New York City Truck Accident Lawyer

If you were hurt in a truck accident in New York City, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Collisions involving commercial trucks, delivery vehicles, and tractor-trailers cause some of the most devastating injuries on the road. The trucking company, the driver, or another liable party may owe you damages for everything you've been through.

You may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, long-term care costs, and more. The severity of your injuries and the details of the accident will shape your claim, but many truck accident victims in New York City recover substantial settlements and verdicts.

Can I Sue After a Truck Accident in New York City?

Yes. If a truck driver, trucking company, or another negligent party caused your accident, you can file a personal injury claim. New York is a no-fault insurance state, which means your own insurance covers initial medical costs, but serious truck accident injuries almost always meet the threshold that allows you to step outside no-fault and sue the at-fault party directly.

To file a successful claim, you need to show that someone was negligent, that their negligence caused the accident, and that you suffered real damages as a result. Truck accident cases often involve multiple negligent parties, which can actually work in your favor.

Have You Been Injured in a Truck Accident in New York City?

Based in Manhattan and handling cases throughout New York City, the surrounding metro area, and New Jersey, our truck accident lawyers at Kelner & Kelner represent injured victims and their families in cases that include but are not limited to:

• Dump truck and garbage truck accidents: Sanitation and construction vehicles cause serious accidents throughout New York City's crowded streets and job sites.
• Big rig, 18-wheeler, and tractor-trailer accidents: These massive commercial vehicles cause catastrophic injuries and often involve federal regulatory violations.
• Commercial semi-truck accidents: Our truck accident lawyers pursue full compensation from trucking companies and their insurers in semi-truck collision cases.
• Cargo truck accidents: Improperly loaded or secured cargo can cause devastating crashes that leave drivers, passengers, and pedestrians seriously injured.
• Tow truck accidents: Tow trucks operating under pressure in dangerous roadside conditions create serious risks for other drivers and bystanders.
• Fuel truck accidents: Collisions involving fuel tankers carry the added danger of fire, explosion, and hazardous material exposure.
• Concrete truck accidents: The size and weight of cement mixers make these vehicles particularly dangerous on busy New York City streets and construction zones.
• Box truck accidents: Box trucks are everywhere in New York City, and accidents involving them frequently result in serious injuries to pedestrians and other motorists.
• Sweeper truck accidents: Street sweepers and other municipal vehicles operate on unpredictable schedules and routes, creating hazards throughout the five boroughs.

If you or a family member was injured in any of these accidents, Kelner & Kelner's truck accident lawyers are ready to help you understand your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.

How Much Does a NYC Truck Accident Lawyer Cost?

Most New York City truck accident lawyers, including ours at Kelner & Kelner, work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket during your case. Our truck accident lawyers only get paid if we win compensation for you, and our fee comes as a percentage of your settlement or verdict.

If we don't win, you don't owe us anything. There's no financial risk in calling us, and no reason to wait.

How Much Can I Sue for After a Truck Accident in NYC?

There's no set amount, and anyone who gives you a number before reviewing your case isn't being straight with you. What you can recover depends on the severity of your injuries, how long your recovery takes, whether you can return to work, and how clearly liability can be established.

In serious truck accident cases, compensation can include medical expenses, future medical care, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering. Catastrophic injury cases involving paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, or permanent disability often result in seven-figure recoveries. Our New York City truck accident lawyers will assess every category of damages you're entitled to pursue.

How Do I Choose the Best NYC Truck Accident Lawyer?

If you're searching for the best truck accident attorney in New York City, it's hard to know which firm is right for you. Truck accident cases are not like standard car accident claims. The damages are often severe, the liable parties are many, and the legal landscape involves multiple layers of federal and state regulation. You need a truck accident lawyer who knows those rules inside and out, not one who is learning on the job while your case is on the line.

At Kelner & Kelner, our truck accident lawyers have a thorough understanding of all regulations that apply to commercial trucking cases, including Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, and New York State Department of Transportation regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a division of the United States Department of Transportation, sets mandatory safety standards for commercial truckers and the companies that employ them. Those rules cover everything from required medical examinations and drug testing to strict limits on how many hours a driver can operate a vehicle per shift. The classification of the truck involved determines which specific regulations apply, and our truck accident lawyers know how to use violations of those rules to build a strong case for you. If you or a loved one was injured or killed in a truck accident in New York City, Kelner & Kelner has the knowledge and the commitment to fight for the full compensation you deserve.

Who Is Responsible for My Truck Accident?

Liability in truck accident cases rarely falls on just one party. The truck driver may have been fatigued, distracted, or impaired. The trucking company may have pushed drivers to violate federal hours-of-service rules. A cargo loading company may have improperly secured freight that shifted and caused the crash. The truck manufacturer may have produced a defective part that failed on the road.

New York City truck accident lawyers investigate all of these angles. Federal trucking regulations require companies to maintain detailed logs, inspection records, and driver qualification files. Our truck accident lawyers move quickly to preserve that evidence before it's altered or destroyed.

What If the Truck Driver Was Working for a Delivery Company?

Delivery truck accidents are extremely common in New York City, and the company behind the driver is often liable. Under a legal doctrine called respondeat superior, employers can be held responsible for the negligent actions of their employees while on the job.

Some delivery companies try to classify drivers as independent contractors to avoid this liability. Our New York City truck accident lawyers know how to challenge that classification and hold the right parties accountable. Whether the truck had a major carrier's name on it or belonged to a local delivery service, we'll identify who is responsible.

Can I Still Sue If I Was Partly at Fault?

Yes. New York follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means you can recover compensation even if you were partially at fault for the accident. Your total recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from collecting.

If you were found 25 percent at fault and your damages total $500,000, you would still recover $375,000. Don't assume a shared-fault situation means you have no case. Let our truck accident lawyers review the facts before you make that call.

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in New York?

In most truck accident cases in New York, you have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing that deadline means losing your right to sue, regardless of how severe your injuries are.

There are situations where the window is shorter. If a government entity owned or operated the truck, you may have as little as 90 days to file a notice of claim. Our New York City truck accident lawyers will identify every deadline that applies to your case and make sure nothing is missed.

How Do the Top NYC Truck Accident Lawyers Investigate a Case?

At Kelner & Kelner, our truck accident lawyers don't wait for evidence to come to them. We conduct independent investigations from the moment we take your case, moving quickly to secure everything needed to build the strongest possible claim before critical evidence disappears or gets destroyed.

Our New York City truck accident lawyers interview witnesses, photograph the accident scene, obtain surveillance footage, and work with accident reconstruction experts to establish exactly what happened and who was responsible. We know which documents to demand and how to get them fast. That includes driver log books, trip sheets, route schedules, time cards, all driver logs and manifests, and any other records prepared by or on behalf of the driver for the 30 days leading up to and including the date of your accident. We also request all relevant inspection reports for the truck involved, including the inspection report from the date of the accident and the first post-accident inspection report and checklist.

Decades of experience handling NYC truck accident cases have given our truck accident lawyers a sharp instinct for identifying the documents and details that make the difference between a good outcome and a great one. When you hire Kelner & Kelner, you get a legal team that knows exactly where to look and exactly what to do with what they find.

The Rise of Truck Accidents in New York City and Across the U.S.

Truck accidents are becoming more common, and the numbers are alarming. According to the Truck Safety Coalition, truck crash fatalities increased by 13 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 5,610 people died in truck accidents across the United States in 2021 alone. That figure represents a 52 percent increase in truck crash fatalities since 2010.

New York State is not immune to this trend. According to the most recent available statistics, 84 people died in truck accidents in New York State in 2020. In New York City, the numbers tell a similarly troubling story. Truck accidents peaked at 642 in April 2021 and have remained dangerously high ever since. April 2022 saw 585 truck accidents in the city, followed by 587 in April 2023. The preceding month, March 2023, recorded 575 truck accidents in New York City according to the NYPD.

What makes truck accidents especially dangerous in New York City is the environment itself. Trucks share the road not just with other motor vehicles, but with pedestrians, cyclists, and micro-mobility device users. Truck crashes are twice as likely as car crashes to result in serious injury or death for cyclists and pedestrians. In fact, 67 percent of truck accidents involving a pedestrian or cyclist result in serious injury or death. As online ordering continues to grow and delivery truck volume increases throughout the city, that risk is only getting worse. If you were hurt in a truck accident in New York City, the attorneys at Kelner & Kelner are ready to help you fight for the compensation you deserve.

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

Anyone injured in a truck accident in New York City may qualify to file a claim. That includes drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and bystanders. If a loved one was killed in a truck accident, surviving family members may be entitled to file a wrongful death claim.

To have a viable case, you generally need to show that a truck driver, trucking company, or another party acted negligently, that their negligence caused the accident, and that you suffered real damages as a result. The strength of your claim depends on the evidence available, the severity of your injuries, and how clearly liability can be established. Our New York City truck accident lawyers offer free consultations to help you understand exactly where you stand.

Truck Accident Cases Our New York City Truck Accident Lawyers Handle

Our truck accident lawyers represent injured victims across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island in a wide range of commercial vehicle accident cases.

• Tractor-trailer accidents: Collisions involving fully loaded semi-trucks cause some of the most severe injuries on New York roads and often involve federal regulatory violations.
• Delivery truck accidents: Accidents involving UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and local delivery vehicles are among the most common truck accident claims in New York City.
• Garbage truck accidents: Sanitation vehicles operate on tight city schedules and frequent stops, creating serious hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers.
• Box truck accidents: Box trucks are common in NYC's commercial districts and cause serious accidents when drivers are fatigued, distracted, or improperly trained.
• Flatbed truck accidents: Improperly secured loads on flatbed trucks can shift, fall, and cause catastrophic multi-vehicle accidents.
• Tanker truck accidents: Tanker trucks carrying fuel or hazardous materials pose extreme danger when involved in collisions, including the risk of fire and chemical exposure.
• Construction truck accidents: Dump trucks, cement mixers, and other construction vehicles operating near job sites create serious risks throughout New York City.
• Rideshare and for-hire vehicle accidents: Large for-hire vehicles and vans operating under rideshare or commercial licenses fall under specific regulations that affect liability.
• Wrongful death claims: When a truck accident is fatal, our New York City truck accident lawyers pursue full wrongful death claims on behalf of surviving family members.

Our truck accident lawyers work with accident reconstruction specialists, federal compliance experts, and medical professionals to build the strongest possible case for every client we represent.

How Our New York City Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You

Truck accident cases involve federal regulations, multiple liable parties, and aggressive insurance defense teams. Our truck accident lawyers handle every aspect of your case from investigation through resolution.

• Free case evaluation: Our truck accident lawyers review the details of your accident, identify liable parties, and give you an honest assessment of what your case may be worth.
• Evidence preservation: Our NYC motor vehicle accident lawyers move quickly to secure black box data, driver logs, inspection records, surveillance footage, and other critical evidence before it disappears.
• Liability investigation: Our New York City truck accident lawyers identify every party responsible, including the driver, the trucking company, cargo loaders, and manufacturers.
• Federal regulation review: We analyze whether the trucking company or driver violated federal hours-of-service rules, maintenance requirements, or weight limits.
• Medical coordination: We connect your injuries to the accident through medical records, expert testimony, and long-term care assessments.
• Insurance negotiation: Our truck accident lawyers deal directly with the trucking company's insurer so you don't face their legal team alone.
• Litigation: When insurers refuse to offer fair compensation, our New York City truck accident lawyers take your case to court and fight for every dollar you're owed.
• No fee unless we win: You pay nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we recover compensation for you.

Our truck accident lawyers are committed to holding negligent trucking companies and drivers fully accountable for the harm they cause.

Contact Kelner & Kelner's New York City Truck Accident Lawyers Today

You deserve a legal team that takes your case as seriously as you do. Kelner & Kelner's truck accident lawyers have fought for injured New Yorkers across all five boroughs, and we're ready to put that experience to work for you. Contact Kelner & Kelner today for a free consultation with a New York City truck accident lawyer.