The type of attorney that handles car accidents is usually a personal injury lawyer who spends each day going up against insurance companies on claims involving incidents such as rear-end collisions, hit-and-runs, and multi-car pileups.
Car accident cases come with unique rules. Insurance policies, traffic laws, and how fault is calculated can all shift depending on where the crash happened and what vehicles were involved. A lawyer who mostly handles medical malpractice or slip-and-fall cases won’t have the same depth as someone who works on auto accident claims every day.
At Chaikin Trial Group Personal Injury Lawyers, our Long Island car accident lawyers know how to build a claim that holds up against an insurance company looking to pay as little as possible. Below, we’ll break down what separates a car accident attorney from other lawyers, what the job actually involves, and how to know when it’s time to call us.
What Makes a Car Accident Attorney Different?
Personal injury law covers a wide range of cases, from medical negligence to defective products to accidents on someone else’s property. Car accidents fall under that same personal injury umbrella, but they come with their own layer of complexity that a lawyer needs real experience to navigate well.
An attorney who regularly works on car accident claims typically understands:
- How no-fault auto insurance works in New York and when a case can go beyond it
- How to read a police report and pull out details that support a claim
- How insurance adjusters calculate, and often lowball, an initial settlement offer
- How to work with accident reconstruction experts when the cause of a crash is disputed
For car accident injury claims, New York now follows a modified comparative fault rule. Under CPLR 1411(b), effective May 26, 2026, you cannot recover damages if you are found more at fault than the other party (or all defendants combined). If your share of fault is equal to or less than theirs, you can still recover, but your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you were found 30% responsible and your damages were $100,000, your recovery could be reduced to $70,000.
That’s exactly the kind of detail a Long Island personal injury lawyer who focuses on car accidents needs to understand cold, since it can significantly change what a case is worth.
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What a Car Accident Attorney Does
Once you understand what type of attorney handles car accident cases, it helps to know what the job actually involves day-to-day.
Fault isn’t always obvious after a crash, and who determines fault in a car accident claim in New York often comes down to insurance adjusters or, if the case goes to court, a judge or jury, which is exactly the kind of dispute a car accident attorney is trained to fight.
Beyond proving fault, a car accident attorney’s job typically includes:
- Gathering evidence, including photos, witness statements, and traffic or surveillance footage
- Reviewing medical records to connect your injuries directly to the crash
- Calculating the full value of your claim, including medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering
- Handling all communication with insurance adjusters so you’re not pressured into an early, lowball settlement
- Filing a lawsuit and preparing for trial if the insurance company won’t offer a fair number
Bear in mind that insurance companies pay closer attention to attorneys who are genuinely willing to take a case to trial if necessary, rather than those who settle everything behind the scenes.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Attorney
Not every lawyer with “personal injury” on their website has significant courtroom experience with car accidents. Before hiring one, it’s worth asking a few direct questions:
- How many car accident cases have you handled?
- Do you take cases to trial, or do you mostly settle?
- Will I be working directly with you, or mostly with a paralegal?
- How do your fees work if we don’t win?
- Can you come to me if I can’t make it to the office?
- What types of damages can I recover in a personal injury claim?
- How long do I have to file my personal injury claim in New York?
The answers to these questions tend to reveal a lot about how a firm actually operates and what they can do for you, not just what they advertise.
When You Should Hire a Car Accident Attorney
Some crashes are minor enough that a claim resolves on its own. Others aren’t, and waiting too long to get help can cost you.
If you’re wondering whether you need a lawyer after a car accident on Long Island, the answer is likely yes if you were injured, missed work because of the crash, are facing mounting medical bills, or the insurance company is slow-walking your claim or downplaying what you’re owed.
The team at Chaikin Trial Group Personal Injury Lawyers hears the same hesitation from a lot of people: they’re not sure their case is “big enough” to call a lawyer. In reality, injuries that seem minor at first can turn into ongoing medical treatment, and insurance companies count on people settling early, before they understand the full cost of what happened to them.
Why the Right Attorney Makes the Difference
At Chaikin Trial Group Personal Injury Lawyers, every case is prepared as though it’s headed to trial, not just toward a quick settlement. Clients get their attorney’s direct cell number instead of a call center, and if getting to our Melville office isn’t possible, someone from our team will come to you.
Since many of the people we work with feel more comfortable speaking Spanish, our entire team is bilingual, so nothing gets lost in translation while your case is being built. And because we work on a contingency fee basis, you don’t pay attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Talk to Chaikin Trial Group Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Knowing what type of attorney handles car accidents is the first step. Finding one who will actually fight for you is the part that matters most.
Chaikin Trial Group Personal Injury Lawyers offers free, confidential consultations, and we’ll even send a car to bring you to us if getting here isn’t easy. Come in as a client, and you’ll leave as a friend, with a legal team that treats your case with the urgency it deserves.
Reach out today to talk through what happened and find out what your next move should be.
