Babylon Car Accident Lawyer

Dealing with the aftermath of a car crash can be challenging, regardless of whether the injuries are minor or severe. Accident victims often face various economic and non-economic damages because of the incident.

Fortunately, victims have the opportunity to recover financial damages related to the crash. Depending on the specifics of your situation, you might need to file a claim with your insurance company or pursue a lawsuit against the negligent driver to secure the compensation you deserve. Our lawyers can provide you with valuable guidance and support while filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit. Our team can gather medical records and other evidence to determine the extent of your injuries. If you suffered what the law considers a “serious” injury, we can help pursue compensation for your pain and suffering.

For a confidential and free case review from our Long Island, NY personal injury lawyers, call The Carrion Law Firm today at (631) 910-7493.

How and Where Car Accidents Commonly Happen in Babylon, NY

Car accidents are fairly common in Babylon, but they often bring along a host of complexities that can be challenging to navigate. It is important to talk to our car accident attorneys about the specifics of your incident, like where it happened and how it unfolded. This information can be vital for your lawyer in establishing who might be at fault for the accident, identifying the necessary evidence to support your claims, and determining where we can locate that evidence. The following are the most common places and ways Babylon car collisions occur.

Highways and Roads Around Babylon

Babylon is a relatively densely populated area of Long Island, featuring a mix of major highways and local roads that are known for crashes. A particularly dangerous route is the Sunrise Highway, which connects Babylon with several nearby towns and neighborhoods. Due to higher speed limits on larger highways, traffic can become quite heavy, especially at intersections like where the Sunrise Highway meets Deer Park Avenue. If drivers are not vigilant, accidents can lead to serious consequences.

Additionally, we should pay attention to congested local roads, such as Interstate 87. This highway stretches across most of Long Island and intersects with numerous other local routes. As a result, drivers must remain constantly aware of their surroundings to navigate safely.

The location of your accident can provide valuable insights into how we should approach your case. For instance, if the incident occurred on a major highway, we should consider speed as a likely factor, given that speeding often happens in such areas. Additionally, we can look for any nearby traffic cameras that might have captured the event. Alternatively, if your accident took place on a smaller, local road, we might depend more on witnesses who live nearby or those who stopped to help.

Speeding

Speed plays a significant role in various types of accidents. Even if it is not the main cause of an accident, it could still be a crucial factor. Higher speeds often exacerbate an already dangerous situation, turning a minor fender-bender into a severe crash. Like many areas on Long Island, Babylon is heavily populated, leading to congested traffic. In such conditions, speeding can be particularly perilous, which many drivers throughout Long Island engage in.

Distracted Driving

Distractions on the road have become increasingly prevalent, largely due to technological advancements and the rise of electronic communication. One of the biggest culprits today is cell phones. It is completely possible that another driver was texting, taking a phone call, or even scrolling through social media while attempting to keep one eye on the road.

People commonly defend their actions by insisting they only took their eyes off the road for a moment. However, ultimately, a distracted driver should be held accountable for any accidents they cause, regardless of whether the negligence was momentary. In situations involving cell phones, we can often request access to phone records to demonstrate that the defendant was using their phone at the time of the crash.

Heavy Traffic

All drivers face the challenge of traffic, ranging from extremely heavy one day to almost nonexistent the next. It is essential for drivers to adapt their driving style to the day’s conditions. When traffic is congested, taking a more defensive approach on the road is crucial. Heavy traffic is often associated with a higher risk of accidents. Speeding or ignoring signs and signals can lead to collisions, affecting not just one driver but potentially many on the road.

Traffic accidents are particularly common in Babylon during the busy summer tourist season when vacationers flock to its beaches and others throughout Long Island. As people rush to reach popular spots like Cedar Beach, Gilgo Beach, and Overlook Beach, they might not exercise the caution they need to avoid injuring others. With everyone heading to the beach at the same time, it creates a perfect storm for dangerous mishaps.

What Steps to Take After a Car Crash in Babylon, NY

Navigating your financial recovery right after a traffic accident can be challenging. That is why it is important to get acquainted with these essential steps provided by our seasoned attorneys. They outline how you can safeguard both your physical well-being and your financial stability following a crash:

Get to Safety

In the moments immediately following an accident, prioritizing safety is of the utmost importance to prevent further accidents and injuries. If you are able to do so, maneuver your vehicle to a safe location. However, if your car is immobilized or if the accident has occurred in conditions of poor visibility, take additional precautions, such as activating your hazard lights to alert other drivers of your presence. Once you have taken these steps, ensure that you and your passengers move to a secure area away from the road to avoid any potential danger from passing vehicles.

Call 911

It’s important always to call 911 for emergency services after any car accident, regardless of how minor it might seem initially. The dispatcher will arrange for law enforcement officers to come to the scene and gather essential information, which will be included in their official accident report. If anyone at the scene is injured and needs immediate medical attention, do not hesitate to request an ambulance. In the following days, we can help you obtain the completed accident report from the police department that investigated your accident and thoroughly review it for key details, such as possible contributing factors.

Talk to Witnesses

Before leaving the scene, gather contact information from any potential eyewitnesses present. Witnesses often provide invaluable insights, and they can be increasingly challenging to locate once they leave. Engaging with them directly allows for a more immediate collection of their details. If, for any reason, you are unable to communicate with the witnesses on-site, we can still obtain their information later by reviewing the police accident report. It will include the names and contact details of those who observed the incident if they spoke to the police.

Take Photos and Videos

Gathering visual evidence of the accident can be crucial in your efforts to recover compensation from a negligent driver. It is important to document the damage to your vehicle, the conditions of the road and weather, any tire tracks left at the scene, and any other details that could be important later. Additionally, taking pictures of your injuries can be beneficial, as they will help our lawyers demonstrate how severely you were harmed during the collision.

Your photos and videos can be submitted as a substitute for the physical evidence that cannot realistically be brought into court, like your damaged vehicle. We can also get any photos the defendant took during the course of litigating your case.

Get Medical Care

After leaving the scene, your first stop should be the nearest emergency room. If your injuries need urgent attention right away, do not hesitate to tell the emergency dispatcher to send an ambulance. While you might think about waiting for an appointment with your primary care doctor, keep in mind that this could take a while.

Moreover, many primary care physicians may not treat car accident injuries, as they often cannot accept car insurance for payment. Visiting the emergency room ensures you receive the necessary care and provides documentation of your injuries. We can help you get further treatment if you are not sure where to go next. After going to the emergency room, contact our team to learn how to cover your damages.

How to Recover Compensation for Your Car Accident Damages in Babylon, NY

After a car accident, injured drivers often find themselves thinking about insurance right away. New York is one of the few states that operate under a no-fault insurance system. This means that when injuries occur, drivers file claims with their own insurance companies instead of going through the other driver’s coverage. In addition, your insurance will provide coverage up to a certain limit without requiring you to establish fault. While this approach can benefit victims who need quick financial support, it often falls short of covering all of your damages, especially non-economic losses.

A lawsuit offers the advantage of compensating for all these categories without being restricted by insurance rules and policy limits. Lawsuits provide damages for what insurance claims cannot, chief among them the physical and emotional pain and suffering that typically accompanies suffering severe car crash injuries. Victims frequently endure chronic pain and can also develop psychological issues like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. These challenges can significantly affect their enjoyment of life and strain personal relationships, as well as limit their ability to participate in activities or hobbies they once loved.

Insurance often fails to cover these damages because they are not financial in nature. However, this does not diminish their significance for the victim. To truly understand the potential benefits of pursuing a lawsuit rather than settling an insurance claim, it is wise to consult one of our experienced accident lawyers.

Because New York is a no-fault state, individuals injured in car accidents must meet a serious injury threshold to pursue a lawsuit for damages resulting from the crash. If they do not meet this threshold, victims must rely on personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to cover their expenses.

How Car Accident Victims Can File a Lawsuit in Babylon, NY

Under I.S.C. Law § 5104(a), victims can only file a lawsuit for non-economic damages and economic losses beyond what PIP covers if they have experienced a significant economic loss or sustained a serious bodily injury. This rule is relevant to most victims of car accidents, whether they are drivers, passengers, cyclists, or pedestrians. If a negligent driver collides with you while riding your motorcycle in Babylon, though, your PIP insurance will cover your damages. In that case, you can file a lawsuit against the at-fault party without meeting the serious injury threshold.

According to § 5102(a), basic economic loss refers to a maximum of $50,000 spent on necessary medical and hospital expenses. Given the high costs associated with medical care, many victims quickly reach this threshold after an accident, which allows them to pursue legal action against the at-fault driver.

Victims can file a lawsuit to seek non-economic damages by showing they experienced serious injuries, as outlined under § 5102(d). The law includes fractures, dismemberment, and significant disfigurement, among other permanent conditions. Even if your injuries are non-permanent, our attorneys can demonstrate that you meet the threshold for serious injury if your injuries have hindered you from engaging in essential activities for at least 90 days out of the first 180 days following the accident. To support this claim, we will need your medical records, so it is important to prioritize your recovery after the accident and obtain the necessary treatment from your healthcare providers.

Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers in Babylon, NY Today for More Information About How to Cover Your Damages

Get a free, private case evaluation from our personal injury lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm by calling us today at (631) 910-7493.