We handle all serious commercial vehicle crashes in New York City, including 18-wheeler and tractor-trailer collisions, delivery truck accidents (Amazon, FedEx, UPS, USPS), box trucks, garbage and sanitation trucks, MTA bus crashes, school bus accidents, construction vehicles, dump trucks, cement mixers, and tanker trucks. Each type involves different federal regulations, different insurance coverage minimums, and different defendants. We identify every responsible party and pursue every available source of recovery.

Liability in a NYC truck case is rarely just the driver. Depending on the facts, responsible parties can include the motor carrier (the trucking company), the cargo loader or shipper, the broker, the truck's owner if separate from the driver, the maintenance company, and even the manufacturer if a defective part contributed to the crash. In NYC specifically, defendants can also include the MTA, NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Department of Education (school buses), the City of New York, NY State agencies, or public authorities like the Port Authority if a city or government vehicle was involved. Federal regulations also hold motor carriers legally responsible for their drivers' actions while on duty. We investigate every layer to maximize the available insurance coverage.

Two reasons. First, the injuries are typically far more severe due to the size and weight difference, which can drive up medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages. Second, commercial trucks engaged in interstate commerce are required to carry minimum liability coverage ranging from $750,000 for general freight to $5 million for hazardous materials under federal law, compared to NY's $25,000 minimum for personal auto coverage. Larger insurance policies do not guarantee a larger recovery, but they do mean more coverage is available to pursue when injuries are catastrophic.

Yes, and these cases are often the most serious. NYC has more pedestrian and cyclist truck fatalities than almost any other city in the country. As a pedestrian or cyclist, you generally cannot be held comparatively at fault simply for being on the street, and trucks are subject to heightened duties of care, including specific rules about right-turn movements, blind spots, and side guards. NY's no-fault PIP benefits cover pedestrians and cyclists hit by motor vehicles for initial medical bills and lost wages, and a third-party liability claim can pursue full damages on top of that. We handle these cases regularly.

These cases are governed by special rules. Under NY General Municipal Law §50-e, claims against the City of New York, the MTA, NYC DSNY, NYC DOE, NYPD, the Port Authority, or any other public entity require a formal Notice of Claim filed within 90 days of the accident. Miss the 90-day window and your claim against the city is generally barred forever. After the Notice of Claim is filed, the city has the right to a §50-h hearing (a sworn examination of the injured person) before any lawsuit can move forward. These deadlines are unforgiving, which is why involvement of a city or public-authority vehicle makes immediate legal representation critical.

A lot more than in a car case. Key evidence includes the truck's electronic logging device (ELD) data, driver hours-of-service logs, dashcam and onboard camera footage, post-crash drug and alcohol testing, vehicle inspection and maintenance records, the driver's qualification file, and the carrier's safety record with FMCSA. Trucking companies are not required to preserve any of this unless they receive formal legal notice. Hiring a truck accident lawyer immediately allows us to send formal preservation demands that legally require the carrier to retain this evidence.

Most interstate carriers are not headquartered in New York. That doesn't matter. If the crash occurred in NYC, NY courts have jurisdiction. Our team handles cases against carriers based throughout the U.S., working with co-counsel in other jurisdictions when needed, including the major freight operators that move loads through I-95, I-87 (Major Deegan), I-278 (BQE/Cross Bronx), I-495 (Long Island Expressway), and the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, and George Washington Bridge approaches.

Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means our attorney's fee is a percentage of the recovery we secure for you. The initial consultation is free. Trucking cases require expert witnesses in accident reconstruction, medical care, and the trucking industry itself, and we advance those case costs on your behalf. Costs are typically reimbursed from the recovery, not paid out of your pocket upfront. If we do not recover compensation in your case, you will not owe us an attorney's fee. Specific fee and cost arrangements are detailed in the written representation agreement provided before we begin work on your case.

New York's statute of limitations is 3 years from the date of the crash for personal injury (CPLR §214(5)) and 2 years for wrongful death (EPTL §5-4.1). But practically, you should act within days, not months. Critical evidence like ELD data and dashcam footage can be overwritten or legally destroyed within weeks if the carrier is not on formal legal notice, and the trucking company's defense team begins working on the case immediately. Critically: claims involving city vehicles (MTA buses, DSNY trucks, NYC school buses, NYPD vehicles, or any vehicle owned by NYC, NY State, or a public authority) require a formal Notice of Claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law §50-e. Miss the 90-day window and your claim against the city is generally barred.

Yes. Trucking cases are fundamentally different from car accident cases. They are governed by federal regulations (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rulebook), they involve specialized evidence that doesn't exist in car cases (ELD data, black box downloads, driver qualification files, hours-of-service logs), and they are defended by lawyers who exclusively represent motor carriers and their insurers. A general personal injury lawyer can handle a fender bender. A NYC truck accident requires someone with focused experience in commercial vehicle litigation who understands the federal rulebook the trucking industry operates under, and how to use it against them.