Frequently Asked Questions

We don’t know the answer to this question. Neither does anyone else. The answer depends on far too many factors including, but not limited to, the severity of your injuries, how long it will take you to fully recover, who the liability insurance company is and the amount of available coverage, and whether you were partially responsible for the accident or incident in which you were injured. If you are judged to be partly at fault, you may only be allowed to recover a portion of your damages.

You should be aware that it can take years to determine all of the costs your injury will cause, and to what extent you might not be able to fully return to the life you had before the accident. Therefore, a quick settlement is unlikely if you want to recover what you are legally entitled to. We promise to always keep you apprised of the progress being made, and the costs and likelihood of success. And, we promise to effectively and tenaciously advocate on your behalf.

The fact that you are reading these FAQ shows that you have figured out at least one possible way to find an attorney. That may have been through researching on the internet, a personal recommendation, or perhaps seeing one of our advertisements. If you are evaluating several attorneys, there are several factors you should look for. These include education, legal skills and experience in the Personal Injury field, past success in resolving cases, and trial experience, if settlement appears to be unlikely. Perhaps most importantly, you need to feel comfortable with your attorney, and feel safe and confident in telling him/her everything associated with the case.

At Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein, LLP, Attorneys at Law, we have resolved over $!00 Million worth of claims. Therefore, we have the experience to maximize the value of your case. We have a solid and successful track record pressing our clients’ claims both inside and outside of the courtroom, and we are known as being tenacious and unflagging in our push to get you the justice you deserve. Each of our principals has over 30 years of doing just that for clients in New York City and its surrounding suburbs. Because we promise to give each client the full and individual attention they deserve regardless of the size of the potential recovery, we cannot accept each and every case that is offered to us.

We encourage you to call us immediately to set up an appointment to meet with us. If you have a problem coming to our offices, we are more than glad to meet you at your home, office, hospital room, or other location that is convenient and comfortable for you.

Immediately! The longer you wait to contact an attorney to represent you after you have been injured, the bigger risk you run of not being able to fully pursue your claim. From the viewpoint of the legal system, there are usually deadlines by which actions or claims relating to an incident must be filed. These deadlines, depending on the court, may be measured in years, or perhaps only months, after the incident. If you miss any of those deadlines, your claim could be affected or even totally dismissed by the court. Knowledge of these various deadlines, and a reliable tracking system to ensure they are not missed, is yet another excellent reason why you should use a Personal Injury attorney and not try to represent yourself. Even outside of these stringent deadlines, think of how peoples’ memories fade with time. The same is true with your case. The longer you wait to take action, the more likely it is that witnesses will forget some of the details that may be crucial to your side. Or, even worse, witnesses may move or die, and their beneficial testimony may be lost forever. Always start your potential claim on the right foot by contacting an attorney immediately.

No! NOT before discussing it with your Personal Injury attorney.

Face it – the insurance company’s attorney works for the insurance company, not for you.  As such, he/she is evaluated on how many claims they can settle, and at the lowest possible cost.  The more your claim costs, or the longer it takes to settle, means that the insurance adjuster is not doing the best possible job.

Plus, if you settle too early, that settlement may come before you know all of the current and future expenses resulting from your accident.  Once you receive the settlement money, your claim is settled, and you cannot return asking for more if you need more medical treatment or a longer stay in rehabilitation.

Your Personal Injury attorney is the only one who can advise you objectively about the settlement offer, and whether it is best to accept it for make a counteroffer.  That attorney works for you and in your best interests, so trust him to give his best guidance.

In New York, the answer is “Yes”. In New York State, being partly to blame for an accident doesn’t prevent you from filing a claim for your injuries, or collecting compensation for them. While each case is different from any other, if you are partially at fault the court will generally reduce your maximum possible award by the percentage of your fault. That is, if the severity of your injuries is determined to deserve an award of $1,000,000 and you are 30% at fault, your award will be reduced by 30%, or $300,000. Your net award will be $700,000. Of course, the possibility that you are partially at fault introduces yet another complicating factor to your claim. This is another solid reason why you should hire a Personal Injury attorney at the earliest possible moment, and rely on her for advice every step of the way.

In general, the majority of personal injury claims are settled outside of the courtroom. While Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein, LLP, Attorneys at Law will attempt to settle your claim without needing to go to trial, we always prepare your case with the expectation that it will be settled in the courtroom. That way, we are never caught by surprise or are unprepared. As the plaintiff, you also always have the right to go to trial if you believe an offered settlement is too small. Of course, this carries the risk that the court will rule against you, or will rule for you but award smaller damages than the settlement offer. As always, knowledge of the legal system, precedent cases, and the presiding judge make your Personal Injury attorney invaluable in assessing this risk. And, if you believe that you can’t face the defendant for whatever reason, you must make sure you tell your attorney and no one else. You certainly don’t want the other side to know that you would not be able to testify in court, because they would have no reason to settle with you before trial.

• Police report relating to the incident
• Hospital report, if you needed to visit one for treatment
• Any medical reports or records of any medical personnel you saw outside of the hospital.
• Any medical or repair bills relating to the incident
• Statements from any eyewitnesses to the incident and their contact information
  if an auto accident, all insurance policies for the vehicle you were in, as well for any other vehicles owned by you or any relatives that you live with
• Photographs and/or diagrams of the accident scene

As is often the answer in law, it depends. For example, an owner or a general contractor can often be held responsible for incidents resulting in personal injury that occur at construction sites, even if they were not negligent or even actively involved in the project or the specific task resulting in the injury. The law holds that there is a presumption that those authorizing or in charge of a project have made the site hazard-free. At other times, someone injured by a defective product could recover financial compensation from the manufacturer or seller of that product even if neither the manufacturer nor seller were negligent. In fact, this stance may even hold if the product that caused the injury was used for a purpose for which it was not designed. Even if you were the sole cause of a motor vehicle accident, you are still entitled to have the insurance company for the car you were in pay for your medical expenses and lost earnings under the “no fault” statutes.

Medical malpractice can take many forms. The most important factor is that medical malpractice is the failure on a medical professional’s part to provide adequate care for a patient. It is that simple. Here are some examples:

You should call us if you have sustained an injury or damage of any kind, and it was due to the fault or negligence of another party. Many attorneys will tell you that they are not interested in handling a case if the injuries were not severe enough (i.e. there was no fracture). However, injuries take many forms and sometimes it takes many months for symptoms to appear or be diagnosed. If you have any doubt about whether you have a case, call us immediately. We will sit down with you, go over all of the facts, and give you our best opinion about the merits of your case. We successfully resolved cases that other attorneys thought were not winnable or not worth their time to pursue more times than we can count.

Depending on circumstances, you may still have grounds to file a lawsuit. Since New York State is a comparative liability state, as long as the accident was not 100% your fault, it’s still possible to recover damages from the other party for the portion of the accident that was not your fault.