New York City Personal Injury Lawyers

Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Long Island

Accidental injury is one of the leading causes of death in the United States across every age group, and the number one cause of death for Americans between the ages of 1 and 44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the hundreds of thousands of people who die in accidents every year, and the families they leave behind, and for the tens of millions more who are sent to doctors, hospitals, and emergency rooms with serious injuries, the toll is staggering. The medical bills pile up. Income disappears. Pain and trauma reshape daily life. And in nearly every case, the cause traces back to someone else’s carelessness: a distracted driver, a careless property owner, a negligent employer, or a corporation that put profits ahead of safety.

When individuals and companies fail to act with reasonable regard for the safety of others, real people get hurt. When that happens in New York, the attorneys at the Cohan Law Firm step in to make sure injury victims get the medical care, financial recovery, and accountability they deserve. We’ve spent years standing up to insurance companies, hospital administrators, construction firms, nursing home operators, product manufacturers, and the lawyers they hire to deny your claim. Our entire practice is built around one thing: getting injured New Yorkers everything they’re owed under the law.

If you or someone you love has been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, our dedicated New York City personal injury lawyers are ready to help. Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation. There’s no fee unless we win.

Local Representation Across New York City and Long Island

Where your injury happened matters. Different boroughs have different courts, different judges, different juries, and different challenges. We provide focused, neighborhood-aware representation for clients throughout the region, with dedicated practice areas serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Long Island. Whether your case will be heard in Manhattan Supreme Court, Kings County, Bronx County, or out on the Island, we know the local landscape and how to win in it.

Comprehensive New York Personal Injury Law Practice

The attorneys at the Cohan Law Firm have years of experience and a record of success across the full range of injuries and accidents that affect New Yorkers every day. Below is an overview of the cases we handle, organized by category so you can quickly find the practice area most relevant to your situation.

Motor Vehicle and Traffic Accidents

The streets of New York City are among the most dangerous in the country. We represent victims of car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus accidents, taxi accidents, Uber and Lyft rideshare accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, and municipal vehicle accidents involving city-owned trucks, sanitation vehicles, and emergency responders. We also represent injured pedestrians and cyclists struck by negligent drivers, along with anyone caught in a broader traffic collision on city streets, parkways, or expressways.

Driver Misconduct and Dangerous Driving

Many of the worst crashes happen because a driver chose to behave recklessly. We pursue cases involving distracted drivers, drunk drivers, aggressive drivers and road rage incidents, and hit-and-run drivers who flee the scene rather than face responsibility.

Defective Products and Vehicle Defects

When a product is designed poorly, manufactured carelessly, or sold without adequate warnings, the manufacturer can be held strictly liable for the harm it causes. Our firm handles defective product cases involving everything from household appliances to industrial equipment, as well as automotive defects like faulty brakes, defective tires, and unintended acceleration.

Premises Liability and Property Owner Negligence

Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. When they don’t, people get hurt. We handle premises liability cases involving slip and falls, trip and falls, inadequate security, and dangerous conditions in stores, restaurants, hotels, apartment buildings, and on public sidewalks. Our practice also includes dram shop liability cases against bars and restaurants that overserved a visibly intoxicated patron, and social host liability claims arising from injuries caused at private gatherings.

Workplace and Construction Accidents

Construction is one of New York’s most dangerous industries, and Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), and 241(6) provide injured workers with powerful tools to recover against contractors and property owners. We represent victims of workplace and construction accidents, including falls from scaffolds and ladders, struck-by injuries, electrical shocks, trenching collapses, and crane and forklift incidents.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

When families place their loved ones in the care of a nursing home or assisted living facility, they expect competent and compassionate treatment. The reality is often very different. We pursue claims for nursing home negligence, including bedsores caused by inadequate repositioning, medication errors that endanger vulnerable residents, the improper use of physical or chemical restraints, antipsychotic drug misuse as a substitute for proper care, cleanliness and hygiene failures, and failure to seek medical evaluation when a resident’s condition deteriorates.

Catastrophic and Life-Altering Injuries

Some injuries change everything. We handle the most serious cases, including catastrophic injury claims, traumatic brain and head injuries, neck and back injuries including herniated discs and spinal damage, paralysis resulting from spinal cord trauma, amputation injuries, fractures ranging from simple breaks to complex multi-bone trauma, severe burn injuries, and permanent scarring and disfigurement. When the worst happens and a family loses someone they love, our wrongful death lawyers are here to pursue justice on behalf of surviving spouses, children, and parents.

When you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence, justice means more than an apology. It means full compensation for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and the long-term impact on your life. But that compensation rarely arrives without a fight. Insurance companies don’t write fair checks just because you ask for one. They lowball, deny, delay, and dispute every aspect of your claim. Getting what you’re owed takes experienced legal advocacy, and at the Cohan Law Firm, that’s all we do.

Establishing Liability Under New York’s Comparative Fault Law

Insurance companies have a playbook for reducing what they pay, and the most common play is to blame the victim. They’ll claim your own carelessness caused the accident, or that you contributed to your own injuries by not wearing a seatbelt, by jaywalking, by failing to notice a hazard, or by some other supposed misstep. The more fault they can pin on you, the less they have to pay.

Here’s what’s important to understand: New York follows a “pure comparative negligence” rule under CPLR § 1411, which is one of the most favorable comparative fault standards in the country. Even if you’re found 50%, 70%, or even 90% at fault, you can still recover compensation for the percentage of fault attributable to the other party. If a jury awards $1,000,000 in damages and finds you 30% responsible, you still take home $700,000. This is dramatically different from “modified comparative negligence” states, where any fault above 50% wipes out your claim entirely.

That said, every percentage point of fault assigned to you reduces your recovery, so it’s crucial not to take the insurance company’s word for it when they try to push blame in your direction. The Cohan Law Firm investigates accidents thoroughly, gathers physical evidence, interviews witnesses, retrieves surveillance and dashcam footage, and works with accident reconstruction experts when needed to establish what really happened. Our job is to hold negligent parties accountable for the full measure of their responsibility while protecting our clients from unfair allocations of blame.

Fighting for the Full Amount of Compensation

Establishing liability is only half the battle. The other half is proving the full value of your damages, and here too the insurance company will fight you at every turn. They’ll argue your injuries aren’t really that bad. They’ll send you to “independent” medical examiners (paid by the insurance company) who will dispute your treating physician’s diagnosis. They’ll argue your wage loss is exaggerated, your pain and suffering claim is inflated, and your future medical needs are speculative.

We’ve seen all of these tactics, and we know how to defeat them. We build cases on a foundation of solid medical documentation, expert testimony, vocational evidence, life-care planning, and economic analysis. When negotiating with insurance carriers, we come to the table with the evidence in hand. When negotiation fails, we’re fully prepared to take your case to trial and let a jury decide. Whatever path your case takes, we pursue the maximum compensation available, which can include:

• Past and future medical expenses, including hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, and projected long-term care;
• Past and future lost wages and lost earning capacity, especially in cases where injuries prevent a return to your prior occupation;
• Pain and suffering, both physical and emotional;
• Mental anguish, anxiety, depression, and PTSD resulting from the trauma;
• Loss of enjoyment of life when injuries prevent participation in hobbies, family activities, or other meaningful pursuits;
• Loss of consortium for spouses affected by the injury;
• Property damage not covered by other insurance;
• Punitive damages in appropriate cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as drunk driving, intentional misconduct, or reckless disregard for safety.

In wrongful death cases, surviving family members can recover funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support, loss of services and companionship, loss of parental guidance for children, and the conscious pain and suffering of the decedent before death.

How New York’s Statute of Limitations Affects Your Case

In most New York personal injury cases, you have three years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years of the date of death. Medical malpractice claims have their own two-and-a-half-year statute of limitations with specific accrual rules.

If your case involves a government entity, however, the timeline shrinks dramatically. Claims against the City of New York, the MTA, the New York City Housing Authority, or other public bodies typically require a Notice of Claim filed within just 90 days of the accident, with the lawsuit itself filed within a year and 90 days. Claims against the State of New York have similar accelerated deadlines and must be filed in the New York Court of Claims.

These deadlines are not flexible. Miss them, and your right to compensation is permanently extinguished, no matter how strong your case. Beyond the legal deadlines, evidence disappears quickly: surveillance video gets overwritten, witnesses move and forget, physical evidence is repaired or discarded, and skid marks and roadway conditions change. The sooner you involve an attorney, the more we can do to preserve the evidence that wins cases.

How Contingency Fees Work and Why They Matter

For most people, the thought of hiring a lawyer immediately raises the question of cost. Hourly rates can be daunting, and for someone already buried under medical bills and out of work, the idea of paying a lawyer up front feels impossible. The temptation to accept the insurance company’s first lowball offer (just to get something in hand) is powerful.

Don’t fall for it. Personal injury attorneys, including everyone at the Cohan Law Firm, work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing up front and nothing at all unless we win compensation for you. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, so our financial interests are perfectly aligned with yours: the more we recover for you, the more we recover for the firm. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing.

The contingency fee model exists for one reason: to give every injured person, regardless of their financial situation, access to skilled legal representation. The biggest insurance companies in the country employ legions of lawyers paid hundreds of dollars an hour to fight your claim. The contingency fee evens the playing field. You get the same caliber of legal advocacy they do, with no out-of-pocket cost and no financial risk.

What to Do After an Injury in New York

The decisions you make in the hours and days after an accident can dramatically affect both your recovery and the strength of any future legal claim. If you’ve been injured:

• Get medical attention immediately, even if your injuries feel minor. Some serious conditions, including concussions, internal bleeding, and soft-tissue damage, don’t show symptoms for hours or days. Prompt medical documentation also creates a critical record linking your injuries to the accident.
• Report the incident. Call 911 for traffic accidents. Report workplace injuries to your employer in writing. Notify property managers about slip and falls. Make sure there’s an official record.
• Document everything. Take photos of the scene, your injuries, the hazard that caused them, and any property damage. Get the names and contact information of witnesses before they leave.
• Don’t give recorded statements to the at-fault party’s insurance company without first speaking to an attorney. Anything you say can be twisted and used against you.
• Don’t accept early settlement offers. Insurance companies often make quick lowball offers in hopes that injured people will accept before understanding the full extent of their injuries.
• Keep records. Save medical bills, prescription receipts, mileage to and from appointments, missed work documentation, and any communications from insurance companies.
• Call an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights and preserve evidence.

Why Choose the Cohan Law Firm

Choosing the right attorney after a serious injury is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during your recovery. At the Cohan Law Firm, we offer:

• Exclusive focus on personal injury law. We don’t dabble. Every attorney in our firm spends every day fighting for injured New Yorkers.
• Decades of combined experience handling cases across all five boroughs and Long Island.
• A track record of substantial recoveries for clients with serious and catastrophic injuries.
• Direct attorney access, meaning you’ll work with a lawyer, not just a case manager or paralegal.
• Thorough investigation, including accident reconstruction, witness interviews, and review of all available video and digital evidence.
• Aggressive negotiation backed by a willingness to take any case to trial when needed.
• Bilingual representation, with English and Spanish speakers on staff.
• No fee unless we win. We work on contingency, so you pay nothing up front and nothing at all unless we recover compensation for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About New York Personal Injury Cases

How much does it cost to hire a New York City personal injury lawyer?

Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning our fee is a percentage of the recovery we obtain for you. If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing.

How long will my personal injury case take?

It depends on the complexity of your injuries, the willingness of the insurance company to negotiate fairly, and whether the case has to be tried. Some cases settle in months; serious injury cases often take a year or more. We’ll never rush you into a settlement that doesn’t fully account for your damages, especially future medical needs.

What if I was partially at fault?

Under New York’s pure comparative negligence rule, you can still recover compensation even if you were mostly at fault. Your award is reduced by your percentage of responsibility but never eliminated, even if you’re found more than 50% at fault.

What if the at-fault party doesn’t have insurance or has very little?

You may have options through your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, your no-fault PIP benefits, or claims against other potentially liable parties (such as a property owner, employer, or product manufacturer). We investigate every possible avenue of recovery.

Do I have to go to court?

Most personal injury cases settle without a trial. However, the willingness and preparation to go to court is exactly what motivates insurance companies to make fair offers. We prepare every case as if it will be tried.

Should I talk to the other party’s insurance company?

No. Politely decline to give a recorded statement and refer them to your attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to elicit statements that can be used to reduce or deny your claim, and anything you say can, and likely will, be used against you.

What if I’ve already accepted a settlement?

Unfortunately, settlements are typically final. Once you sign a release, you generally cannot reopen the claim, even if your condition worsens. This is exactly why it’s so important to consult with an attorney before accepting any offer.

Contact the Cohan Law Firm for Your NYC Personal Injury Claim

If you or a family member has been injured in an accident anywhere in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or Long Island, the Cohan Law Firm is ready to help you get the medical care and compensation you need and deserve. We pursue justice on your behalf and hold negligent parties (and their insurance companies) fully accountable for the harm they’ve caused.

The sooner you involve an attorney, the better your outcome is likely to be. Evidence disappears, deadlines run, and insurance companies use every day of delay against you. Before you accept a lowball settlement offer, give a recorded statement, or sign anything from an insurance adjuster, call the experienced New York City personal injury lawyers at the Cohan Law Firm for a free, confidential consultation. Hablamos Español. There’s no fee unless and until we recover for you.