What To Do When:

Senior woman praying for sick man sleeping in hospital bed

Schneider Law Offices, PLLC serves accident victims in New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, and the surrounding Hudson Valley area with expert representation. Our personal injury focus can help you make the right decisions as we move forward towards getting you the just compensation you deserve for your injury.

This page can help you understand what you should do if you have been the victim of an auto accident or a slip, trip and fall accident. We represent clients in a variety of personal injury cases, in addition to these two areas. Please call us at 845-419-2354 for a complimentary consultation.

Hit and Run Accident?

If you are the victim of a hit and run accident, it does not mean you are without options. You may be able to make a claim against your own auto insurance carrier to compensate you for your injuries, pain, and suffering. If you live in a home where no one owns a vehicle, we will discuss your options with you.

In New York State, to preserve your legal rights in a hit and situation, you must notify the police within 24 hours of your accident if they do not respond to the scene. This may require you to visit a police department in person. If you are unable to visit in person, you should still call the police and file a report as best as possible.

Social media touches all aspects of everyday life whether we like it or not. Most people have at least one account or platform in which they share things about themselves to some extent. Accident victims need to understand that what they share is often fair game for insurance companies and their attorneys. Seemingly innocent or innocuous posts or shares can be spun in any number of distorted ways.

Here are some guidelines for your consideration if you are in an accident and need our help

  • Enable maximum privacy settings on all your social media accounts if you did not already do so.
  • Do not post content related to your incident, injuries, recovery etc. online.
  • Do not post false or misleading content about your incident, injuries, recovery etc. online.
  • Consider not posting anything online at all.
  • Do not delete pre-incident social media content. Preserve things as is. You may be required to share some of this information with attorneys for the negligent parties in your case in the future.

New York law generally favors disclosure of social media account postings and other information once litigation starts. Be mindful of your social media habits if you are injured and need our help.

Notify the police and wait for their arrival.  Do not let another motorist persuade you that the police should not be called.

Notify your insurance company that you were in an accident and request that they send you the necessary No-Fault benefit forms for you to fill out and return to them.  Your No-Fault insurance company will pay medical bills and lost wages.  This must be done within 30 days from the date of the accident pursuant to New York State Insurance Law or you could lose your right to No-Fault benefits.

Send a letter to your insurance company notifying them of an underinsurance and/or uninsurance claim via certified mail.  This protects your right to pursue a personal injury claim against your own insurance company in the event the other vehicle in the accident has no insurance or limited insurance.

Notify the other driver’s insurance company of this accident.  Do not assume the other driver or other vehicle owner will notify their insurance company.

If you are able, consider taking photos of the accident scene, damage to the vehicles involved and your injuries.  Consider securing the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses or good Samaritans who come to your assistance.  Do not assume any responding police officers or emergency response personnel will get their information.

Notify the property owner, property manager or anyone else you believe may be responsible for the location.  Request that an accident or incident report be prepared and ask for a copy.  Do not be alarmed if you are told you are not entitled to a copy.  In cases of serious injuries, consider notifying the police and/or contacting emergency response personnel.

If you are able, consider taking photos of the accident scene especially if you were caused to fall by a transient condition (e.g. snow, ice, water or other substance).

Consider preserving the footwear you had on at the time the accident.

Consider securing the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses or good Samaritans who come to your assistance.  Do not assume any responding police officers or emergency response personnel will get their information.

Do not assume your medical bills will be paid for by the property owner or its insurance company.  Prepare to pay for medical expenses as you normally would.  Keep copies of any receipts, bills, etc. documenting your out of pocket medical expenses.

Ridesharing apps have changed how people get around. In New York State, rideshare service drivers are required to maintain certain minimum levels of insurance coverage to protect their passengers and other third parties in the event of an accident. Let us help you if you are seriously injured in a rideshare accident.

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Meeting Locations:

243 Main St., Suite 250
New Paltz, NY 12561

61-43 186th Street
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10174

11 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606

42 Catharine Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601