Personal Injury Lawyer in Bronx, NY

"Personal injury" covers a lot of ground — a car crash on the Cross Bronx, a fall in a poorly maintained apartment building, a construction accident on a Concourse job site, a dog bite, a defective product. What they share is a set of New York rules that decide, early and often invisibly, whether a claim survives.

The three that matter most:

• The deadline. Three years for personal injury (CPLR 214), two years for wrongful death, two and a half years for medical malpractice (CPLR 214-a). Against the City of New York, the Housing Authority, the Health and Hospitals Corporation or the Transit Authority: a notice of claim within 90 days, a § 50-h hearing, and suit within one year and 90 days.
• The threshold. In a motor vehicle case you must meet the serious injury definition in Insurance Law § 5102(d) before you can recover for pain and suffering — and separately, you must file the no-fault (NF-2) application within 30 days to get medical bills and lost wages paid.
• Comparative fault. New York uses pure comparative negligence (CPLR 1411). Being partly responsible reduces the award proportionally; it never bars the claim.

Bronx cases also carry two local features worth asking about. Building and premises claims frequently involve NYCHA or a City agency, which triggers the 90-day clock. And construction cases benefit from Labor Law §§ 240(1) and 241(6) — the "scaffold law" — which imposes absolute liability on owners and general contractors for elevation-related and specified safety violations, regardless of the worker's own care.

Cases are filed in Supreme Court, Bronx County, 851 Grand Concourse. When you interview an attorney, ask who will actually appear at the depositions and the compliance conferences, how they intend to prove the threshold, and whether they try cases or refer them out when trial approaches. General information, not legal advice.

No retainer, no hourly bills. New York injury attorneys work on contingency: they are paid a percentage of what they recover and nothing if there is no recovery. One-third of the net recovery is the customary arrangement in New York personal injury matters. Medical malpractice is the exception — Judiciary Law § 474-a sets a sliding scale that starts at 30% of the first $250,000 and steps down to 10% above $1,250,000.

What determines what you actually receive:

• Where the case resolves: pre-suit, discovery, mediation, or verdict
• Case expenses — experts, medical narratives, deposition transcripts, index and filing fees — and whether they are deducted before or after the fee is computed
• Liens repaid at closing: no-fault, health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, workers' compensation
• Available insurance limits, and whether a SUM claim supplements a minimum-limits policy
• Whether a municipal defendant adds notice of claim and § 50-h procedure

Settlements for a minor require court approval of both the settlement and the fee. Ask for the retainer in writing and read the expense paragraph closely. Our consultation and referral cost nothing.

Because the wrong match costs more than the fee. A case with a municipal defendant, a Labor Law claim, or a contested threshold needs an attorney who handles that specific work in Bronx County — not whoever answers first.

• Free consultation; the referral costs you nothing.
• Available 24/7 at (800) 669-0060.
• English, Spanish, and Russian.
• Over 30 years matching injured people with attorneys across New York and New Jersey.
• Local case experience in Bronx County.
• Continued involvement after the introduction.

Attorneys in Michael Brook's network give the same first instruction to nearly every new client: get treatment documented consistently from the beginning. Gaps in treatment are the single most common reason a legitimate New York injury claim is discounted.

Disclaimer: Michael Brook Attorney Referral is not a law firm and provides no legal representation or legal advice. This is general information and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney about your specific situation. No result is guaranteed.