driver's admission. We use physical crash evidence, vehicle data and accident reconstruction to show the driver was going too fast.
• Drunk and Impaired Driving Accidents: We use police reports, field sobriety records and blood-alcohol results from the criminal case to hold the impaired driver accountable in your civil claim.

Coverage, Complex and High-Impact Claims

• Hit-and-Run Crashes: If the driver fled, you still have options. We help you report the crash promptly to police and your insurer, then pursue compensation through your own uninsured motorist coverage.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: When the at-fault driver has no insurance, or not enough to cover your losses, we pursue your own UM/SUM coverage to make up the difference.
• Taxi and Rideshare Accidents: Taxi and Uber and Lyft claims involve layers of commercial insurance that depend on the vehicle and, for rideshares, the driver's app status. We sort out which policies apply and help you pursue maximum compensation.
• Rental Car Accidents: A crash in or with a rental car brings the rental company's coverage into the claim. We identify every policy that may pay.
• Whiplash and Soft Tissue Injuries: Whiplash symptoms can take days or weeks to appear. We work with your doctors to connect delayed symptoms to the crash before an insurer writes them off.
• Seatbelt and Restraint Injuries: Seatbelts save lives, but high-impact forces can cause serious chest, shoulder and abdominal injuries. We make sure those injuries are fully documented.
• Fatal Car Accidents and Wrongful Death: If you lost a loved one in a crash, our attorneys help your family bring a wrongful death claim and hold the responsible party accountable.

Truck, Pedestrian and Other Vehicle Accidents

• Truck Accidents: Commercial truck crashes involve federal safety rules, trucking companies and their legal teams. We investigate driver logs, maintenance records and company safety practices to expose violations.
• Pedestrian Accidents: People struck by a car while walking can suffer serious injuries and have their own path to compensation under New York law. We guide you through it.
• Motorcycle Accidents: Riders face different insurance rules than people in cars. We handle the coverage questions and the claim against the at-fault driver.
• Bicycle Accidents: Cyclists hit by drivers or opening car doors can seek compensation from the people who caused the crash. We gather the evidence that shows what happened.
• Bus and MTA Accidents: Most claims against NYC Transit and the MTA start with a Notice of Claim, usually due within 90 days. We prepare and serve it so your claim stays open.

Drivers, passengers and pedestrians hurt in New York crashes work with Raphaelson & Levine for three reasons: recognized trial leadership, a dedicated legal team on every case, and experience with every kind of car accident claim.

• Recognized Legal Leadership: Led by partners Howard Raphaelson and Andrew Levine, both named to Super Lawyers® every year from 2015 through 2026, Raphaelson & Levine holds a Tier 1 ranking in New York City for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs from Best Law Firms® (2025–2027). Explore our 17 awards and recognitions.
• Your Dedicated Legal Team: When you hire us, you'll have a dedicated paralegal, trial attorney, and firm partner leading your case, and a direct line of contact for questions and guidance throughout the legal process.
• Comprehensive Car Crash Representation: We handle multi-vehicle collisions, highway crashes, catastrophic injuries and wrongful death claims throughout New York City.

Ready to protect your rights? You don't need to have all the answers. Tell us what happened in the crash and what medical care you've had, and we'll tell you what to protect first, before you speak with any insurance company.

Most NYC car accident claims trace back to a handful of fault patterns. Who pays, and how much, depends on which pattern applies, what the crash report and physical evidence show, and whether the at-fault driver was working, uninsured, or driving someone else's car.

• Rear-end impacts in stop-and-go traffic: Following too closely or looking away in congested traffic.
• Red lights and failure to yield: Drivers who run a light or stop sign cause many T-bone crashes at intersections.
• Speeding and unsafe lane changes: Aggressive driving on avenues and highways leaves other drivers no time to react.
• Drunk or distracted driving: Alcohol, drugs and phone use slow reaction time and pull attention from the road.
• Fatigued or drowsy driving: Tired drivers react more slowly and can drift out of their lane.
• Vehicle defects and poor maintenance: Brake failures, tire blowouts and steering defects can make a manufacturer, or the company that maintained the vehicle, responsible alongside the driver.
• Dangerous road conditions: Potholes, broken signals and poor road design can make the city responsible, which starts a 90-day notice deadline.

Raphaelson & Levine has recovered over $1 billion for injured clients, and these car accident results show how that record is built. In a $2.9 million motor vehicle settlement, our attorneys retained accident reconstruction and medical experts and turned down the insurer's early offers.

When a Bronx driver was blamed for rear-ending a car that ran a stop sign, witness statements and intersection evidence put fault back on the other driver, and the case settled for $1.94 million after three surgeries. Partners Andrew Levine and Howard Raphaelson also tried the case that produced a $2.8 million trial verdict for two sisters hurt in a rear-end crash.

Selected Car and Motor Vehicle Results

• $3.5 Million Car Accident Settlement in Nassau County, NY: A driver in a dealership loaner car needed neck surgery after a reckless driver struck her, and the recovery was 35 times what another firm had estimated.
• $2.9 Million Motor Vehicle Accident Settlement in New York: Accident reconstruction, medical testimony and a vocational economist's lost-earning-capacity figure answered an insurer that disputed both fault and injuries.
• $2.8 Million Rear-End Car Accident Trial Verdict: Two sisters riding as passengers suffered lumbar and cervical disc injuries, and the insurer had offered each of them $40,000 before trial.
• $2.2 Million Head-On Car Accident Settlement: A driver suffered a severe head injury and facial injuries when a speeding driver hit her car head-on.
• $1.94 Million Car Accident Settlement in the Bronx: A Bronx driver blamed for a rear-end crash showed the other car had run a stop sign, recovering for cervical, lumbar and rotator cuff surgeries.
• $1.4 Million Rear-End Collision Settlement in Manhattan: Expert testimony and diagnostic imaging tied each procedure to a Manhattan rear-end crash after the insurer disputed the injuries.
• $775,000 Taxi Accident Settlement in the Bronx: A taxi driver rear-ended on Garrison Avenue suffered neck and back disc injuries that ended his driving career, so lost earning capacity drove the recovery.
• $750,000 Drunk Driving Accident Settlement: An impaired driver crossed the center line on a rural Delaware County road and fractured our client's elbow, and summary judgment settled fault before trial.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.

After a crash, call 911, see a doctor and preserve evidence quickly, because camera footage gets overwritten and vehicles get repaired within days. None of these steps requires you to talk to the other driver's insurance company.

1. Call 911: Police and EMS reports document the scene and your injuries.
2. Photograph the scene: Capture the vehicles, their positions, road conditions, traffic signals and visible injuries.
3. Exchange details: Get the other driver's name, insurance company, policy number and license plate.
4. Collect witness contacts and video: Save witness phone numbers and your dashcam file, and note nearby cameras.
5. See a doctor promptly: Get checked even if you feel mostly fine, because some injuries show symptoms days later.
6. Request the police crash report: It is the starting point for proving how the crash happened.
7. Give your own insurer written notice within 30 days: That is the general deadline under New York's no-fault rules.
8. Call us before any recorded statement: Talk to a lawyer before you give a recorded statement to any insurance company.

No-Fault (PIP) Benefits Come First

New York's no-fault coverage, also called Personal Injury Protection (PIP), pays from your own auto policy no matter who caused the crash. According to the New York State Department of Financial Services, it covers:

• Medical bills: Reasonable and necessary medical and rehabilitation expenses, paid under set fee schedules.
• Lost earnings: 80% of lost earnings, up to $2,000 a month for up to three years.
• Other costs: Up to $25 a day for up to a year, for expenses such as household help and travel to treatment.
• The limit: These benefits share a $50,000 limit per person, called basic economic loss.

You generally must give the no-fault insurer written notice within 30 days of the accident; a later notice is accepted only with a clear and reasonable justification for the delay. These benefits are separate from any claim against the driver who hit you.

The Serious-Injury Threshold and the May 26, 2026 Changes

To sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering, your injury must meet the serious-injury definition in NY Insurance Law § 5102(d). It covers:

• Death
• Dismemberment or significant disfigurement
• A fracture
• Loss of a fetus
• Permanent loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system
• Permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member
• Significant limitation of use of a body function or system

NY Insurance Law § 5104 sets out these rules. Our NYC car accident lawyers will confirm how they apply to your crash.

Fault and Shared Blame

Being partly at fault does not automatically end your claim: under NY CPLR § 1411, New York's comparative negligence rule reduces your compensation by your share of the fault. For injury lawsuits covered by New York's no-fault law and started on or after May 26, 2026, you cannot recover if your fault is greater than the fault of the people you sue.

Wrongful death and property damage claims still follow pure comparative negligence, so partial fault reduces recovery but does not bar it.

Statute of Limitations and Filing Deadlines

New York's statute of limitations gives you three years to file most car accident lawsuits, but no-fault claims, claims against the city and wrongful death claims run on shorter clocks.

Crashes Involving City Vehicles or Buses

The notice must describe the claim and the time, place and manner of the crash, and claims against New York City agencies are served on the NYC Comptroller's office. The same process can apply when a broken signal or a road design defect involving the NYC Department of Transportation contributed to the crash.

These cases move much faster than the standard three-year rule.

You can recover economic damages, such as medical bills and lost income, and non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. No-fault pays part of your economic losses whoever caused the crash, and a lawsuit against the at-fault driver can recover the rest, including non-economic damages, when your injury qualifies. The table shows which losses each path covers.

These are the same losses behind our car accident settlements and verdicts.

The first call is a free consultation, not a commitment. You'll describe the crash, your injuries, and the insurance picture as you know it; we'll give you an honest read on whether you have a case and what it likely involves. If it isn't a case, we'll tell you plainly.

If we take your case, a dedicated team starts on the work that decays fastest. That team includes a paralegal, a trial attorney and a local partner from our firm of 16 attorneys.

What We Do First

1. Preserve scene evidence and camera footage.
2. Request the police crash report.
3. Put the insurers on written notice.
4. Direct your medical documentation.
5. Prepare the Notice of Claim when a city agency is involved.

That first review also maps every coverage source that might apply: the other driver's policy, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and any employer or vehicle-owner responsibility. Undervalued claims usually start with missed coverage, not weak facts.

We work on a contingency fee. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you, and if we don't recover, you owe us nothing: no fee and no case costs.

“Insurers read no-fault files all day; most injured drivers are seeing theirs for the first time. Our job in a New York car case is to close that gap fast — lock down the crash report, the coverage picture, and the medical record before the first offer arrives.”

Andrew Levine, Partner

What clients say in 823 Google reviews averaging 4.9 stars:

“They are the BEST law firm in New York City. My first car accident ever and they went above and beyond and took care of the situation above my expectations.” — Goku T., Car Accident (Google Review)

“I randomly chose this office to represent me when I had a car accident and it was one of the best choices I have made.” — Keshun R., Car Accident (Google Review)

“I had a car accident case that was handled by Steve November and Sultanul Sakib who were so insightful and helpful.” — Dina C., Car Accident (Google Review)

Results vary depending on the facts and circumstances of each case.

Every day, our team helps people injured in automobile crashes understand their options. Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often about car accident claims in New York.

Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident lawyer handles the insurers, deadlines and evidence while you recover, and hiring one costs nothing upfront because we work on a contingency fee.

New York Car Crash Laws

New York is a no-fault state: your own policy pays basic losses first, and you can sue the at-fault driver only for a serious injury or for losses beyond no-fault.

First Steps and Critical Deadlines

The first days after a crash decide what evidence survives, and New York's deadlines run from 30 days for no-fault notice to three years for most lawsuits.

Dealing With Insurance Companies

Insurers often try to settle early, so talk to a lawyer before you give a recorded statement or accept an offer.

Settlement Value and Compensation

There is no average car accident settlement in New York; value is built from your medical records, lost income, the evidence of fault and the insurance available.

Have more questions? Contact us today, and we’ll help you understand your legal options and next steps.

Talk to a New York City Car Accident Lawyer

A crash in New York City leaves you with questions that have deadlines attached. One call answers most of them. Raphaelson & Levine has served injured New Yorkers for 34 years, in English, Spanish, and Chinese, with phones answered 24/7.

Call (212) 268-3222 or send us your crash details through our contact form. The consultation is free and confidential; you'll leave it knowing which rules apply to your crash, what to protect first, and whether you have a case worth pursuing. You pay nothing upfront, and no attorney fees unless compensation is recovered for you.

Already have a claim underway and doubts about where it stands? A second opinion costs nothing either.