A car crash doesn’t just ruin your day—it can turn your whole life upside down. One moment you are driving through your normal routine, and the next you are dealing with pain, a wrecked vehicle, missed work, and nonstop questions from insurance companies. If you are looking for a car accident lawyer who truly understands what you are going through and is ready to fight for you, Daniella Levi & Associates, P.C. is here to step in and shoulder the legal burden while you focus on healing.
After a serious collision, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. Should you talk to the other driver’s insurance? How do you get your medical bills covered? Are you allowed to be compensated for pain, stress, or time off work? A dedicated car accident attorney helps you answer all of those questions and more. Instead of guessing your way through the process, you get a clear plan, someone to deal with adjusters for you, and a legal team that knows how to push back when insurers try to downplay your injuries or rush you into a lowball settlement. You worry about your body; your lawyer worries about your claim.
Why You Need a Car Accident Lawyer After a Crash
Insurance companies love to say, “We’ll take care of everything.” But their real job is to save money, not to protect your future. They do that by getting you to talk early—when you are still in pain, tired, and possibly medicated—and by getting you to say things that can later be twisted against you. They may sound friendly, but they are trained to protect the company’s bottom line. That is where a car accident lawyer changes everything. Instead of you trying to keep track of what to say and what not to say, your attorney steps in as a shield between you and the insurance company.
A skilled auto accident lawyer understands all the different ways a crash can affect your life: medical bills, prescription costs, physical therapy, missed paychecks, reduced hours, long-term disability, and the simple fact that living with pain is exhausting. They look at the big picture, not just the bills that have already hit your mailbox. Maybe you need future surgery, long-term rehab, or modifications to your home or work duties. Maybe you can go back to work, but not in the same way or for the same pay. A strong personal injury claim takes all of that into account—medical costs, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, and pain and suffering.
There are also strict legal rules and deadlines involved in car accident cases. New York has a statute of limitations that controls how long you have to file a lawsuit. There are deadlines for no-fault insurance (PIP) applications and requirements for proving that your injuries meet the “serious injury” threshold in order to pursue pain and suffering damages. Missing a step or a deadline can seriously weaken or kill your case. When you work with a car accident attorney, you get someone who lives in that world every day—who knows the forms, the timelines, and the strategies insurance companies use—and who can guide you safely through the process from start to finish.
Steps to Take After a Car Accident in Bedford-Stuyvesant
What you do in the minutes, hours, and days after a crash can make a big difference in both your health and your legal claim. First, safety always comes first. Check yourself and anyone else in your vehicle for injuries and call 911 if needed. If you are able and it is safe, move your car out of active traffic. Even if you think you are “okay,” adrenaline can hide serious injuries, so it is wise to accept medical care at the scene or visit an urgent care or hospital as soon as possible. That visit creates a medical record showing that your pain started right after the collision, which is important for your future claim.
At the scene, try to collect as much information as you can without putting yourself at risk. Get the other driver’s name, contact information, license plate number, and insurance details. Use your phone to take photos or videos of the damage to all vehicles, any visible injuries, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, and road conditions. If anyone saw what happened, politely ask for their contact information so your lawyer can reach out later. Always request that the police come to the scene and make an official report; that report is often a key document when your car accident lawyer is proving fault.
After you leave the scene, one of the smartest things you can do is talk with a car accident attorney before giving a recorded statement to any insurance company. You do need to notify your own insurer, but you do not have to guess about fault, minimize your pain, or speculate about how the crash happened. Your lawyer can explain what to say, handle most communications for you, and help you avoid common mistakes—like posting about the accident on social media or casually telling an adjuster you are “feeling better” when you are actually still in pain. Keep all medical records, receipts, prescriptions, and notes about how your injuries are affecting your daily life. That paper trail becomes powerful proof when it is time to pursue a settlement.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Builds and Proves Your Case
A solid car accident case is built on evidence, not just opinions. When you hire an experienced attorney, they start by collecting everything more info they can about the crash and your injuries. That typically includes the police report, photos and videos, witness statements, vehicle damage estimates, and your medical records. If liability (fault) is unclear or disputed, your lawyer may work with accident reconstruction experts who can analyze skid marks, crush damage, and other physical clues to show how the collision occurred and who had the last clear chance to avoid it.
On the injury side, your attorney carefully reviews your treatment records to connect the dots between the crash and your symptoms. They may request reports or letters from your doctors explaining your diagnosis, the treatment you have undergone, and what your long-term outlook looks like. In more serious cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, complex fractures, or permanent disability, your lawyer may consult with specialists and life care planners. These experts can help estimate future surgeries, therapy, medication, and support services you may need over your lifetime, as well as how your earning capacity has been impacted.
Once your lawyer has a clear picture of fault and damages, they put everything together into a demand package for the insurance company. This includes a detailed explanation of how the crash happened, why the other party is at fault under New York law, and a breakdown of your economic and non-economic losses. Your lawyer then negotiates with the insurance adjuster, pushing back against low offers and bad-faith tactics. If the insurer refuses to be reasonable, your attorney can file a lawsuit and prepare your case for trial. While many claims settle before reaching a courtroom, being ready and willing to go to trial often motivates insurers to take your claim more seriously and increase their offers.
Dealing with Insurance Companies Without Getting Burned
Talking to insurance adjusters after a crash can feel like walking through a minefield. They may be polite, but their questions are often designed to catch you off guard. They might ask you to describe your pain level “from 1 to 10” just days after the crash, then use your answer later to argue you were not really that hurt. They might ask about old injuries, hoping to blame your current pain on something that happened years ago. Or they might pressure you to settle quickly, before you even know the full extent of your injuries or future medical needs.
A car accident lawyer takes that pressure off your shoulders. Once you are represented, most communication goes through your attorney, not you. Your lawyer knows which questions are appropriate, which are not, and when the insurance company is fishing for something they can twist against you. They also understand the fine print of no-fault coverage, bodily injury policies, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, so they can help you access every dollar of coverage available. That includes coordinating benefits so your medical bills are paid in the right order and you are not left with surprise gaps later.
Perhaps most importantly, having a lawyer sends a clear message to the insurance company: you are serious about your case and you are not going to accept whatever they feel like offering. Adjusters track which law firms are willing to take cases to court and which ones always settle for less to avoid a fight. By working with a firm that is ready to litigate when necessary, you change the calculation. While no attorney can promise a specific dollar amount, having experienced, trial-ready representation almost always improves your leverage at the negotiating table and increases the odds of a fair settlement.
Common Types of Car Accident Cases and Injuries
Car accident cases come in many forms, and a good lawyer has seen just about all of them. Rear-end collisions are among the most common and can cause whiplash, neck and back pain, headaches, and nerve issues even when the crash happens at relatively low speeds. Side-impact or T-bone crashes are especially dangerous at intersections and can lead to serious injuries to the head, chest, pelvis, and internal organs. Head-on collisions and high-speed crashes tend to be the most catastrophic, sometimes resulting in broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and, in tragic cases, fatalities that lead to wrongful death claims by surviving family members.
Many cases involve drivers who were distracted, speeding, tailgating, failing to yield, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Others involve commercial vehicles, delivery drivers, or rideshare vehicles, which can add additional layers of insurance and responsibility. Sometimes, the at-fault driver is uninsured or carries only minimal coverage, leaving injured people wondering how they will ever be compensated. In those cases, your lawyer can help you tap into uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage from your own policy and explore all possible sources of financial recovery.
Injuries from car crashes are not always obvious right away. What starts as “just soreness” can develop into chronic neck or back pain. A “mild” concussion can lead to ongoing problems with memory, concentration, mood, and sleep. Soft tissue injuries, nerve damage, and joint injuries can interfere with work, caregiving, hobbies, and basic daily tasks. A car accident lawyer understands how these injuries tend to progress, what kind of specialists you may need, and how to document this journey in a way that an insurance company—or a jury—can understand. The goal is not just to close your case, but to secure compensation that actually supports your long-term recovery and quality of life.
NAP:
Daniella Levi & Associates, P.C.
605 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205, United States
Phone: +17188652668