Were You Rear-Ended In New York?

Get an accident attorney who knows how to build a winning strategy.

In the busy streets of New York, rear-end accidents happen all the time. People may think of them as minor fender-benders, but even a low-speed rear-end crash can have a significant effect on someone’s life. Your injury could require extensive medical treatment and affect your ability to work or do the things you love. You shouldn’t have to go up against an insurance company alone.

Keogh Crispi, P.C. has extensive experience representing New Yorkers injured in rear-end accidents. Our legal team gets results, including a $395,000 recovery for a motorist who was rear-ended by a truck. If you’ve been hurt, the attorney you choose will make all the difference. Schedule your free consultation today.

How do rear-end accidents happen?

Perhaps the most common cause of rear-end accidents is distracted driving, particularly texting and driving. Motorists have a legal responsibility to keep their eyes on the road, their hands on the wheel, and their full attention on the task of safely operating a vehicle, but unfortunately, some decide sending a message or reading an email is more important. When that happens, they can easily slam into the back of the car in front of them.

Rear-end accidents are also caused by drunk drivers and fatigued drivers who nod off behind the wheel. Those types of crashes can be particularly dangerous because the driver may not even hit the brakes before impact. Others are caused by tailgating or driving too fast for the conditions, particularly at night. Many motorists “overdrive” their headlights, meaning their stopping distance is greater than the distance their headlights illuminate – in other words, by the time you can see the car in front of you, it’s too late to stop before impact.

Occasionally, rear-end accidents are caused by someone other than a driver. If, for instance, a car’s brakes fail due to a design or manufacturing defect, the driver may be unable to stop. In such circumstances, the manufacturer could be held responsible.

Dealing with the insurance company is never simple.

On one level, rear-end accidents seem like they should be the most straightforward type of car accident to resolve. There is a strong presumption that the driver of the rear vehicle is at fault, which means who is liable for the accident usually isn’t in dispute. But liability is only one part of your claim. The insurance company will likely dispute the amount of damages (financial compensation) you need, especially if the crash happened at a low speed. They may claim your injuries couldn’t possibly be serious or even accuse you of faking your symptoms.

That’s one reason it’s important to get checked out by a doctor right away after any car accident, even if you feel fine – it creates a record of your injuries in case the insurance company later disputes them. It’s also why you need a lawyer who knows how to do a thorough investigation and document everything.

The truth is that even at low speeds, rear-end accidents can cause brain injuries, spinal cord damage, chronic pain, and other debilitating injuries. Even a more minor injury, such as whiplash, can have a significant effect on your financial situation and quality of life. We put in the effort, do the research, hire the experts, and above all, help you tell your story in a manner that maximizes the value of your claim. You know what happened, and you know how it affected your life. You deserve to be fully compensated for every cost.

We put together strong cases that the insurance company can’t ignore.

From the moment you step into our office and start telling us what happened, we start thinking about the right strategy to win your case. It starts with investigation: we review accident reports, analyze physical evidence, interview witnesses, and hire experts to get to the bottom of what happened to you and how it affected your life. Our firm will take over day-to-day communications with the insurance company, protecting your rights while you focus on getting better. Our founding attorney, Pat James Crispi, knows the insurance companies’ tactics and understands how to beat them.

From start to finish, we’ll make sure that you are always included in strategic decisions and always prepared for what’s next. Again, you were there, and your story is the single most important piece of evidence. Our job is to help you tell your story and back it up with additional evidence that we know a jury will find compelling – and put pressure on the insurance company to pay up rather than face us in court.

We represent accident victims on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us anything out of pocket and don’t owe us anything at all unless we win your case. If we win, our fee is a percentage of the recovery; if we don’t win, we don’t get paid. We work this way because we believe you deserve your day in court, regardless of your ability to pay. We make your fight our fight as well.

Remember, you need to act quickly, before evidence disappears, witnesses forget what they saw, and important legal deadlines expire. If you’ve been injured, get an experienced New York rear-end accident lawyer on your side as soon as possible. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation with attorney Pat James Crispi.