New York Car Accident Leads for Law Firms

New York recorded 389,984 reportable motor vehicle crashes in 2022 (the most recent finalized statewide year), producing 122,644 injuries and 1,153 fatalities according to the NY Department of Motor Vehicles statistical summary. Statewide fatalities have trended up materially over the last five years: 964 in 2018, 1,111 in 2023 (a 15% increase), with the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled rising 24% over the same period (TRIP National Research Group). Long Island accounts for roughly 20% of all NY auto fatalities; Nassau County deaths rose from 67 to 78 in 2023.

New York City alone recorded 38,105+ collisions in 2023 with 259 traffic deaths (104 pedestrians, 126 motorists, and 29 cyclists, the highest cyclist death count since the Vision Zero initiative began), per NYC Open Data. NYC sustained crash volume is concentrated on the BQE, FDR Drive, Cross Bronx Expressway, Long Island Expressway, Belt Parkway, and Major Deegan Expressway, plus the major cross-borough surface arterials. Long Island volume centers on the Long Island Expressway, Southern State Parkway, and Northern State Parkway.

New York is a no-fault state. Every NY auto policy provides at least $50,000 in basic Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits under Insurance Law Article 51, regardless of fault, covering medical and rehab expenses, 80% of lost wages up to $2,000 per month for 3 years, and $25 per day in incidental expenses for 1 year. To recover pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, the injured party must clear the serious injury threshold under Insurance Law 5102(d), which lists 9 statutory categories. Threshold viability is the single most important screening question on every NY auto file. We pre-screen for it before delivery.

Minimum auto liability is 25/50/10($25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $10,000 property damage), with mandatory uninsured motorist coverage at 25/50. Most New York policies are written with Supplementary Underinsured Motorist (SUM) coverage that stacks above the at-fault driver's liability limits, materially affecting case-value math on policy-limits files. The Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC) covers hit-and-run and uninsured-driver claims for those without their own auto policy, subject to a 90-day notice requirement.

Pure comparative negligence under CPLR 1411. A New York plaintiff can recover even if 99% at fault; damages are reduced by the assigned percentage. New York is one of approximately 13 pure-comparative states. There are no caps on compensatory damages in any personal injury category, including medical malpractice. Combined with no-fault PIP, the serious-injury threshold gate, and the largest auto-claim docket in the country, this produces the highest-stakes PI auto venue in the United States.