After an Accident · New York
The first 72 hours after an accident.
Five things to do this week, before you talk to any insurer.
Evidence disappears fast: sites get cleaned up, cameras overwrite, witnesses scatter. None of this requires a lawyer yet. All of it makes the case you may bring later stronger.
The First 72 Hours
What you do this week can decide the case.
Work through them in order. Each one is small; together they are the difference between a claim that settles and one that dies for lack of proof.
Photograph everything.
The scene, the ladder or scaffold or vehicle, the missing guardrail, your injuries. Conditions get repaired within days, and the photos you take now are often the only proof of what it actually looked like.
Get names and numbers.
Coworkers, bystanders, the foreman on duty. Crews change jobs and witnesses move; a name and a cell number collected today is worth more than a subpoena served a year from now.
Tell the doctor exactly how it happened.
The first medical record gets quoted for the life of the case. Say where you were, what failed, and every part of your body that hurts, even the parts that seem minor today.
Sign nothing. Record nothing.
No release, no medical authorization, no recorded statement to any insurance company before a lawyer reads it. Early paperwork is designed to close claims cheaply, not to help you.
Preserve the paper and the objects.
Work orders, texts with the foreman, pay records, the incident report if one exists, and the actual boots, harness, or clothing you wore. Put them in a bag and do not wash, repair, or return them.
The clocks that start on day one.
New York's personal injury deadlines are not all three years. A claim against New York City, the MTA, or most public entities requires a notice of claim within 90 days. A no-fault insurance application after a car crash is due in 30 days. Most employment discrimination charges with the EEOC must be filed within 300 days. If any of these might apply, do not wait for a callback: call.
When you are ready to talk.
The free case review takes ten minutes. We assess the claim, the deadlines, and where the case belongs: construction accidents, car and truck crashes, falls, subway and bus, delivery riders, wrongful death. Injury cases are handled on contingency; the fee terms are set out in a written retainer before work begins.
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