Manhattan is the most densely populated borough in the most densely populated city in the United States, and Manhattan traffic is among the busiest as well. New Yorkers lost an average of 117 hours in traffic in 2022, the equivalent of nearly five days.
These conditions probably make accidents inevitable, so it should be no surprise that there were 16,827 collisions in Manhattan that same year, more than a third of which inflicted injuries.
If you have been hurt in a Manhattan car accident, you may be eligible to pursue a claim against the liable parties, though success is never guaranteed. To help tip the odds in your favor, do what so many others have done before you and reach out to The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny, where our Manhattan car accident lawyers have been getting justice for injured New Yorkers for decades.
Call our office at (212) 421-0300 or fill out our case evaluation form to schedule a free consultation with a dedicated Manhattan car accident attorney.
What to Do After a Manhattan Car Accident
It can be difficult to think clearly in the aftermath of a crash, but there are steps you should take to protect yourself and any case you may have. After a Manhattan car accident, remember to:
- Move to Safety – If you stay on the road, you risk being involved in another accident, so move your vehicle or at least yourself to safety before you do anything else.
- Contact the Authorities – It is vital to have police and emergency personnel at the scene to document the incident and attend to the injured, so be ready to call 911 if they have not already arrived. Be sure to share your version of what happened with the responding officers, since an inaccurate police report could hinder your claim.
- Get Medical Attention – Even if you are not sure that you are hurt, get prompt medical attention, ideally from an EMT at the crash site. Delays in care could impede your ability to heal and call into question the extent and relevance of your injuries.
- Obtain Driver and Witness Information – Exchange information with the at-fault driver and anyone else involved in the car accident, including:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Driver’s license
- Insurance company and policy number
- Vehicle year, make, and model
- License plate
Witnesses can provide independent confirmation of what happened, so take down the names and numbers of everyone who saw the accident and encourage them to share their accounts with the police.
- Take Pictures and Videos – A visual record of the crash can be invaluable in establishing liability and detailing the damages incurred, so use your phone to take pictures and shoot video as soon as you are able to do so.
- Inform Your Insurance Company – To remain in compliance with the terms of your policy and take advantage of any benefits that it may offer, inform your insurance company about the accident immediately.
- Speak to a Lawyer – The Manhattan car accident lawyers at The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny can answer your questions, educate you about your rights under the law, and guide you through your options if you are contemplating a claim.
Types of Car Accidents in Manhattan
We have represented clients for practically every type of car accident in Manhattan, including those involving:
- Distraction – Distracted driving has become the leading cause of car accidents in New York, contributing to more than 28,000 auto accidents in 2022, with cellphones being the worst offenders. Even though New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law Sections 1225(c) and 1225(d) bar drivers from taking calls or using handheld electronic devices behind the wheel, the average motorist still spends 3.17 minutes on the phone every 100 miles, while nearly a third admit to texting while driving.
- Speeding – Exceeding a safe speed can increase both the likelihood and severity of a collision, so it is unfortunate that so many New Yorkers do so on a regular basis. In 2022 alone, 3,940 high-speed accidents were reported in New York City, with many of them resulting in injury.
- Intoxication – Drunk driving remains a major concern. An average of 37 Americans are killed per day in traffic accidents involving drug or alcohol use, while intoxication contributed to 1,994 collisions in New York City in 2022. Our Manhattan car accident attorneys will seek recovery from every avenue if you have been injured by a drunk driver, even going after the bar or tavern who overserved that individual by filing a claim in accordance with Section 11-101 of the New York General Obligations Law.
- Fatigue – Drowsy driving can be as hazardous as drunk driving, with one study finding that drivers who go more than twenty hours without sleep may suffer the same level impairment as drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the legal limit for intoxication in New York. Drivers in Manhattan may be disproportionately prone to fatigue, since they have to spend so many hours stuck in gridlock.
- Taxi Cab Accidents – Thanks to countless movies and television shows, taxi cabs feature prominently in the public’s mental image of Manhattan, an image that is not far off on the mark. New York City has 13,587 licensed taxis currently in operation, which sadly means that taxi cab accidents are commonplace as well. About 4 percent of New York accidents in 2022 involved cabs, the equivalent of 11 collisions each day.
- Rideshare Crashes – The rapid growth of services like Uber and Lyft have flooded New York City with approximately 75,000 rideshare vehicles. Ridesharing offers ease and convenience to New York commuters, but it may be more dangerous than other means of transportation, since rideshare drivers receive less training than taxi and limo drivers. Moreover, the complexities of fiscal responsibility in a rideshare accident may need to be untangled by a skilled Manhattan car accident lawyer.
- Rear-end Collisions – Crashes from behind happen more than any other automotive accident. Though trailing drivers are generally held liable for rear-end collisions in New York, there may be exceptions, which can lead to the kinds of disputes that The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny has long been sorting out.
- Head-on Crashes – If rear-end collisions are the most frequently occurring car accidents, head-on crashes are among the most destructive, accounting for 10.1 percent of traffic fatalities despite making up only two percent of collisions.
- Rollovers – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that rollovers are responsible for almost a third of passenger vehicle deaths, including 7,107 fatalities across the country in 2020.
- T-Bone Accidents – Collisions in which the front of one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle cost 8,500 to 10,000 lives annually. T-bone accidents often involve drivers who fail to yield the right of way or ignore traffic signals, which can make assigning blame a contentious matter.
- Chain Reactions – A collision can sometimes create a domino effect with three or more cars, a phenomenon that may be more likely in Manhattan’s tightly packed traffic. The sheer number of parties involved in a chain reaction may create an opportunity to sow confusion and limit exposure for drivers and their insurers.
No matter how your injury occurred, you can count on the Manhattan car accident attorneys at our firm to determine the best course of action.
What Our Manhattan Car Accident Lawyers Can Do for You
A car accident can be over in a matter of seconds, but its impact can be felt for months or even years to come, forcing you to cope with astronomical medical bills and out-of-pocket costs while simultaneously being unable to work. Simply making ends can become a struggle, much less securing funds to meet the new demands on your finances, especially in the face of staunch opposition from insurance carriers who may exploit your inexperience to offer you pennies on the dollar for your claim or deny it outright.
This is when the Manhattan car accident attorneys at The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny can be a game changer. We have achieved top results in thousands of car accident cases, many of them just like yours, and we won’t let the intimidation tactics of insurance companies pressure us into settling your case for less.
If you retain our firm, we will conduct a thorough investigation into your car accident and everyone responsible for it within the time allotted by law, known as the Statute of Limitations. Failure to file suit or resolve your claim before the Statute expires could bar you from full recovery, but our meticulous Manhattan car accident lawyers will be sure to meet every deadline and requirement to keep that from happening.
We will also amass all the materials needed to construct your claim, including:
- Police reports
- Citations and dispositions
- Dash cam, traffic light, and surveillance footage
- Black box data
- Eyewitness statements
- Driving histories
- Phone records
- Vehicle maintenance logs
- Forensic analysis and accident reconstruction
If there is evidence of wrongdoing by the defendants, The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny will work tirelessly to find it.
Get Compensated for All Your Losses
After we have assembled an airtight case against every at-fault party, we will attempt to reach a settlement that compensates you for all your losses, including:
- Medical Expenses – You could be reimbursed for the costs of hospitalizations, surgeries, procedures, prescription drugs, courses of therapy, assistive devices, and past, present, and future treatment for your Manhattan car accident.
- Lost Wages – Remuneration may be available for the wages you lost right after your collision and for any reduction in your long-term earning capacity because of permanent disability.
- Non-Economic Damages – Pain and suffering, mental and emotional anguish, diminished quality of living, and other non-economic damages may be considered.
- Loss of Consortium – Your spouse could initiate a claim for the deprivation of the benefits of a marital relationship secondary to your car accident injuries.
- Punitive Damages – In order to discourage similar misconduct from others, New York courts may levy greater penalties on defendants whose behavior demonstrates “willful or wanton negligence” or a “high degree of moral turpitude.”
And unlike many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, see the inside of a courtroom, we are not afraid to go before a judge and jury if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your case. We have advocated for the wrongfully injured in hundreds of trials throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.
Every car accident is different, but The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny will always strive to maximize the value of yours.
Our No Fee Guarantee®
You might be worried about additional expenditures when you can least afford them. For this reason, you may be pleased to learn that it will cost you nothing up front to hire us because we work on a contingency fee basis. Only when our Manhattan car accident attorneys bring your case to a favorable resolution will we ask for reimbursement for our expenses and a fee for our services, usually as a percentage of your total compensation.
With our No Fee Guarantee®, either we win your case or it’s free. The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny is willing to assume all the risks involved in getting your life back to normal.
Contact a Manhattan Car Accident Lawyer
With more than $350 million recovered in verdicts and settlements and more than 100 years of combined legal experience, the Manhattan car accident lawyers at The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny have what it takes to get you and your family what you deserve.
You can arrange a complimentary meeting with one of our accomplished Manhattan car accident attorneys by calling us at (212) 421-0300 or filling out our case evaluation form.
