Are you looking for a car accident lawyer in Brentwood, NY?
At Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C., we provide car accident representation grounded in more than 30 years of work on behalf of clients in Brentwood.
If you were injured in a crash while driving for your job in Brentwood, the insurance picture is more complicated than a typical fender bender. A delivery route on Suffolk Avenue, a service call across the Sagtikos Parkway, or a ride between job sites on the Long Island Expressway puts you on the road as an employee, and that changes who pays. Our attorneys have handled workers' compensation claims for New York employees since 1987, including crashes that happen on the clock. A Brentwood, NY car accident lawyer can preserve the evidence that the carrier will later dispute. Reach us to schedule a free consultation.
Car Accident Lawyer Brentwood, NY
A car accident lawyer represents people injured in collisions caused by another driver's carelessness. When the crash happens during work, the case has a second layer. Workers' compensation covers medical treatment and part of your lost wages regardless of who caused the collision. A separate claim against the at-fault driver can recover pain and suffering and other losses that the compensation system does not pay, and we pursue both for the people we represent.
Suffolk County recorded 164 traffic deaths in 2022, more than any other county in New York, according to the State Comptroller's report on motor vehicle fatalities. The same report found that Suffolk led the state in fatal crashes involving impaired, distracted, and speeding drivers. A Brentwood car accident attorney at Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C. identifies every source of recovery and files each claim before its deadline passes.
Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle in Brentwood
Our car accident attorneys in Brentwood, NY represent employees hurt in collisions that happen in the course of their work. We represent the injured worker, never the employer or the insurance carrier.
- Delivery and route driver crashes. Package carriers, food distributors, and courier services run routes through Brentwood all day. When a delivery driver is rear-ended at a stop or struck pulling out of a loading area, we file the compensation claim and investigate the other driver.
- Commercial vehicle and box truck collisions. Employees who drive company trucks, vans, and service vehicles face highway crashes on the Expressway and the parkways. We obtain the police report, the employer's vehicle records, and any dash camera footage before it is overwritten.
- Crashes while traveling between job sites. A trip from one work location to another is work, even in a personal car. The commute to and from home usually is not, and we sort out which rule applies to a workplace injury while driving so the claim is filed correctly.
- Rideshare and app-based driver crashes. Drivers injured while logged in to the app have coverage questions that depend on the app's status at the moment of impact. We identify which policy responds and whether a compensation claim is available.
- Passengers injured in employer vehicles. Crew members riding in a company van to a job are covered by workers' compensation when the van crashes. We also evaluate the claim against the at-fault driver, who may be someone other than your coworker.
- Hit-and-run collisions. A hit-and-run crash leaves an injured worker without an identified defendant. Workers' compensation still pays, and uninsured motorist coverage may apply. A driver who disappears after the crash can still be served through methods the courts allow.
- Pedestrian and roadside worker strikes. Crossing guards, highway crews, utility workers, and landscapers are hit by passing vehicles while working at the roadside. These cases combine a compensation claim with a liability claim against the driver.
- Out-of-town work travel crashes. Employees sent to a conference or a client site remain covered while they travel. Traveling employees injured in a crash away from Long Island can still bring the claim to the Board here.
Why Choose Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C. as my Car Accident Lawyer in Brentwood, NY?
Advocacy in Albany for Injured Workers
Donald Shouldice has practiced workers' compensation law since 1992 and sits on the Board of Directors of the Workers' Compensation Alliance. He meets regularly with legislators in Albany and on Long Island to protect the benefits that injured workers depend on. That work gives our firm a direct view of rule changes that affect crash claims. He earned his law degree at the University of Miami in 1991.
A Long Island Office and Decades Before the Board
Our Hauppauge office on Rabro Drive sits a short drive from Brentwood. Mark Polsky, practicing since 1987, serves as president of the Nassau County Bar Association's Workers' Compensation Committee and speaks regularly at union meetings about workers' rights. Adam Rosen chairs the same committee and has managed claims across our New York offices since 2000. Both graduated from Hofstra Law School.
Our firm has recovered benefits for injured workers across Long Island for more than three decades, and our results for injured workers include disputed claims that carriers initially denied. Consultations are free, and there are no upfront fees. That experience is exactly what you want from a workers' compensation lawyer in Brentwood, NY when a crash on the job leaves you with two claims and one recovery to protect.
Understanding Car Accident Cases
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Car Accident Cases
A work-related crash in Brentwood can produce recovery from three sources, and each follows its own rules.
- Workers' compensation benefits. The employer's carrier pays for medical care related to the crash and a portion of lost wages while you cannot work, without any finding of fault.
- No-fault benefits. New York requires auto policies to carry basic economic loss coverage of up to $50,000 per person under Insurance Law 5102. When workers' compensation applies, it pays first, and no-fault coverage fills gaps.
- Third-party liability claim. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver can recover pain and suffering and losses beyond what the first two sources pay. Under Insurance Law 5104, non-economic damages require a serious injury, a category that includes fractures, significant disfigurement, and permanent loss or limitation of a body part or function.
- Comparative fault. For motor vehicle claims filed on or after May 26, 2026, an injured person whose share of fault is greater than the defendant's recovers nothing, and a smaller share reduces the award in proportion, under the amended comparative fault rule in CPLR 1411.
- The compensation lien. The carrier that paid workers' compensation benefits has a right to be repaid from the third-party recovery, and we negotiate that repayment as part of resolving the lawsuit.
What Is The Car Accident Case Timeline?
The compensation claim and the lawsuit run on separate clocks, and our car accident attorneys in Brentwood track both from the first meeting.
- Notice to the employer is due within 30 days of the crash under Workers' Compensation Law 18. Written notice is best, and we explain why in the first 48 hours after an injury.
- The compensation claim must be filed with the Board within two years of the accident under Workers' Compensation Law 28.
- The no-fault application goes to the auto insurer promptly after the crash, and the police report becomes available through the DMV crash report system within weeks.
- A personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver must be commenced within three years of the crash under CPLR 214.
- Hearings before the Board on disputed benefits can begin within months, while the lawsuit moves through discovery and settlement talks over a longer period.
What Are Important Aspects of a Car Accident Case?
A car accident attorney in Brentwood gathers the facts that decide a work-related crash claim in the first weeks, because most of them are perishable.
- Whether you were working at the moment of the crash. The carrier will argue you were commuting, running a personal errand, or off the clock. Dispatch records, delivery logs, and text messages establish the purpose of the trip.
- Who the at-fault party is. The other driver, a vehicle owner, a trucking company, or a municipality may share liability. A claim that cannot be brought against your employer can usually be brought against a third party.
- The medical record. Emergency room notes, imaging, and follow-up visits document the injury and its connection to the crash. Gaps in treatment are used against you in both claims, and common crash injuries worsen when treatment is delayed.
- How the two claims interact. Benefits paid in one system affect what is recoverable in the other. The differences between the claims determine the order in which we file and settle them.
What Should You Bring to Your Car Accident Consultation?
The documents below shorten the first meeting, and none of them is required to start.
- The police report or the report number, and the names of any witnesses.
- Photographs of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries.
- Your employer's name, your supervisor's contact information, and any accident report you filed at work.
- Medical records, discharge papers, and bills received so far.
- Your auto insurance card and any letters from an insurance carrier.
We review the materials during the consultation, explain which claims apply, and tell you what we need next. You leave with a clear picture of the deadlines.
Most Dangerous Roads for Car Accidents in Brentwood
Brentwood sits between the Long Island Expressway to the north and the Southern State Parkway to the south, with the Sagtikos State Parkway running through the hamlet's western edge. Suffolk Avenue, Brentwood Road, Crooked Hill Road, and Fifth Avenue carry delivery, commuter, and commercial traffic between those highways, and Motor Parkway links the industrial parks of Hauppauge and Islandia. Crashes on these corridors are investigated by the Suffolk County Police Third Precinct in Bay Shore. Workers' compensation hearings for Brentwood claims are handled through the Board's Long Island district office, which moved from Hauppauge to Islandia in 2024 and is listed on the Board's district offices page.
Reach Out to Polsky, Shouldice & Rosen, P.C. to Schedule a Consultation
A crash on the job raises questions about two claims, two carriers, and one set of medical bills. Our Brentwood car accident lawyers answer those questions at a free consultation, with no upfront fees if you retain us. Our phones are answered around the clock, and a Long Island attorney will review your case promptly. Contact us to schedule a consultation with a car accident attorney in Brentwood, NY.
