Front-End Car Accidents in Long Island

The car accident lawyers at Duffy & Duffy represent individuals who have been injured in all types of crashes, including head-on collisions. We understand the debilitating harm that these events can cause for victims and their families, and we fight diligently to pursue the legal remedies to which our clients may be entitled. Our lawyers have established a solid reputation in the local and legal communities for protecting the rights of the people whom we represent.

A front-end car accident in Long Island is a frequently devastating type of crash in which the front ends of two vehicles collide. These accidents may occur when a driver goes the wrong way down a one-way street or crosses a median into oncoming traffic. Head-on collisions are sometimes the result of drunk driving, and they can also be caused by various dangerous activities like using a cell phone behind the wheel or recklessly disregarding the rules of the road.

Holding a Negligent Driver Liable for Damages

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle collision, you may have the right to seek compensation from those responsible for the crash. That may be another driver, the driver’s employer, an auto manufacturer or parts maker, or a construction crew or government agency that is to blame for hazardous road conditions. In many cases, more than one party is at least partially liable for an accident.

Most cases arising from a car crash unfold under the legal theory of negligence. This requires the victim to prove that the defendant had a duty of reasonable care, that the defendant breached the duty by failing to meet the appropriate standard, that the breach directly caused the accident, and that the victim incurred damages that can be compensated.

New York operates under a modified joint and several liability system. This means that any person or entity being sued can be held liable for the entire amount of any economic damages resulting from a crash, such as medical costs, missed wages, and damage to a vehicle, regardless of the degree of that particular defendant’s fault. It is then up to the defendant who has been found liable to seek “contribution” from other responsible parties.

Even in situations where the injured person is also deemed partially at fault for an accident, he or she may still be able to recover some damages from other liable parties. As long as the victim is less than 50 percent responsible for the crash, he or she can potentially receive a compensation award that is proportionate to the other parties’ degree of fault.

New York’s statute of limitations requires a person injured in a motor vehicle accident to file suit within three years of the crash. This is important to keep in mind because some accidents require significant investigation in order to identify all of the potentially liable parties.