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New York Car and Pedestrian Accident Attorney Gerry Oginski:

Protecting and Promoting the Rights of Car Accident Injury Victims

Many hazards come with the privilege of living in New York City, and nowhere are these hazards more visible than on our city’s many streets, intersections, roads and highways. Everyday, New Yorkers are first-hand witnesses to serious car accidents, taxicab accidents, motorcycle accidents and truck accidents that shouldn’t have happened, caused by negligent people driving like Hollywood stuntmen on a movie set instead of responsible drivers and citizens. We’ve all seen them: reckless drivers weaving through traffic-filled streets, inattentive drivers speeding through stop signs and traffic lights, and aggressive drivers cutting off other vehicles like they weren’t even there. And we all know that unlike the movies, real pain and suffering results from car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle accidents caused by this type of negligent driving.

If we haven’t faced injury from car accidents ourselves, most of us know people whose lives have been forever damaged because of other drivers who chose to close their eyes to roadway laws designed to make our streets as safe as possible. Most car accidents are completely preventable, and if everyone paid the proper attention and respect for the laws of the road, New York City would be a safer place.

Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen, and that means more than 17,000 New Yorkers will suffer serious injuries in the next year. Whatever their many causes – which can include road rage, intoxication, inattention, negligence or simple joyriding - the injuries resulting from these car accidents will permanently impact the lives of their victims. These injuries can include severe compound fractures of the limbs, spinal cord injury, dismemberment, back injury, neck injury, severe burns and scarring and traumatic head and brain injury. Between 600 and 700 more New Yorkers will die as a result of these traffic injuries, fatalities that include drivers, vehicle passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Why in New York You Need to Move Fast Following a Car Accident Injury

Most of us know that if a car accident occurs and you’re injured, your recovery isn’t limited to the personal wealth or net worth of the other driver, which in many cases may be nothing. It is the insurance company’s responsibility (either your insurance company, the other driver’s, or a combination of both) to pay for the financial losses you’ve sustained as a result of your car accident injury. This can include pain and suffering, lost time at work, and the full costs of the medical care required to help you through your injury, both immediate and long-term.

What many people don’t know is that the typical insurance company is far more interested in how much money it can avoid paying out than the real value of how much money your injury has cost you. Because the entire structure of the insurance industry is based on protecting profits (the premiums policyholders pay each month) and minimizing payouts to paying customers, the average person will almost never receive the recovery they deserve for their injury. As with almost every kind of personal injury, the insurance industry has made a science of damage control to hem in the claims of car accident injury victims. Blatant lying, withholding or destroying medical or physical evidence, and presenting “take it or leave it” ultimatums is standard operating procedure with a car accident injury victim who fails to seek legal advice from an aggressive attorney as early after the accident as possible.

The longer you wait to involve an attorney in your car accident injury case, the more ground your insurance company gains in persuading you to make uninformed decisions and accept a settlement that is far less than you deserve. In order for the many victims of car accidents and their families to receive the appropriate compensation for severe injury or death suffered in New York City, they need an attorney determined to protect their rights against forces equally determined to take them away. For 16 years, residents of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and the greater New York City area have consistently relied on car accident injury attorney Gerry Oginski to demand fair treatment and consideration from their insurance companies in times when their injuries have left them most vulnerable.

Enlisting Gerry’s legal support and guidance for your car accident injury gives you the advantage of a solo practitioner’s focus on every legal circumstance and hurdle involved in your New York vehicle and traffic case. As an attorney that began his career defending the interests of insurance companies, Gerry knows all too well the wide array of tactics insurance companies deploy against vehicle accident victims in order to coerce, trick or trap them into inadequate settlements for their injuries. He’ll investigate your case, help you determine your legal options, stand up for your rights and ensure you get everything you deserve for your car accident injury under New York State law.

If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury due to a car accident, never sign or agree to anything until you’ve had a chance to talk to an attorney. Your insurance company will advise you against it, and if you insist they may claim you are being “hostile” or “unreasonable.” Don’t listen to them. Listen to an attorney who will tell you that, when it comes to car accident injuries, the insurance industry invented those terms.

If you’ve been in a car accident and been injured in the New York metropolitan area, the 5 boroughs, or Nassau or Suffolk Counties, contact Gerry Oginski today for a full review of your case and the best legal options available to you.

Library for Car Accidents:

• Car Accidents in NY- 7 Reasons You May Not Want to Sue   
  Description: Learn the seven reasons why you many not want to bring a lawsuit if you've been injured in a car accident case in the State of New York. The reasons may be contrary to what you know. Gerry Oginski, an experienced accident attorney practicing law in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, New York Staten Island, Nassau & Suffolk explains.
• "What Color Was The Light?" Asked The Police Officer   
  Description: If an officer isn't on the scene, an ambulance attendant might ask, or even a good Samaritan checking to see if you're ok. Most people want to know, even at the scene of a gruesome accident, who went through the red light.
• Car Accidents- 5 Reasons To Sue Your Parents   
  Description: Learn why you may have to sue your parents if you were a passenger in a car driven by one of your parents and were involved in an accident.
• Car Accidents - You're Driving Through An Intersection, And All You Remember Is A Loud Crash   
  Description: Car accidents - You're driving through an intersection and the light is green as you enter the intersection. You remember a loud crash, and then waking up in an ambulance. Read this riveting story of a person involved in a car accident, from their viewpoint. His memory of the events, the hospital treatment and the devastating effect it has on his wife and family is vital to seeing what happened to his once golden life.
• 5 REASONS WHY YOU DON'T NEED AN ATTORNEY   
  Description: Read why after an accident you may not need an attorney at all.
• 5 Deadly Sins That Can Wreck Your Injury Claim- Read This Special Report [PDF]   
  Description: New York personal injury lawyer Gerald M. Oginski represents residents of Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and Nassau and Suffolk Counties who have suffered injuries or death. This special report discusses Gerry's experience working with people injured in car accidents and their injuries including broken bones, fractures, the need for surgery, hospitalization and permanent injuries that accompany a devastating car crash. Retaining Gerry to review your injury case gives you the advantage of a solo practitioner determined to get you best results for your injury. If you live in the New York metropolitan area or the surrounding counties, and you've been injured, call Gerry today.
• The 10 most hazardous street corners in New York City for Pedestrians   
  Description: The 10 most hazardous street corners in New York City for Pedestrians

Frequent Questions for Car Accidents:

• Are photos of the accident scene helpful?
• If I live in Brooklyn, and my car accident happened in Queens, where do we bring the lawsuit?
• If an insurance adjuster calls me after my accident to ask me questions, can I talk to him?
• A neighbor of mine was in a car accident and broke her arm. She got a lot of money. I was also in a car accident and broke my nose. Why isn't my case worth as much as hers?
• What is a 'life-care planner'?
• In a car accident case, why is the trial split into two parts?
• What does speed, time and distance have to do with my car accident case?
• My car was totalled in a car accident. My insurance company wants to pay for the car and then get rid of the car. Should I allow this?
• My car was totalled, but I'm just bruised. Do I have a case?
• If I was in a car accident and then a doctor committed malpractice on me, do I have to bring two separate lawsuits?
• If I was in an accident and the driver had limited insurance, but my injuries are significant, is there any way to go after that individual personally?
• I was in a car accident in New York and was in the hospital for three weeks. My medical bills are over $100,000. Why doesn't No-fault pay more than $50,000 in medical bills?

Videos about Car Accidents:

• Can You Get Away With A Little White Lie At Trial?

Web Resources for Car Accidents:

• Limited time to file your no-fault claim after a car accident- Tips from the New York State Trial Lawyers Association

  Description: The new law seriously limits the time an injured victim has to file a claim with their insurance company. You must act quickly to retain the benefits of your insurance company paying for your medical expenses related to the car accident.

• New York State Dept. of Insurance

  Description: How to File a Complaint or Make an Inquiry using our Online Forms. Auto, Health & Life insurance questions and answers.

• Brain Injury Association of New York
• Time/Speed/Distance Calculator
• New York City Traffic Regulations
• Notice.com

  Description: Check here for recall information on automobiles and other products.

• Head and Brain Injuries - U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
• What you should know about Traumatic Brain Injury - SafeUSA
• Brain Injury Resource Center

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