New York City Personal Injury Lawyers

New York City personal injury lawyers handle claims for people hurt by someone else’s carelessness, from car crashes and sidewalk falls to dog attacks. The deadlines are easy to miss: the general window to sue is three years under CPLR 214, but a no-fault application is due within 30 days, and a claim against the city or a transit agency can require notice within 90 days. After a crash, New York’s no-fault coverage pays the first medical bills and lost wages no matter who caused it. Recovering for pain and suffering is a separate question that turns on whether the injury meets the serious injury threshold in Insurance Law Section 5102(d). Even then, what a person recovers can be reduced by their own share of fault, since New York applies pure comparative negligence under CPLR 1411.

At Neumann Law Group, our New York City personal injury lawyers work with clients across Manhattan and the other boroughs after car crashes, falls, and dog bites, and we help New Yorkers pursue Social Security Disability benefits. Our Lower Manhattan office sits a few blocks from the New York County courts, and our attorneys bring more than 200 years of combined experience, backed by a trial network that reaches well beyond New York. If you are not sure whether you have a case, a free consultation is a low-stakes way to find out where you stand and which deadlines are already running.

How Does New York’s No-Fault System Affect a Car Accident Claim?

New York is a no-fault state. After a motor vehicle crash, an injured person’s own insurer pays basic economic loss of up to 50,000 dollars for medical bills and lost earnings under Insurance Law Section 5102, regardless of who caused the collision. A claimant must file the no-fault application, form NF-2, within 30 days of the accident, and treating providers generally must submit their bills within 45 days. Suing the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is permitted only when the injury meets the serious injury threshold in Section 5102(d).

The serious injury threshold is the gatekeeper of every New York car accident lawsuit. Section 5102(d) lists the categories of injury that allow a claimant to step outside the no-fault system and recover noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering. These include a bone fracture, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of use of a body organ or member, a permanent consequential limitation, a significant limitation of use, and a medically determined injury that prevents the person from performing substantially all of their usual daily activities for at least 90 of the 180 days following the accident. Courts decide the question on objective medical evidence, which is why imaging, treatment records, and physician findings often determine whether a case reaches trial or is dismissed before it.

The proof a court will look for has to be documented early, so the firm’s New York City car accident attorneys build these cases around the threshold from the start. New York City recorded more than 47,000 traffic injuries in 2025, according to preliminary data from the New York City Department of Transportation. Many serious crashes happen on high-speed corridors like the FDR Drive, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and the Cross Bronx Expressway, where the resulting fractures and spinal injuries are often the kind that meet Section 5102(d).

Who Is Responsible for a New York City Slip and Fall?

In New York City, responsibility for a sidewalk injury usually rests with the abutting property owner rather than the City. Administrative Code Section 7-210 shifts liability for defective sidewalks to the adjacent owner, except for owner-occupied one-, two-, and three-family homes. For snow and ice, the storm-in-progress doctrine gives an owner a reasonable time after a storm ends before liability attaches. Claims against the City, the MTA, or NYCHA require a notice of claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law Section 50-e.

New York also applies pure comparative negligence under CPLR 1411. A jury assigns each party a percentage of fault, and the injured person’s recovery is reduced by their share rather than eliminated. Even a plaintiff found mostly at fault may recover the remaining percentage, which separates New York from states that bar recovery once a plaintiff passes 50 percent.

Identifying the responsible owner is the first task in these cases. Liability also turns on notice, since the owner generally must have created the hazard or had actual or constructive notice of it, meaning the defect was present long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found and corrected it. The firm’s New York City slip and fall lawyers work to document the defect before it is repaired, since a missing photograph or a late notice of claim can end an otherwise strong case.

What Are Your Rights After a Dog Bite in New York?

New York dog bite law changed in 2025. In Flanders v. Goodfellow, the New York Court of Appeals overruled Bard v. Jahnke and held that a bite victim may sue a dog owner for ordinary negligence, which requires proving the owner failed to use reasonable care, in addition to the older strict liability claim based on the animal’s known vicious propensities. Owners of dogs declared dangerous also face strict liability for veterinary and medical costs under Agriculture and Markets Law Section 123.

That change matters most in first-bite cases. Before Flanders, a victim with no record of the dog’s prior aggression often lost at summary judgment. The firm’s New York City dog bite attorneys now pursue both theories where the facts support them, which gives an injured client a path to recovery even when the owner claims the dog had never bitten anyone before. Compensation in these cases usually comes through the owner’s homeowner or renter insurance, so identifying the responsible household early can matter as much as proving the bite.

Filing for Social Security Disability in New York City

Social Security Disability claims follow a federal five-step evaluation under 20 CFR Section 404.1520 that asks whether a claimant is working, has a severe medically determinable impairment, meets a listed condition, can perform past work, or can adjust to other work. Most applicants are denied at first and must appeal within 60 days at each stage, from reconsideration to a hearing before an administrative law judge. In Manhattan, those hearings are held at the Office of Hearings Operations at 26 Federal Plaza.

The firm prepares its New York City disability clients for the hearing that usually decides the case, assembling the medical records and functional findings an administrative law judge needs to approve benefits. Representation matters most at this stage, where the evidence and the way limitations are presented often shape the result. Evidence generally must reach the judge at least five business days before the hearing under 20 CFR Section 404.935, so gathering treating-source records early is part of the preparation.

How Neumann Law Group Approaches New York City Injury and Disability Cases

Neumann Law Group pairs a Manhattan presence with the resources of a national firm that maintains offices across the country and is admitted to practice in New York, Massachusetts, California, and Michigan. The firm brings more than 200 years of combined attorney experience to injury and disability work and has secured multimillion-dollar recoveries in personal injury matters, including settlements exceeding 9 million dollars and 3.8 million dollars. Those figures reflect past case history and do not predict the outcome of any future matter. Attorneys at the firm have been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 and named among the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best. Consultations are free, the firm is available 24 hours a day, and it will travel to clients whose injuries limit their mobility. The firm’s New York City office is at 225 Broadway, Suite 1803, in Lower Manhattan, reachable locally at (212) 882-1900.

Building a New York City injury or disability claim starts with understanding which deadlines apply and what proof your case will need. A member of the firm’s team can review what happened at no cost and explain your options. Call (800) 525-6386 to speak with a New York City personal injury lawyer.

Frequently Asked Questions About New York City Injury and Disability Claims

What Is the Deadline to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in New York?

Most New York personal injury lawsuits must be filed within three years of the injury under CPLR 214. Shorter deadlines apply in specific situations: a no-fault application after a car accident is due within 30 days, and a claim against the City, the MTA, or another public entity requires a notice of claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law Section 50-e. Missing these deadlines usually ends the claim.

Can You Sue for Pain and Suffering After a New York Car Accident?

Only if the injury meets New York’s serious injury threshold. Under Insurance Law Section 5102(d), pain and suffering damages are available when a crash causes death, dismemberment, a bone fracture, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of use, a permanent consequential limitation, a significant limitation of use, or a qualifying disability that prevents normal daily activities for at least 90 of the 180 days after the accident. Without a qualifying injury, recovery is limited to no-fault benefits.

Who Pays the Medical Bills After a New York City Car Accident?

New York’s no-fault system pays first. An injured person’s own auto insurer covers basic economic loss of up to 50,000 dollars in medical expenses and lost earnings under Insurance Law Section 5102, regardless of who caused the crash. When costs exceed that amount and the injury meets the serious injury threshold, the at-fault driver may be pursued for the remaining damages.

Does New York Still Have a One-Bite Rule for Dog Attacks?

Not as a complete bar. After Flanders v. Goodfellow in 2025, a New York dog bite victim may sue the owner for ordinary negligence, which requires proving the owner failed to use reasonable care, as well as strict liability for a dog with known vicious propensities. Owners of dogs declared dangerous are also strictly liable for veterinary and medical costs under Agriculture and Markets Law Section 123.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a New York City Personal Injury Lawyer?

At Neumann Law Group, the initial consultation is free, and personal injury cases are typically handled on a contingency basis, meaning attorney fees come out of any recovery rather than being paid up front. This allows injured New Yorkers to pursue a claim without paying hourly fees while the case is ongoing.

Talk to a New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were injured in a car accident or a fall, bitten by a dog, or denied Social Security Disability benefits, the next step is a straightforward conversation about your options. At Neumann Law Group, our New York City personal injury lawyers offer free consultations, are available 24 hours a day, and will travel to clients whose injuries make it hard to come to the office. Call (800) 525-6386 or contact our New York City office to discuss what happened.