Long Island Car Accident Lawyer

New York No-Fault Insurance(Coverage available to you under your own policy.)

The state of New York allows for No-Fault Insurance claims to be filed after any collision. No-Fault insurance is the informal name given to Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claims.  The only exceptions are if the driver was under the influence, intentionally caused their injuries, was committing a felony or was operating a vehicle that was stolen or otherwise not insured. Also, it is very important to note that no-fault policies do not cover motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, and other recreational vehicles.

A no-fault claim is filed with your own insurance provider, thereby making this a 1st party claim. Review the details of your personal injury protection (PIP) policy to see what benefits you may be eligible for.

Generally speaking, no-fault insurance covers:

• Up to $50,000 per person in total for medical treatments, lost wages, and other basic economic losses, subject to the below parameters.
• Regarding lost wages, No-Fault will typically pay 80% of lost earnings, up to $2,000 per month for up to three years unless additional coverage was purchased by you.
• Up to $25 a day for up to a year from the accident for related reasonable and necessary expenses.
• $2,000 for the death of the policyholder or a covered individual (in addition to the $50k medical coverage)

Liability Insurance (Coverage available to you under the opposing party automobile insurance policy.)

New York law also requires all vehicle owners to carry the following levels of minimum liability coverage, which protects other parties, thereby making this a 3rd party benefit:

• $25,000 for bodily injury per person
• $50,000 for bodily injury per accident
• $50,000 for death per person
• $10,000 for property damage per accident

Individuals can file a third-party claim against the insurance policy of an at-fault driver (or any at-fault parties) when their accident damages exceed the available coverage of their no-fault policy. They may also seek non-economic damages, such as for their pain and suffering when they have suffered a “serious injury”.

Another important factor to note is that a liability claim can pay for the remaining 20% of uncovered lost wages, depending on the language of the policy.

The above policy numbers are the minimum coverages available in NY under applicable laws and may go much higher.  We have seen policies as high as $1,000,000 or even higher.

Many individuals are not aware of their options for filing an injury claim in New York after their accident. Talk to experienced Long Island car accident attorneys to explore all of your options for seeking the maximum compensation possible.