Intersection Accidents

Intersections are where many users of the road—including motorcycles, pedestrians, cars, trucks, and bikes—are all traveling in different directions and changing directions. Even with stop signs and traffic lights to regulate traffic flow, these areas pose a higher-than-average risk for collisions.

If you’ve been injured in an intersection accident and would like to know how much compensation you may be eligible for, contact The Law Office of Mark A. Siesel for a free consultation. Whether you’re in White Plains, Westchester County, New York, the Hudson Valley, or surrounding areas, your free consultation allows you to discuss your case with a member of our legal team with no obligation and no fee. You can get answers to your questions, find out what your legal options are, and discuss how you may be able to protect your right to financial recovery.

Why Do Intersection Accidents Happen?

Car crashes at intersections occur for a variety of reasons, including:  

• Excessive speed.
• Aggressive driving.
• Drowsy driving.
• Motorists operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Inexperienced drivers.
• Older drivers whose reflexes and eyesight are diminished.
• Disregarding a traffic light or stop sign.
• Obstructions that affect visibility at the intersection.
• Road issues, including potholes and debris on the road, which can cause swerving.
• Following too closely.
• Distracted driving.
• Incorrectly timed traffic lights.

Distracted driving, especially, has become much more prevalent in recent years due to the substantial increase in texting or emailing while driving and hand-held cell phone usage in general. In New York State, it is a traffic violation to use a hand-held device for any reason other than an emergency call to authorities.

Filing a Claim in an Intersection Accident

If you are injured in an intersection accident anywhere in New York State, you can file a legal claim if your injuries were caused by negligence—for example, by a drunk driver, a distracted motorist, or by someone not following the traffic rules. You can work with an experienced personal injury attorney to prove your case and to get fair compensation.

An experienced lawyer will have access to many resources, including expert witnesses, medical professionals, and investigators, who can establish what caused your injuries and how your accident happened. Your lawyer can also use subpoenas and other tools to secure cell phone records to establish whether a motorist was driving while texting, or can secure other records from car manufacturers and other potential liable parties. An attorney finds all liable parties and uses all the legal tools at his or her disposal to protect your right to financial recovery.

Additionally, in recent years, some intersections are equipped with red light cameras, with the possibility that the accident may have been recorded, thus adding another possible means of determining the true causes of the accident. Traffic lights are on a timing system, and occasionally there is a problem with the light changing too quickly from green to red. In these cases, it requires an application to a judge to require the municipality to produce records of traffic signal testing and repair.

In rural intersection accident cases, there could be overhanging branches which obscure a stop sign or other traffic control signal, or obstruct the view of one or more of the drivers of traffic in front of them. In these cases, in addition to the possible negligence of the other driver, another defendant could potentially be the municipality that maintains the traffic sign, which can be a city, town, village or county. In municipal cases, there are additional requirements in order to pursue a case for injuries, including filing a notice of claim against the county, city, town or village, describing in detail the accident and injuries suffered within a very short time frame after the accident. Thus, it is essential that you have experienced, knowledgeable advocates on your side.

What Can I Recover in an Intersection Accident?

After an intersection accident in the State of New York, there are several types of compensation you may be entitled to, depending on the circumstances of your case. You may be able to file an insurance claim, for example, or if there were negligent parties that caused your collision you may have a legal claim.

An experienced attorney can help you pursue all available forms of recovery to ensure you are financially supported during your recovery. The following are the primary types of compensation you may be able to recover:

• Pain and suffering for your physical injuries. This compensates you for the physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life caused by your injuries. This form of compensation is more subjective but is an important aspect of personal injury claims. You cannot secure this type of compensation through an insurance claim; you will need a personal injury claim.
• Medical expenses. This includes all costs associated with treating your injuries, such as hospital bills, surgeries, doctor visits, physical therapy, medications, and any future medical treatments you may need as a result of the accident. If your injuries require ongoing therapy or rehabilitation, these costs may be recovered as part of your claim.
• Lost wages. If your injuries prevent you from working, you may be entitled to compensation for the wages you have lost, as well as any future income loss if your ability to work is permanently affected. You can also seek compensation for loss of earnings capacity, if your injury is expected to affect your career prospects long term.
• Car rental. While your car is in the shop, you can seek to have transportation costs covered, such as the cost of renting a car or using taxis.
• Property damage. If your vehicle was damaged in the accident, you can recover the cost of repairs or the replacement value if the vehicle was totaled. You may also be able to seek compensation for any other personal property that was damaged in the accident, including your cell phone and other valuables.
• Out-of-pocket expenses. These include any additional costs you incur as a result of the accident, such as transportation to medical appointments, household help, or other necessary services during your recovery.

If you have lost a spouse or immediate family member in an intersection accident, you may also have a wrongful death claim. This allows you to seek compensation for burial costs, pain and suffering, the contribution the person made to your household, and more.

An experienced attorney will help ensure that all your expenses are properly documented and that you receive the maximum compensation you deserve for the impact of your intersection accident.

It’s common for individuals who have been hurt in an intersection accident to wonder how much their case could be worth. The best way to find out is to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney, who can look at the facts of your case and calculate your likely total injury costs and how much you can seek in financial recovery.  

Work with The Law Office of Mark A. Siesel

At The Law Office of Mark A. Siesel, with offices in White Plains and Peekskill, we represent numerous drivers, passengers and pedestrians injured in intersection accidents in Westchester County, the Hudson Valley, New York, and surrounding areas. For this complex area of the law, it is essential that your lawyers be fully familiar with all regulations and ordinances that are applicable in intersection accidents, as well as having the requisite litigation experience to represent the client from inception through jury verdict to maximize your compensation for all physical, psychological and financial injuries and damages you have suffered in the accident.

Our office conducts an immediate comprehensive investigation of the circumstances to determine all causes of the accident, including speaking with witnesses, the police, securing and reviewing photographs of the scene and the vehicles involved, examining roadway debris (if the accident occurred shortly before our representation), and retaining experts where necessary, including accident reconstructionists, and biomechanical engineers.

Since 1986, we have successfully represented clients in intersection accidents, all types of motor vehicle accidents, and a wide variety of cases in the state and federal Courts of New York. For over 38 years, we have obtained numerous substantial jury verdicts, arbitration awards, and settlements on behalf of our clients who come to us from not only New York, but all across the United States.

Our office will prosecute your case expeditiously, diligently, and aggressively, to obtain the maximum possible compensation for your injuries, past and future medical and hospital expenses, loss of earnings, loss of earnings potential, inability to perform your usual and customary activities and loss of enjoyment of life. Contact us online for your free consultation today.