NYC Mass Transit Accident Lawyer

If you got hurt on the MTA, you need an NYC mass transit accident lawyer in your corner before the clock runs out on your claim. You're probably trying to figure out what just happened and whether anyone is going to be held responsible for it. The answer is yes, someone likely is. New York City's transit system moves millions of people every day across the five boroughs, and when it fails, real people get seriously hurt.

Here's what matters right now: you may have a legal claim, and the deadline to protect it is shorter than you think. Transit accidents involving city buses, subways, commuter rails, and ferries fall under special rules that are completely different from a regular car accident claim. Miss a key deadline and you lose your right to sue entirely, even if your injuries are severe.

You don't need to have everything figured out before you call a NYC personal injury lawyer. You just need to start.

What Should I Do Right After a Transit Accident in NYC?

Tell someone official what happened. Find the train operator, the bus driver, or a station agent and make sure they document the incident. If they won't, call 911. You need a paper trail from day one.

Take photos. The wet platform. The broken handrail. The skid marks. Whatever caused this, document it before anyone cleans it up or claims it never existed. Get the names and numbers of anyone who saw what happened. Witnesses disappear fast in this city.

Go to the hospital or urgent care, even if you think you're fine. A lot of transit injuries, especially head trauma and spinal damage, don't fully show up until 24 to 48 hours later. The medical record that gets created when you walk in that door is one of the most important pieces of evidence in your case.

One more thing: don't talk to the MTA's insurance people without a lawyer present. Don't give a recorded statement. Don't sign anything. They are not trying to help you.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim Against the MTA?

Ninety days. That's it.

If you were hurt on a New York City Transit subway, an MTA bus, Metro-North, or the Long Island Rail Road, you have 90 days from the date of the accident to file a Notice of Claim with the appropriate government agency. This is not 90 days to file a lawsuit. It's 90 days to file a formal written notice saying you were hurt and you intend to pursue compensation.

Miss that window and the court will almost certainly throw your case out. It doesn't matter how badly you were hurt. It doesn't matter that you were in the hospital. The deadline is the deadline, and the MTA's lawyers know exactly how to use it against you.

After the notice is filed, you generally have one year and 90 days from the accident date to actually file the lawsuit. But none of that matters if you miss the first 90 days.

Who Qualifies to File a Mass Transit Accident Claim in New York City?

If you were a passenger, a pedestrian, a cyclist, or even a transit worker hurt due to someone else's negligence on or near the New York City transit system, you likely qualify. That includes MTA subway riders, city bus passengers, Metro-North and LIRR commuters, Staten Island Ferry passengers, and people hit by transit vehicles on the street.

You need to show that a transit agency or another party owed you a duty of care, that they failed to meet it, and that the failure caused your injuries. That's the basic framework. You also need to show actual harm, whether that's medical bills, missed work, pain, or all of the above.

You don't have to build that case yourself. That's what the lawyers are for.

Who Actually Pays When Someone Gets Hurt on Public Transit in New York?

It depends on who operated the vehicle or controlled the space where you got hurt. The MTA runs the subways, Metro-North, and the Long Island Rail Road. New York City Transit handles city buses and subway operations. The City of New York controls certain stations and infrastructure. These are different legal entities, and that distinction matters when it's time to file.

Outside contractors sometimes share responsibility too. If a maintenance company left a dangerous condition on a platform at 125th Street or in the Atlantic Terminal, they could be liable alongside the transit agency. Same goes for a third-party driver who caused a bus to crash on Flatbush Avenue.

Our personal injury lawyers identify every party that shares responsibility and make sure all of them are named. Leaving one out can cost you money you're entitled to.

Can I Actually Sue the MTA If I Got Hurt on the Subway?

Yes. People sue the MTA successfully all the time.

The MTA is a public benefit corporation. It has some government protections, but it is absolutely not immune from lawsuits. Injured passengers win cases against the MTA in New York courts regularly, and the agency settles many more before trial.

What makes these cases different is the process. You file the Notice of Claim within 90 days. Then the MTA has the right to conduct what's called a 50-H hearing, where they get to question you under oath before any lawsuit is filed. It can feel intimidating if you walk in unprepared. Our NYC mass transit accident attorneys prepare you for exactly what they're going to ask and make sure your answers don't get twisted later.

After the hearing, if the MTA doesn't offer a fair settlement, you file the lawsuit and take it from there.

What If I Got Hurt on a City Bus?

Same basic rules apply. Ninety-day Notice of Claim. Government agency as the defendant. A legal team on their side that does this every day.

City bus accidents in New York happen constantly. A driver slams the brakes at a red light on Queens Boulevard and three people go flying. Someone's getting off the bus at a stop in East Flatbush and the door closes on them before they're clear. A bus runs a light on the Grand Concourse and T-bones a car. These aren't freak accidents. They're predictable failures, and the people hurt in them have rights.

You don't have to prove the driver meant to hurt you. You just have to show they weren't doing their job with reasonable care.

Does It Matter Which Borough My Accident Happened In?

Not for your rights. But yes for the details.

Whether you fell on a wet platform at the Jay Street-MetroTech station in Brooklyn, got hurt on the 6 train in the Bronx, were in a bus accident on Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island, got thrown from your seat on the E train running through Queens, or were hurt at a midtown Manhattan subway entrance, the same legal framework applies across all five boroughs.

What changes is which court handles your case and sometimes which specific agency or contractor is named. Our personal injury lawyers handle transit accident cases across all of New York City and know the local courts, agencies, and transit routes where accidents cluster.

What Injuries Can You Make a Claim For After a Transit Accident?

Almost anything caused by someone else's negligence. You don't need a catastrophic injury to have a valid claim, but the severity of your injuries will directly affect what your case is worth.

• Traumatic brain injuries: Heads hit poles, seats, and concrete floors in transit accidents. Concussions can seem minor at first and turn into months of cognitive problems, headaches, and lost work.
• Spinal and back injuries: The sudden force of a crash or a hard stop puts enormous stress on the spine. Herniated discs and nerve damage from these accidents can require surgery and cause permanent limitations.
• Broken bones: Fractures are common in subway falls and bus crashes. Wrists, hips, and ankles take a lot of the impact when someone goes down on a platform or gets thrown inside a vehicle.
• Soft tissue injuries: Torn ligaments, whiplash, and deep muscle damage don't always show on an x-ray, but they're real and they hurt, and they absolutely support a claim.
• Wrongful death: When someone is killed in a mass transit accident in New York City, their family may have the right to file a wrongful death claim for the financial and emotional losses they've suffered.

If you're not sure whether your injury qualifies, the free consultation will answer that question.

NYC Mass Transit Accident Cases Our Personal Injury Lawyers Handle in New York City

Our personal injury attorneys represent injured riders, pedestrians, and workers in transit accident cases across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. If it moves people through this city and someone got hurt because of negligence, we handle it.

• MTA subway accidents: Platform falls, door malfunctions, train collisions, signal failures, and injuries caused by unsafe station conditions anywhere in the system.
• NYC bus accidents: Crashes, sudden stops, door injuries, and driver negligence on MTA and New York City Transit bus routes throughout the five boroughs.
• Metro-North and LIRR accidents: Onboard injuries, platform incidents, and collisions on commuter rail lines serving New York City and the surrounding region.
• Staten Island Ferry accidents: Passenger injuries from rough docking, equipment failures, falls, and overcrowding on ferry crossings.
• Access-A-Ride and paratransit accidents: Injuries to passengers with disabilities using MTA paratransit services due to driver error or vehicle problems.
• Pedestrian and cyclist strikes: Cases where someone outside a transit vehicle is hit by a city bus, subway maintenance vehicle, or other transit-operated equipment.
• Wrongful death claims: Representation for families across New York City who lost someone in a mass transit accident due to negligence.

Every case is different. The common thread is that someone failed in their responsibility to keep people safe, and our personal injury lawyers hold them accountable for it.

How Our Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You

The MTA has a legal department. The City has lawyers. Insurance adjusters for transit agencies do this full time. You're going up against people who handle these cases every day, and they are counting on you not knowing your rights.

• Filing the Notice of Claim: We handle the 90-day filing requirement correctly and on time so your case doesn't get thrown out before it starts.
• Gathering evidence fast: Surveillance footage from subway stations and buses gets overwritten quickly. Our personal injury attorneys move immediately to preserve it.
• Identifying every liable party: Contractors, agencies, third-party drivers, and property owners can all share fault. We find them all.
• Preparing you for the 50-H hearing: The MTA gets to question you before trial. We make sure you're ready and that your answers protect your case.
• Calculating real damages: Medical costs, future treatment, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering all factor into what you're owed. We account for every dollar.
• Negotiating hard: Transit agency lawyers make low offers hoping you'll take them. Our attorneys push back until the number is fair.
• Going to trial: If the MTA won't settle fairly, our personal injury lawyers take your case to a New York City jury.

There are no upfront costs. We work on contingency, which means we only get paid if you do.

Talk to a NYC Mass Transit Accident Lawyer Today

You were hurt. Someone is responsible. And the clock is already running. Kelner & Kelner has fought for injured New Yorkers in mass transit cases for decades, and our personal injury lawyers know exactly how to go up against the MTA, the City, and every agency in between. Contact us today for a free consultation.