New York City Facial & Dental Injury Lawyer
A broken jaw, shattered teeth, orbital fractures, or severe lacerations to the face carry consequences that extend far beyond the initial emergency room visit. These injuries affect how you eat, how you speak, how you appear to others, and in many cases, how you feel about yourself. For victims of accidents across New York City, New York City facial and dental injury lawyers at Cohan Law Firm understand that these are not minor claims. They require a legal strategy that accounts for the full scope of your losses, including reconstructive surgery, orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment, permanent scarring, and the psychological toll that comes with visible disfigurement.
Facial and dental injuries arise from a wide range of accidents in New York City: car and truck collisions where airbags deploy with force or where a face strikes a steering wheel or dashboard, construction site falls where workers land face-first on concrete or equipment, slip and falls on broken sidewalks or wet floors, assaults in buildings with negligent security, and bicycle accidents where riders are thrown from their bikes and sustain road rash across the face and jaw. What makes these cases legally complex is the combination of acute medical costs, long-term rehabilitative care, and damages that are harder to quantify, specifically the disfigurement itself and its effect on your quality of life.
New York law allows victims to pursue compensation for all of this, but building a case that captures the full picture requires more than just gathering medical bills. It requires understanding the anatomy of these injuries, the treatment pathways involved, and the insurance dynamics that often push carriers to minimize payouts on claims involving cosmetic or reconstructive care. Cohan Law Firm handles these cases across all five boroughs and has the resources and professional relationships to present your injuries accurately and persuasively.
What Facial and Dental Injuries Actually Cost in NYC
The financial exposure from a serious facial injury in New York City is substantial. Oral and maxillofacial surgery, particularly for jaw fractures or complex dental trauma, can run well into five figures before follow-up procedures are even scheduled. Dental implants to replace knocked-out teeth cost several thousand dollars per tooth, and depending on the severity of the accident, victims may need multiple implants plus crowns, bone grafts, or full reconstructive dental work. When the injury involves the orbital bones around the eye, the cheekbones, or the nose, surgical repair and subsequent revision procedures can take years to complete.
Scar revision surgery and treatment by a plastic surgeon adds another layer of expense. Unlike internal injuries that heal without visible evidence, facial scars are permanent reminders that affect employment in certain fields, social interactions, and overall mental health. New York courts recognize the distinct category of damages for disfigurement, and a properly presented case includes evidence from treating physicians, plastic surgeons, and in some cases, mental health professionals who can speak to the psychological impact of permanent changes to someone’s appearance. Compensation in these cases should reflect not just what has already been spent, but what will need to be spent over the course of the victim’s life.
Common Accident Scenarios Behind Facial and Dental Injuries in New York City
- Motor vehicle collisions: Airbag deployment, steering wheel and dashboard contact, and seatbelt forces during sudden stops frequently cause facial fractures, lacerations, and dental trauma. High-speed collisions on expressways like the BQE and the Cross Bronx are particularly common sources of these injuries.
- Construction and workplace falls: New York City’s Labor Law imposes strict liability on property owners and general contractors for certain types of falls at construction sites. Workers who fall from scaffolding, ladders, or elevated surfaces often sustain direct facial impact with equipment, debris, or the ground.
- Slip and fall accidents: Victims who fall forward on defective sidewalks, wet floors in commercial establishments, or uneven surfaces in residential buildings frequently land with their face or mouth taking the primary impact, resulting in broken teeth, lacerations, and orbital injuries.
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents: Cyclists thrown over handlebars or knocked from their bikes by vehicles often suffer facial road rash, jaw fractures, and dental injuries. Pedestrians struck by vehicles in crosswalks can sustain severe facial trauma from the vehicle hood or pavement contact.
- Negligent security assaults: Building owners and property managers have a duty to maintain safe premises. When assaults occur in stairwells, parking garages, building lobbies, or commercial properties that lack adequate security measures, the property owner may be held liable for the victim’s injuries, including facial trauma from the attack.
- Dog bites: Dog attacks in New York City frequently cause severe facial lacerations and soft tissue damage, particularly when the victim is a child. New York’s strict liability framework for dog owners makes these cases actionable even if the dog had no prior bite history.
- Subway and transit accidents: Sudden stops, jostling on crowded platforms, and accidents involving MTA buses and subway cars can cause passengers to strike hard surfaces, resulting in facial and dental injuries. Claims against the MTA involve specific procedural requirements and short notice deadlines.
Pursuing a Facial Injury Claim in New York: What to Do and What to Watch Out For
If you have sustained facial or dental injuries in a New York City accident, the actions you take in the days and weeks that follow will shape the strength of your case. Seek emergency medical care immediately, even if the injury appears limited to your teeth or soft tissue. A full evaluation by a physician or oral surgeon will document the extent of the damage and establish a clear medical record tied to the date of the accident. Follow up with specialists, including a maxillofacial surgeon, a plastic surgeon, and a dentist or periodontist, as their records will form the foundation of your damages claim.
Preserve everything related to your appearance. Photographs taken in the days and weeks after the accident, as opposed to only at the moment of injury, capture the full development of bruising, swelling, and scarring. Courts and insurance carriers respond to visual evidence of disfigurement. Keep records of every prescription, every co-pay, every out-of-pocket expense including the cost of prosthetic teeth, dental work, or scar treatment. If your injuries have kept you from working, maintain documentation of lost wages from your employer.
Timing matters in these cases. Under New York law, the general statute of limitations for personal injury claims is three years from the date of the accident. However, claims against the City of New York or the MTA carry a much shorter deadline. If your injury occurred due to a defective sidewalk maintained by the City, a bus or subway accident involving the MTA, or negligence by any other municipal entity, you are typically required to file a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the accident. Missing this deadline can eliminate your right to recover entirely. New York City facial injury cases involving municipal liability are processed through New York Supreme Court, and hearings on these claims often proceed through the New York County Courthouse at 60 Centre Street in Manhattan or the relevant borough courthouse for Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
One mistake that frequently harms victims is settling too early. Insurance carriers know that facial injury cases are expensive long-term propositions, and they routinely attempt to close claims before the full scope of surgical and dental treatment is known. A settlement accepted before reconstructive care is complete may not cover the procedures still ahead. The right time to settle is after your treating physicians have given a clear picture of what future treatment will cost and whether your condition has stabilized.
Why Cohan Law Firm Handles These Cases Differently
Cohan Law Firm has recovered over $100 million for accident victims across New York City, and our team brings backgrounds from large firm litigation environments to every case we handle. For facial and dental injury claims, that depth of experience matters because these cases often require us to counter insurance company arguments that certain procedures are cosmetic rather than medically necessary, or that the disfigurement is not as significant as the victim claims. We work with medical professionals from the outset to build a record that accurately reflects what happened to your face and body, what it will take to restore your health, and what cannot be restored.
Several of our attorneys are members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, reflecting verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more. For serious facial injury cases involving permanent scarring, dental reconstruction, or complex surgical pathways, that kind of track record is not incidental. It reflects an ability to take cases to trial when insurance carriers refuse to pay what a case is actually worth. We have earned over 550 five-star client reviews, and the themes that appear in those reviews consistently reflect what our clients experience: clear communication, genuine attention to their case, and results. We also use AI-powered legal technology to analyze evidence and identify patterns that might otherwise be missed, building stronger and more complete claims. Consultations and retainer agreements can be handled entirely digitally, so you do not have to leave your home to get started.
Answers to Common Questions About NYC Facial and Dental Injury Claims
What types of compensation can I recover for a facial injury in New York City?
Victims of facial and dental injuries can recover compensation for emergency and ongoing medical treatment, surgical costs, dental reconstruction including implants and prosthetics, future medical expenses for procedures not yet completed, lost wages during recovery, reduced earning capacity if the injury affects your ability to work, pain and suffering, and damages specifically for disfigurement. New York recognizes disfigurement as its own category of compensable harm, separate from general pain and suffering.
How long will my facial injury case take to resolve?
Cases involving significant reconstructive surgery or ongoing dental treatment often take longer to resolve because it is important not to settle before the full extent of future medical needs is established. Straightforward claims may resolve in under a year, while complex cases involving multiple surgical procedures, disputed liability, or municipal defendants can take two to three years or longer. The specific court calendar and the willingness of the insurer to negotiate also affect timing.
Does New York’s no-fault insurance cover dental injuries from a car accident?
New York’s no-fault automobile insurance system covers medical expenses up to the policy limit regardless of fault. This includes dental treatment necessitated by the accident. However, no-fault coverage has limits, and serious dental injuries requiring implants, extensive reconstruction, or repeated surgical procedures often exceed what no-fault will cover. A personal injury claim against the at-fault driver may be necessary to recover the remaining costs, provided your injuries meet the serious injury threshold under New York Insurance Law.
Can I sue if I was injured in an assault inside a building?
Yes. If a building owner, property manager, or business operator failed to maintain adequate security measures and that failure allowed a foreseeable assault to occur on the premises, the property owner may be held liable for the victim’s injuries under a negligent security theory. This includes residential buildings, commercial properties, parking garages, and retail establishments throughout the five boroughs.
What if my dental injury is not causing pain but has affected my appearance?
Dental injuries that change your appearance, including knocked-out or broken teeth that are visible when you speak or smile, are compensable even without ongoing physical pain. Courts and juries in New York recognize that visible dental damage affects a person’s self-confidence, social life, professional presentation, and overall quality of life. The cost of restoring your teeth to their pre-accident condition is a legitimate component of your damages claim.
Can children recover compensation for facial scarring from accidents in New York?
Yes, and in many respects, the damage calculation for a child is particularly significant because the child must live with the scarring for a much longer period than an adult victim would. New York also extends the statute of limitations for minors; the clock generally does not begin running until the child turns 18. This does not eliminate the 90-day Notice of Claim requirement if a municipal entity is involved, however, so acting promptly is still advisable.
Will my health insurance create complications in a facial injury lawsuit?
Potentially, yes. If your health insurer paid for treatment related to your accident, they may have a subrogation right allowing them to seek reimbursement from your settlement. This is a standard part of personal injury litigation in New York and does not prevent you from recovering compensation. It does affect how your net recovery is calculated, and your attorney will work to negotiate the lien to maximize what you keep.
What if the at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured?
New York requires automobile insurance policies to include uninsured motorist coverage, which can provide compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering even when the at-fault driver has no insurance or flees the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage provides additional protection when the other driver’s policy limits are insufficient to cover your losses. A facial injury attorney in New York City can help you navigate both no-fault and uninsured motorist claims simultaneously.
How do I prove that my facial scar is permanent?
Permanency is established through medical testimony, typically from a plastic surgeon or dermatologist who can assess the scar tissue, evaluate whether revision surgery would improve its appearance, and offer an opinion on the long-term prognosis. Photographic documentation over time also helps establish that the scarring has stabilized. Expert testimony from treating physicians plays a central role in how courts and juries assess disfigurement damages.
Are facial injury cases typically settled out of court or tried before a jury?
The majority of personal injury cases in New York, including facial and dental injury claims, resolve through settlement negotiations before trial. However, when insurance carriers refuse to offer fair compensation for permanent disfigurement, surgical costs, or future dental needs, taking the case to trial may be the right path. Having attorneys with trial experience behind your case often changes how aggressively insurers negotiate, because they know you are prepared to go to a jury if necessary.
NYC Facial Injury Attorney Representation Across All Five Boroughs and Beyond
Cohan Law Firm represents facial and dental injury clients throughout New York City and the surrounding region. In Manhattan, we handle cases arising from accidents in Midtown, the Upper East Side, Washington Heights, Harlem, Chelsea, the Financial District, and throughout the island. In Brooklyn, we serve clients from Park Slope, Flatbush, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Crown Heights, Bensonhurst, and Williamsburg. Our Queens clients come from Astoria, Flushing, Jamaica, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, Woodside, Ridgewood, and the Rockaways. In the Bronx, we represent victims from the South Bronx, Fordham, Riverdale, Pelham Bay, Morris Heights, and Tremont. We also serve Staten Island communities including St. George, Stapleton, Tottenville, and New Dorp. Beyond the five boroughs, our team handles cases for clients in Long Island communities including Nassau County and Suffolk County, as well as those from northern New Jersey who were injured in accidents that occurred within New York. Wherever in the greater metropolitan area your accident took place, our attorneys understand the courts, the insurance carriers, and the legal landscape specific to that jurisdiction.
Talk to a New York City Facial Injury Attorney About Your Case
Facial and dental injuries deserve more than a rushed settlement that fails to account for what your recovery will actually require. A New York City facial injury attorney at Cohan Law Firm will review your case, explain your options clearly, and tell you honestly what your claim may be worth based on the facts. There is no fee unless we win, and consultations are available by phone or digitally so you can connect with us without leaving home.
Cohan Law Firm has built its reputation on recovering real money for people who were seriously hurt because of someone else’s carelessness. If you are dealing with the physical and emotional weight of a disfiguring injury to your face or mouth, reach out to our team today to speak with a New York City dental and facial injury attorney who will give your case the attention it requires.