Poughkeepsie Car Accident Lawyer
Serving Throughout Dutchess County
Thousands of car accidents happen every year in Dutchess County, causing several thousand injuries and a number of tragic deaths as well. The major contributors to auto accidents continue to be speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving such as cell phone use behind the wheel, texting while driving, or using in-vehicle infotainment technologies. When these negligent driving behaviors cause serious personal injury or wrongful death, a Poughkeepsie car accident lawyer at the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC will step in to provide strong, aggressive and effective representation to get you the compensation you need and deserve.
Dutchess County Car Accidents and New York No-Fault Insurance Laws
New York has adopted a no-fault insurance scheme to help you pay your doctor bills after being injured in an auto accident. After a crash, you can make a claim for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits without having to file a lawsuit or prove that the other driver was at fault in causing the accident. PIP benefits may pay up to $50,000 toward your medical bills, lost earnings and other necessary and reasonable expenses connected with the crash. Unfortunately, New York’s no-fault insurance coverage does not provide any compensation toward property damage or so-called “non-economic damages” such as the pain and suffering you are forced to endure because of another’s negligence or distracted driving.
The purpose of New York’s no-fault law may seem to be to get you compensation after a crash quickly and easily, but the real reason for the law is to prevent people from filing lawsuits against negligent drivers and their insurance companies. Insurance companies prefer it this way, since they know a jury is likely to award a greater amount to meet the full amount of your injuries and legal damages.
It is possible to pursue a negligence claim against an at-fault driver in certain circumstances. New York law allows negligence claims when the accident victim has suffered any of the following:
- Death
- Dismemberment
- Significant disfigurement
- Fracture
- Loss of a fetus
- Permanent loss of use of a body organ, member, function or system
- Permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member
- Significant limitation of use of a body function or system
- Medically determined injury or impairment of a non-permanent nature that keeps you from performing substantially all of the material acts which make up your usual and customary daily activities for not less than 90 days during the 180 days immediately after the occurrence of the injury or impairment
A Poughkeepsie Car Accident Lawyer can Help
If your injuries are serious enough to warrant a negligence claim, obtaining quality legal representation is essential to your successful recovery of compensation. Not only must you prove that the other driver was negligent, you must also be able to prove that the driver’s negligence was the cause of the accident. Insurance companies downplay their own driver’s fault in these cases and try to pin blame for the crash on you instead. Even if they succeed in laying only a portion of the blame at your feet, this tactic can greatly reduce the amount of compensation you are able to recover. Our experienced Poughkeepsie auto accident attorneys know how to investigate car accident claims and build a strong case for the other driver’s negligence, while keeping you from being blamed for an accident which was not your fault.
In a negligence claim, you will also be required to prove the full extent of your injuries for a maximum recovery. Here again, insurance companies will claim that your injuries are greatly exaggerated, that they come from a pre-existing condition, or that they were caused in some other way besides the auto accident. A Poughkeepsie car accident lawyer can help you prove your case for the full value of your claim, whether negotiating a settlement with the insurance company or trying your case in court.
Call the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC Attorneys after a Serious Poughkeepsie Car Accident Injury
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car wreck in Poughkeepsie or Dutchess County, call the knowledgeable, skilled, experienced and dedicated Poughkeepsie car accident lawyers at the Law Office of Taran M. Provost, PLLC for a free consultation at 845-675-3243.
