Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer for Help When You Need It Most

Accidents happen every day. In many cases, they’re nothing more than bad luck – like tripping over your own two feet. But if your injuries were caused by someone else’s carelessness, then you may be able to pursue financial compensation.

Through a personal injury lawsuit, you can recover money for your medical bills, property damage, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. A skilled personal injury lawyer can help you with the process, starting with a free initial consultation. They will take on the big insurance company for you, and help you get the money that you deserve for your injuries.

Suffering physical injuries typically comes with emotional trauma and financial loss, sometimes severe enough to bankrupt a household. Victims of negligence should not have to financially suffer because of another party’s actions. A Brooklyn personal injury attorney at The O’Connor Law Firm is dedicated to helping victims who have suffered serious injuries due to the carelessness and recklessness of others.

How a Brooklyn Injury Lawyer Can Help You 

The O’Connor Law Firm represents injured New Yorkers and their families in all types of serious injury cases. We have the experience, skill, and determination to get you the compensation you deserve. Here are some of the types of cases we handle:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bus accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Slip/trip and fall accidents
• Construction accidents
• Apartment Building Accidents
• Elevator accidents
• Child Injuries
• Dog bites
• NYC municipal negligence
• Subway and NYCTA accidents
• Brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Burn Injuries
• Fractures and broken bones
• Internal organ damage
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Wrongful death

We are always available to answer your Brooklyn personal injury questions. We also offer free case evaluations. Call us today at 866-963-1453 or fill out our form below and let us guide you through the legal process.

When Can I File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Personal injury cases are most often based on a theory of negligence, or carelessness. Negligence is a legal term that means the failure to use the level of care that a reasonable person would use in a similar situation.  If you can demonstrate that another person or entity was negligent in some way, then you will likely be able to recover financial compensation for your injuries.

Negligence has four elements:

• Duty: the at-fault party (defendant) owed the victim (plaintiff) a duty of care.
• Breach: the defendant violated that duty of care in some way (such as by speeding or running a red light).
• Causation: this violation was the proximate or but-for cause of the plaintiff’s injuries.
• Damages: the plaintiff suffered losses.

Negligence can happen in any number of ways. For example, if a person does not yield when merging onto a highway and causes an accident, they may be held responsible for any injuries that result. Similarly, if a dog owner walks their dog without a leash and it attacks someone, then they could be considered negligent. 

In many cases, determining who is at fault is relatively easy – such as if a truck runs a red light and slams into another vehicle. However, there are many situations where one or more people cause an accident. In this situation, New York’s comparative negligence rule would apply.

Under the principle of comparative negligence, a person who is partially at fault for an accident can still recover for their losses. Their total recovery will be reduced by the percentage that they were at fault. If a jury finds that they suffered $100,000 in damages and were 50% at fault, for example, their total award will be reduced by 50% to $50,000.

In some cases, an injury isn’t caused by mere carelessness, but by intentional or reckless conduct. For example, a person getting behind the wheel of a car after having too much to drink and causing a drunk driving accident would be considered reckless. In this type of case, you can still hold that person liable for your injuries. In fact, you may even be entitled to additional compensation (punitive damages) because of the at-fault party’s intentional or reckless behavior.

Even if you don’t think that someone else caused your accident, it may still be a good idea to set up a free consultation with a Brooklyn personal injury lawyer. There are many nuances to the law, and you may not realize that you have a viable personal injury claim against another person, a government agency, a manufacturer, or even your own insurance company. Reach out today to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation appointment with a member of our legal team.

Compensation in a Brooklyn Personal Injury Case

In any personal injury claim, you may be able to recover financial compensation for all of your losses. This may include money (damages) in three separate categories:

• Economic damages, which compensate you for your direct financial losses. This may include property damage, lost wages, reduced or lost earning capacity, medical bills, and future medical treatment.
• Non-economic damages, which compensate you for your intangible losses. Non-economic damages may include pain and suffering, emotional distress, reduced quality of life, scarring, and/or disfigurement.
• Punitive damages are designed to penalize someone who engaged in intentional or grossly reckless conduct. Because most personal injury cases are based on a theory of negligence, punitive damages are not always available. However, there are situations – such as drunk driving accidents – where punitive damages may be appropriate.

The value of your case will depend on factors such as the severity of your injuries, the likelihood that you will make a full recovery, and the at-fault party’s insurance policy limits. A skilled Brooklyn personal injury attorney can give you a ballpark estimate of the value of your case during a free initial consultation.

Insurance companies often give injury victims a lowball settlement offer shortly after a claim is filed. This settlement offer often focuses on economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, and rarely includes sufficient money for non-economic damages. This offer may even grossly undervalue economic damages because you don’t yet know the full scope of your losses or how long you will require medical treatment.

Before making a statement to the insurance adjuster, signing any paperwork, or accepting a settlement, you should talk to a lawyer. Studies show that people represented by counsel recover an average of 40% more than those who represent themselves in personal injury claims. Working with a personal injury law firm is typically the best way to ensure that you get maximum compensation for your injuries. 

Remember: insurance companies want to resolve your claim for as little money as possible. In many cases, this means paying you far less than the true value of your case. If you want to get top dollar for your claim – and get the money that you need to move forward with your life – then your best option is to talk to a Brooklyn personal injury attorney.

How Can a Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me?

It’s always in the best interest of victims of negligence to consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer after suffering injuries. Some ways a Brooklyn injury attorney can help include:

• Evaluation. An experienced attorney can review the facts of your case, determine your eligibility for compensation, and advise you on your legal options to recover compensation for your injuries.
• Investigation. An attorney can investigate your case to uncover relevant information to support your claim, making it difficult for the insurance company or defense legal team to argue against your claim. This may include reviewing accident reports, interviewing witnesses, analyzing photos and videos of the accident scene, and talking to expert witnesses.
• Research. A lawyer will use their own knowledge and experience to develop a theory of the case, and will also perform legal research. They may discover a basis for bringing another party – such as a government agency – into the case to increase the likelihood of you getting full compensation for your injuries.
• Communication. Personal injury lawyers handle communications with insurance companies and other relevant parties to protect their clients from saying something that could negatively impact the value of their personal injury claim. They can also make sure that the insurance company has the information that they need to appropriately process your claim.
• Protection. There are many rules and laws that govern personal injury claims in the state of New York, such as the statute of limitations (a time limit for filing a lawsuit). Your lawyer will ensure that your rights are protected by filing a lawsuit on time and taking other steps to advocate for you.
• Negotiation. Accident and injury attorneys are trained negotiators who know how to deal with insurance companies and legal defense teams. Hiring legal counsel often results in more compensation for accident victims than they could get on their own.
• Litigation. Sometimes settlement negotiations fail or are not an option. While the vast majority of personal injury claims are resolved outside of the courtroom, a lawyer can fight for you in the courtroom when necessary. At trial, they will make arguments, present evidence, and question witnesses before asking a jury to return a verdict in your favor.

Personal injury law firms – like The O’Connor Law Firm – represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will pay nothing upfront, and will only pay an attorney’s fee if they recover money for you. The fee will be a percentage of your total recovery, based on your contingency fee agreement and New York law.

Contingency fee arrangements mean that it’s possible for anyone to hire a lawyer, even if you don’t have the cash on hand to pay an hourly fee or put down a large retainer. They also align your interests with your lawyer’s – you both want to resolve the case for as much money as possible and as quickly as possible. If you have been hurt in any type of accident, you don’t have to worry about how you can afford to hire an attorney – you can focus on getting better instead. 

Insurance companies have teams of lawyers and adjusters to represent their interests. It is only fair that you have your own legal counsel to level the playing field and get you a fair settlement. Reach out today to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our legal team.

Contact a Skilled Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer Today to Get the Legal Help You Need

Being hurt in any type of accident can be incredibly traumatic. In the aftermath, you may be overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn for help. You may be struggling to pay your bills and dealing with both physical and emotional injuries. Our legal team is here for you.

With offices in Staten Island and Manhattan, The O’Connor Law Firm advocates for injury victims throughout the greater New York City region, including Brooklyn. We offer free initial consultations and never charge a fee unless we recover money for you. To learn more or to schedule a free case evaluation, give us a call at (866) 963-1453 or fill out our online contact form.