Car Accident Attorney in Schenectady, NY
Did you or someone you love suffer severe injuries in a car accident in Schenectady, NY? If someone else is responsible for the crash, their insurance company could owe you compensation for your losses. These may include your medical bills, wages lost from being away from work, pain and suffering, and other damages. However, the insurer will do whatever it can to underpay your claim or flat-out deny it altogether. With an attorney from Dalmata, Maloy, & Burke, LLP, on your side, you’ll have the strength to fight back and demand the money you deserve.
At DMB Legal, we are proud to hold a track record of success for accident victims in New York’s Capital Region. The insurers and their defense attorneys know we mean business, while our former clients can attest to the difference we made for them during the darkest moments of their lives. Our law firm emphasizes personalized representation and close client relationships; no client is ever treated like “just another case number,” but rather someone who needs help. We make ourselves available 24/7 for you to reach us, with quick response times for your calls, messages, and emails.
Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation, where you can discover how the Soaring Eagle of Justice can protect your rights. You won’t pay anything upfront for us to get started on your case, and there are no fees unless we successfully resolve your case.
How a Schenectady Car Accident Attorney Can Help with Your Claim
The aftermath of being in an auto accident is hard enough without having to deal with insurance adjusters, legal paperwork, and virtually endless red tape. When you hire a Schenectady car accident attorney from DMB Legal, you can concentrate on resting and healing while we do the heavy lifting in pursuit of the money you need to move on with your life.
What stands in the way, however, is the insurance company that’s more focused on its bottom line than on paying full and fair compensation. They are notorious for pressuring accident victims into accepting lowball settlements that don’t fully account for what they’ve suffered or their continuing accident-related expenses. When you have an experienced and aggressive car accident attorney in Schenectady as your advocate, the insurer will know you are serious about demanding the fair compensation you deserve.
At DMB Legal, your auto accident lawyer can:
- Investigate the accident to determine who’s at fault
- Calculating your financial and personal costs
- File insurance claims on time
- Handle communications with the insurance carrier on your behalf
- Negotiating with at-fault parties and their insurers for a full and fair settlement
- Take your case to trial if the insurance company won’t agree to a reasonable offer
Don’t wait to benefit from having a determined, seasoned attorney handle your car accident claim. Contact us today for a free case review.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident?
No one ever plans to be in an auto wreck, so drivers and passengers often don’t know what to expect if it happens to them. The moment it occurs can be traumatic and disorienting, and there’s usually no time to think about anything else but ensuring you, your passenger, and the other driver are all OK.
However, it’s crucial to know what steps to take in the aftermath, as your physical, emotional, and financial well-being may depend on it. You should do the following to protect yourself, your legal rights, and your best interests:
- Get medical treatment; even if you don’t feel seriously hurt, a car accident injury could manifest itself later.
- Photograph any visible injuries, as well as the accident scene, from as many perspectives as possible.
- Obtain copies of any medical records related to the accident, as they can serve as legitimate proof of your injuries.
- Let your auto insurance company know about the accident.
- Ask for an accident report from the local police or sheriff’s department, as it serves as a critical piece of evidence for your case.
- Speak with a reputable and knowledgeable car accident attorney in Schenectady as soon as possible.
- Don’t give any statements to the other party’s insurance carrier or sign anything without first speaking with an auto accident attorney.
- Keep track of all your medical treatments, appointments, and medications
- Attend all scheduled medical appointments and follow all prescribed treatments.
- Keep all receipts and invoices related to your medical care and other crash-related expenses.
- Get a repair estimate for your damaged vehicle.
- Keep a diary of your levels of pain, recovery progress, and any disruptions to your everyday life caused by the crash.
- Don’t post anything on social media about the accident or your injuries, as the insurance company can use your words against you.
- Never accept any settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurance company without consulting a car accident law firm.
Don’t wait to benefit from having a determined, seasoned attorney handle your car accident claim. Contact us today for a free case review.
Who Could Be Held Liable for a Car Accident in Schenectady?
It’s easy to assume that the driver of the car that caused your accident is the only one responsible for your injuries. However, many car accident cases we at DMB Legal have successfully handled involved multiple parties who were liable.
Depending on how your accident occurred, the following parties could hold liability:
- Other drivers, if they caused the accident through their negligent behavior such as speeding, texting while driving, or driving under the influence
- Vehicle owners, if the person driving the other vehicle did not own it and the owner knowingly allowed an unfit driver to use it
- Employers, if the driver who caused the accident was on the clock when it happened, or if their employer hired the employee without providing safety training
- Vehicle manufacturers, if a vehicle defect (such as faulty brakes or a problematic transmission) or a defective auto part contributed to the accident
- Government entities, if poor road conditions or inadequate signage led to the accident
When you meet with a Schenectady car accident lawyer from our law firm, they can assess your situation to establish who could be held liable for your vehicle accident.
What Compensation Could I Recover in a Car Accident Claim?
New York state law mandates that every driver must carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, which covers your medical bills and up to 80 percent of your lost wages after a crash.
Unfortunately, many auto accident injuries could end up costing you more than your PIP policy covers. However, the law does allow you to pursue additional car accident compensation through a third-party injury claim, which could account for the following:
- Additional medical bills and lost income beyond PIP coverage
- Reduced future earnings
- Diminished quality of life and loss of consortium
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Vehicle repair/replacement costs
- Value of any other damaged or destroyed property
We invite you to meet with us at DMB Legal for a free, no-obligation case review, where our attorneys can take a closer look at your accident to determine what damages you may pursue.
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in New York?
Under New York’s statute of limitations, you typically have three years to file a car accident lawsuit. However, depending on who you’re filing a car accident claim against, the filing deadline could be shorter. For example, suppose the car accident involved a governmental entity, such as a case involving state vehicles or alleging that the road commission did not fix poor road conditions that led to your accident. In that case, you have 90 days to file a notice of claim, then one year and 90 days to file your lawsuit.
While three years may seem like enough time, missing the filing date can permanently bar you from recovering compensation. In addition, crucial evidence may be lost or destroyed if it is not preserved promptly, while witnesses’ memories can fade over time.
The best step you can take to protect your rights is to talk to an attorney from DMB Legal as soon as possible. If we can accept your case, we will start working on it immediately and ensure that everything is filed on time.
What Are Common Types and Causes of Car Crashes in Schenectady?
While each auto accident is unique, certain common factors often contribute to these unfortunate events. The following are the more typical causes our law firm has seen based on our successful car wreck cases:
- Distracted driving, especially texting and cell phone use
- Speeding
- Running red lights, stop signs, and yield signs
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving (or “road rage”)
- Not monitoring blind spots
- Tailgating/driving too close
- Drowsy/fatigued driving
- Driving under the influence
- Inexperience behind the wheel
- Poor or dangerous road conditions
- Vehicle defects, such as faulty brakes and tires
- Tire blowouts
- Incorrect or erratic lane changes
- Turning without using a signal
- Unsafe road designs
The following are the more common types of auto collisions:
- Head-on accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Side-impact or T-bone collisions
- Sideswipe collisions
- Multi-car or pile-up accidents
- Distracted driving crashes
- Reckless or aggressive driving accidents
- Speeding accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Single-vehicle accidents
- Impaired driving crashes
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist accidents
- Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
What Are Typical Injuries Resulting from a Car Accident?
The severity of car accident injuries can vary based on the speed of impact, the type of motor vehicle accident, and whether the safety features of the vehicles involved worked at the time. Common car crash injuries can include the following:
- Whiplash
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Sprains and strains
- Lacerations
- Contusions
- Burn injuries
- Facial fractures
- Dislocated joints
- Eye injuries
- Crush injuries
- Abdominal injuries
- Nerve damage
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)