Car accidents can be devastating, turning your life upside down in a matter of moments. Unfortunately, these tragic events happen every day, especially in a heavily populated borough like the Bronx, which saw 17,678 traffic accidents in 2022 alone, with nearly 38 percent of those crashes resulting in injury or death.
If you find yourself struggling to cope with the physical, emotional, and financial toll of a major car accident in the Bronx, consider doing what so many other injured New Yorkers have done before you and get in touch with The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny. With more than $350 million recovered in verdicts and settlements and a century of combined experience, our Bronx car accident lawyers have what it takes to get justice for you and your family.
Schedule a free consultation with a Bronx car accident attorney today by calling us at (212) 421-0300 or filling out our case evaluation form.
Common Types of Bronx Car Accidents
The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny has represented Bronx residents who were hurt in practically every kind of automotive crash. Some of the most common types of Bronx car accidents involve:
- High-speed Collisions – The speed limit on all city streets in New York is 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted, but far too many drivers choose to exceed that number, which can increase both the likelihood and the severity of an accident. There were 3,940 high-speed collisions in New York City in 2022 alone, many of which resulted in grievous bodily harm.
- Distracted Driving Accidents – Distraction is the leading cause of New York car accidents, accounting for a total of 28,753 crashes in 2022. Anything that takes a driver’s mind off the task at hand can be a distraction, but phone use is currently the greatest source of inattention. The average driver spends 3.17 minutes on the phone per 100 miles, while almost a third of them admit to texting while driving, even though New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law sections 1225(c) and 1225(d) prohibit motorists from engaging in phone calls or using handheld electronic devices behind the wheel.
- Drunk Driving Crashes – While drunk driving has declined in recent decades, it remains a significant problem, both in the Bronx and throughout the country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that an average of 37 people are killed in the United States each day in drunk driving crashes, and drug or alcohol use was a factor in 1,994 New York City motor vehicle accidents in 2022. Under Section 11-101 of the New York General Obligations Law, damages may be recovered from the bar or tavern who overserved a drunk driver involved in an accident – something our tenacious Bronx car accident lawyers will not hesitate to go after when the situation warrants it.
- Taxi Accidents – With 13,587 officially licensed taxis operating in New York City on a regular basis, taxi accidents are a reality of life throughout the five boroughs. Cabs were involved in 4 percent of the city’s collisions in 2022, an average of 11 taxi accidents per day.
- Rideshare Collisions – Services like Uber and Lyft have become omnipresent in New York City, which has approximately 75,000 rideshare vehicles on its streets. Though ridesharing can be a convenient way to get around the Bronx, it comes with a downside. Rideshare drivers receive less formal training than their taxi and limo driver counterparts, so they may be more likely to be involved in accidents. And when you are injured in a rideshare collision, the ambiguous nature of fiscal responsibility can make recovery challenging without one of our Bronx car accident attorneys by your side.
- Head-on Crashes – The combined force of two vehicles speeding directly into each other can be extraordinary. Head-on crashes account for 10.1 percent of all traffic deaths despite making up only two percent of all traffic accidents.
- Rear-end Accidents – Rear-end crashes are the most frequent type of vehicular collisions. New York traffic law generally holds the trailing driver responsible in a rear-end accident, though exceptions to this rule could apply, so it may be beneficial to consult with a seasoned Bronx car accident lawyer if liability is in dispute.
- Rollovers – Nearly a third of passenger vehicle fatalities are the result of rollovers, which caused 7,107 deaths nationwide in 2020, according to the NHTSA.
- T-Bone Collisions – When the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another vehicle, the impact can be catastrophic, costing 8,500 to 10,000 lives across the nation each year. T-bone collisions usually occur when drivers ignore traffic control signals or fail to yield the right of way, which could make it more difficult to establish liability.
- Chain Reaction Crashes – Accidents involving more than two motor vehicles are pervasive in dense Bronx traffic, where an initial collision between two cars can create a domino effect with many others. The number of parties involved in chain reaction crashes may provide insurance companies with an opportunity to minimize their exposure.
Regardless of the nature of your motor vehicle accident, our Bronx car accident attorneys are ready to advise you of the best course of action if you are considering a case.
Steps to Take After a Bronx Car Accident
To better protect yourself and your case, there are a number of steps you should remember to take after a Bronx car accident, including:
- Get to a Safe Place – Further collisions may happen if you stay on the road, so move your vehicle to a safe place before doing anything else.
- Call 911 – Dial 911 right away so that emergency personnel will be present at the crash site. The responding officer’s accident report will be a key element in any claim you may have, so be sure to share a complete version of what happened in order to avoid harmful inaccuracies.
- Seek Treatment – Your health is the most important thing, so seek prompt medical attention, ideally from paramedics at the scene of the collision. Any delays in treatment could hinder your recovery and allow doubt to be cast on the causal relationship between the car accident and your injuries.
- Shoot Pictures and Video – A visual record of the positioning of the vehicles and their condition can be essential in assessing liability and conveying the extent of your damages, so take out your phone and shoot pictures and video once you can do so.
- Exchange Driver and Witness Information – Take down the following information from everyone involved in the accident:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Insurance company and policy number
- Driver’s license
- License plate
- Vehicle year, make, and model
Get the names and numbers of any witnesses as well, since they can provide independent confirmation of the facts leading up to the accident.
- Contact Your Insurance Company – Let your insurance carrier know about the accident immediately so you can be in compliance with the terms of your policy and take advantage of any benefits, which may include reimbursement for medical bills, vehicle repair costs, and rental fees, among others.
- Speak to a Lawyer – The veteran car accident lawyers at The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny can inform you of your rights under New York law, answer any questions you may have, and discuss the remedies available to you.
How Our Bronx Car Accident Attorneys Can Make a Difference
It can be hard to know what to do or where to turn after a car accident, particularly if it is your first one. You may quickly find yourself overwhelmed with mounting medical bills and unforeseen costs, possibly while your injuries prevent you from earning a living. And if you try to recover the funds required to meet the newfound demands on your pocketbook, you might face staunch opposition from the at-fault party’s insurance company, who may attempt to take advantage of your relative inexperience to resolve your claim for pennies on the dollar.
At times like these, the Bronx car accident attorneys at The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny can make a difference. This may be your first case, but it will not be ours. We have handled thousands of car accidents before, many just like yours, and we won’t let insurance adjusters bully us into settling your case for less than it is worth.
If you decide to retain our firm, we will launch a comprehensive investigation to identify and pursue everyone who may be responsible for your Bronx car accident within the time permitted by law, known as the Statute of Limitations. Failure to file a lawsuit or otherwise resolve your claim before the Statute expires could bar you from full recovery – which will not happen on our watch.
Once we have put together a solid evidence-based case against every liable party, we will work to negotiate a settlement that compensates you for the entirety of your losses, including:
- Medical Expenses – The cost of any hospitalizations, surgeries, procedures, prescription drugs, therapy regimens, assistive devices, and past, present, and future treatment may be considered.
- Lost Income – You could seek remuneration for the wages you lost because you were physically unable to work, as well as for any detriment to your long-term earning potential secondary to permanent injuries.
- Pain and Suffering – Non-economic impairments to your quality of life may be taken into account, such as pain and suffering and psychological trauma.
- Loss of Consortium – Your spouse may be eligible to recover for the deprivation of the benefits of a marital relationship because of your Bronx car accident.
- Punitive Damages – New York courts sometimes impose additional penalties on defendants whose actions demonstrate “willful or wanton negligence” or a “high degree of moral turpitude” in order to discourage similar misconduct from others.
If we do not receive an offer that reflects the true value of your case, we are more than willing to take it before a judge and jury to secure a verdict that does. Unlike some of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, see the inside of a courtroom, we have fought for hundreds of wrongfully injured clients at trials throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
Every case is different, but our Bronx car accident lawyers will always strive to obtain the maximum amount of compensation for yours.
What Will It Cost to Hire a Car Accident Attorney?
It will cost you nothing up front to hire our firm because we work on a contingency fee basis. Only when our Bronx car accident attorneys favorably resolve your case will we receive reimbursement for our expenses and payment for our services, typically as a percentage of your verdict or settlement.
Our No Fee Guarantee® means that we will either win your case, or it’s free. The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny is willing to take on all the worries involved in getting you the resources to become well again.
Talk to Our Bronx Car Accident Lawyers Now
With more than 100 years of combined legal experience and over $350 million recovered for our clients, The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny is ready to stand up for you when you need us the most.
Call (212) 421-0300 or fill out our case evaluation form to talk to one of our Bronx car accident lawyers now.
The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny
151 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10453
