Queens Car Accident Lawyer
From Queens Boulevard to the Van Wyck, Queens traffic injures thousands of people a year. Ikhilov & Associates represents drivers, passengers and pedestrians hurt in Queens crashes.
How a Queens car accident claim works
Two clocks start on the day of a Queens crash. The short one is no-fault: the application to the vehicle’s insurer is due within 30 days, and the benefits under Insurance Law § 5103 pay treatment and part of lost wages whoever caused the collision. The long one is the lawsuit: three years under CPLR § 214, filed in Supreme Court, Queens County, and available for pain and suffering only when the injury meets the serious injury threshold.
Fault in Queens intersections is rarely clean, and it does not need to be: CPLR § 1411 reduces compensation by your share of fault instead of erasing it. The percentages are set by evidence, which is why the first weeks matter more than the first offer.
Queens crashes by the numbers
Queens, 2025
- 17,950 reported crashes
- 9,498 people injured
- 2,055 pedestrians injured
- 943 cyclists injured
The 2025 reports cluster on the borough’s big commercial corridors:
- Northern Boulevard 245 reported crashes, 172 people injured.
- Queens Boulevard 180 crashes, 106 injured.
- Hillside Avenue 157 crashes, 139 injured.
- Jamaica Avenue 144 crashes, 113 injured.
- Woodhaven Boulevard 115 crashes, 87 injured.
Source: NYPD collision data, full year 2025. Wide multi-lane boulevards produce a particular crash pattern: left turns across several lanes of oncoming traffic, and long blocks that invite speed between lights. Both leave physical evidence that a prompt investigation can still document.
What we do in a Queens case
- Secure the scene evidence Signal timing, camera coverage and debris fields age out fast on busy boulevards. The record is built before repairs and repaving erase it.
- Find all the coverage Owner liability under VTL § 388 often adds a policy, and a working vehicle adds an employer’s.
- Document the injury for the threshold The medical file, not the crash photos, decides whether pain and suffering can be claimed at all.
The representation is on a contingency fee. For what claims resolve for across the city, see car accident settlements; the borough overview is at Areas We Serve: Queens.
New York law
The statutes that apply to this kind of claim
Each provision below links to its official text published by the New York State Senate. How a statute applies depends on the facts of a specific case.
Definition of serious injury
To sue for pain and suffering after most motor vehicle crashes, an injury has to meet the statutory definition of serious injury. The list includes a fracture, significant disfigurement, permanent loss of use of a body organ or member, and significant limitation of use of a body function or system.
No-fault first party benefits
No-fault benefits cover medical treatment and a portion of lost earnings regardless of who caused the crash. Benefits are claimed from the insurer of the vehicle, and the application has its own deadline that runs separately from the deadline to file a lawsuit.
Vehicle owner responsibility
The owner of a vehicle can be held responsible for negligence by someone driving it with permission. This matters when the driver carries little insurance and the owner carries more.
Three year limit on personal injury actions
Most personal injury cases in New York must be filed within three years of the date of the injury. Several situations change that period, including claims against a public agency and claims on behalf of a child.
Comparative fault
Being partly at fault does not end a claim in New York. Compensation is reduced in proportion to the share of fault assigned to the injured person.
This summary is general information about New York law, not legal advice about your situation. Deadlines have exceptions, and some of them are short. Speak with an attorney about the facts of your case.
Reviewed by
Erik Ikhilov, Esq.
Founding Partner & Personal Injury Attorney, Ikhilov & Associates
Founding partner of Ikhilov & Associates and New York personal injury attorney. Admitted to practice in New York, registration number 2550754.
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