New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

Every year, thousands of New Yorkers suffer serious injuries because someone else made a negligent choice. A driver ran a red light at a busy Manhattan intersection. A property owner ignored a dangerous condition on their premises. A contractor cut corners on a job site in Brooklyn. A medical professional deviated from the standard of care. The consequences fall on people who did nothing wrong, leaving them to manage medical bills, lost income, and long-term physical consequences while insurers work to minimize what they owe. A New York City personal injury lawyer exists specifically to counteract that dynamic, to stand between an injured person and the well-resourced entities that benefit from keeping settlement numbers as low as possible.

New York operates under a pure comparative fault system, meaning your right to recover compensation is not eliminated simply because you bore some portion of responsibility for what happened. What matters is the full picture: the conditions that created the hazard, the actions of every party involved, and the actual harm sustained. Building that picture requires legal work that goes far beyond demand letters. It means obtaining surveillance footage before it gets overwritten, securing accident reconstruction analysis, identifying all potentially liable defendants, and knowing how New York courts have treated similar claims.

At Mark David Shirian P.C., attorneys Mark D. Shirian and Shawn D. Shirian represent people who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries across New York City and New York State. The firm was founded with the explicit goal of helping those who have been wronged, and the personal injury practice reflects that commitment directly. If you have been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, the decisions you make in the weeks following your injury will significantly shape the outcome of any claim you pursue.

What NYC Personal Injury Claims Actually Cover

• Motor vehicle accidents: New York’s no-fault insurance system provides initial coverage for medical expenses and lost wages after a car accident, but serious injuries that meet the threshold for a third-party claim allow injured parties to pursue full damages directly against the at-fault driver or vehicle owner. High-traffic corridors across the boroughs, from the BQE to the FDR Drive to Atlantic Avenue, generate a disproportionate share of severe collision cases.
• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents: New York City’s density creates constant interaction between motor vehicles and people on foot or on bikes. Crosswalk failures, distracted driving, dooring incidents, and unmarked construction zones all contribute to injuries that can be catastrophic, including traumatic brain injuries and spinal damage.
• Slip, trip, and fall accidents: Property owners and occupants in New York City carry a legal duty to maintain safe conditions. Wet floors in commercial spaces, cracked sidewalks, unmarked hazards in apartment buildings, and inadequate lighting in common areas all generate valid premises liability claims when they cause injury.
• Construction site injuries: New York Labor Law provides some of the strongest protections in the country for construction workers injured on job sites. Sections governing scaffold safety and general contractor liability create pathways to recovery that do not exist in most other states, making these cases both complex and significant in value.
• Medical malpractice: When a healthcare provider’s conduct falls below the accepted standard of care and that deviation causes injury, the injured patient has a claim. These cases require expert testimony to establish the standard and demonstrate how it was breached, and they carry specific procedural requirements under New York law.
• Defective products: Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers all sit within the chain of liability when a defective product causes harm. Design flaws, manufacturing defects, and inadequate warnings each represent distinct theories of liability that apply in different factual circumstances.
• Dog bites and animal attacks: New York applies a one-bite rule modified by statute, making the owner’s prior knowledge of an animal’s dangerous tendencies a central question. In densely populated areas like New York City, where residents share common spaces in apartment buildings and parks, these incidents occur regularly.

Why Mark David Shirian P.C. for Your Personal Injury Claim

Mark David Shirian P.C. was founded in 2016 and has since recovered millions of dollars on behalf of clients across a wide range of injury and civil claims. That recovery record reflects the kind of thorough, case-by-case preparation that produces results rather than quick settlements that serve the insurer’s timeline. Clients who have worked with the firm consistently describe attorneys who pay close attention to the details that matter for each individual case, who communicate consistently throughout the process, and who work hard to obtain the outcome the client is actually seeking. Those are not small things when you are dealing with a serious injury and an insurance company that is not operating in good faith.

The firm’s approach combines assertive litigation strategy with genuine attention to each client’s situation. Attorneys Mark D. Shirian and Shawn D. Shirian both serve as direct advocates from the outset of every case, which means clients are not passed off to junior staff or paralegals to manage. When you retain this firm as your personal injury attorney in New York City, you receive the focused attention of attorneys who are personally invested in how your case resolves. That level of engagement matters particularly in high-stakes personal injury matters where the quality of legal preparation directly determines the compensation available to you.

After a Serious Injury in New York: What to Do and Where the Process Leads

The period immediately following a serious injury carries more legal significance than most people realize. Medical treatment is the first priority, full stop. But the decisions made in parallel with that treatment, about what to document, what to say to insurers, and when to retain counsel, shape the entire trajectory of a potential claim. New York’s statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is three years from the date of injury, but that deadline is only the outermost boundary. Evidence degrades, witnesses become harder to locate, surveillance footage gets deleted, and the strength of a case diminishes in direct proportion to how long it sits without investigation.

If your injury involves a municipal entity, such as a city-owned vehicle, a defective condition on a public sidewalk, or a transit authority incident, the timeline compresses dramatically. Claims against New York City and its agencies typically require a Notice of Claim to be filed within 90 days of the incident. Missing that deadline generally forecloses any recovery against the city, regardless of how strong the underlying claim might be. This is one of the reasons consulting with a New York City personal injury attorney promptly after an incident is not simply advisable but often essential to preserving your options.

Personal injury cases in New York City are handled through the New York State Supreme Court system. The specific county where a case is filed depends on where the incident occurred and where the parties reside or do business. Manhattan cases land in New York County Supreme Court, Brooklyn cases in Kings County, Queens cases in Queens County Supreme Court, and so on. Each courthouse has its own administrative practices and judicial calendars that affect how a case progresses from filing through discovery to resolution. The litigation process typically involves pleadings, discovery exchange, expert disclosure, depositions, and either settlement negotiation or trial. Many cases resolve before reaching a courtroom, but the ones that result in the strongest settlements are usually the ones where both sides know that the plaintiff’s attorney is prepared to try the case if necessary.

Common mistakes that weaken personal injury claims include providing recorded statements to insurance adjusters without counsel, accepting an early settlement offer before the full extent of injuries is clear, failing to follow prescribed medical treatment, and not connecting the mechanism of injury to the medical findings through proper documentation. An experienced injury law firm in New York City will help you avoid these errors from the moment representation begins.

How Damages Are Calculated in New York Personal Injury Cases

New York allows injured plaintiffs to recover two broad categories of compensation. Economic damages cover the concrete, calculable losses: past and future medical expenses, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, rehabilitation costs, and out-of-pocket expenses directly tied to the injury. These numbers come from medical records, bills, pay stubs, employer documentation, and expert projections for future care needs.

Non-economic damages address the consequences that do not appear on an invoice: pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and loss of consortium where a spouse’s relationship is affected by the injury. New York does not cap non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, which means these awards are determined by juries based on the evidence presented about how the injury has altered the plaintiff’s daily experience. Presenting that evidence effectively requires knowing how to translate a medical record into a narrative that a jury can connect to real human cost.

In cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as a defendant who acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others, punitive damages may be available, though they are the exception rather than the rule in New York civil litigation. New York City personal injury attorneys who handle serious cases understand how to evaluate which damage categories apply given the specific facts and how to build the documentary foundation that supports each one.

Questions New Yorkers Ask About Personal Injury Claims

How long does a personal injury lawsuit take in New York City?

The timeline varies widely depending on case complexity, the nature of the injuries, the number of defendants, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Straightforward cases with a single defendant and clear liability may resolve in a year or less. Complex cases involving multiple parties, disputed liability, or catastrophic injuries commonly take two to four years or longer, particularly if they proceed through full discovery and into trial preparation. Court congestion in the New York City court system is a real factor that affects scheduling.

Does New York’s no-fault insurance system affect my right to sue?

Yes, but it does not eliminate it. New York requires drivers to carry no-fault coverage, which pays for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages regardless of fault. However, no-fault coverage has limits, and to pursue additional compensation through a lawsuit against an at-fault driver, your injuries must meet a legal threshold. Serious injury categories defined under New York law include significant disfigurement, fractures, permanent loss or limitation of a body organ or member, and injuries that prevent normal activities for a defined period. An injury attorney in New York can evaluate whether your injuries satisfy that threshold.

What if I was partly at fault for my accident?

New York follows a pure comparative negligence rule, meaning you can recover compensation even if you were substantially at fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you were found 30 percent at fault and your total damages were $100,000, you would recover $70,000. Defendants and their insurers frequently argue comparative fault to reduce what they owe, which is why how liability is framed and documented in early investigation matters so much.

Will my case go to trial?

Most personal injury cases in New York settle before trial, but that outcome is not predetermined. Cases where liability is genuinely disputed, where the defendant’s insurer makes lowball offers, or where the damages are significant enough to justify litigation often proceed further into the court process. Having an attorney who is genuinely prepared to try your case, rather than one whose business model depends on fast settlements, changes the negotiating dynamic and typically produces better outcomes even in cases that ultimately settle.

What if I was injured on a New York City subway or bus?

Injuries involving New York City Transit or the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are claims against a public authority, which triggers specific procedural requirements including a Notice of Claim deadline. The interplay between the MTA’s immunity arguments, the specific conditions of the incident, and the documentation requirements makes these cases technically demanding. They require an attorney familiar with public entity transit litigation in the New York City context.

Can I recover compensation if a family member was killed in an accident?

Yes. New York’s wrongful death statute allows certain family members to recover damages when a person is killed due to another’s negligence. A separate cause of action for conscious pain and suffering, representing the decedent’s experience between injury and death, may also be available. The estate typically brings these claims, and the damages recoverable differ from those in a standard personal injury case. These claims carry their own procedural considerations that require specific legal guidance.

What documentation should I gather after being injured?

Preserve everything you can from the immediate aftermath: photographs of the scene, any visible injuries, and any conditions that contributed to the accident. Obtain a copy of any police or incident report. Keep all medical records, bills, and correspondence from healthcare providers. Document your symptoms in writing as they develop. Save any communications from insurance companies, property owners, or employers related to the incident. If there were witnesses, write down their names and contact information immediately. Your attorney will identify what additional investigation is needed, but early preservation of evidence by the client is critical.

How does construction accident litigation differ from other personal injury cases in New York?

New York Labor Law creates specific liability frameworks that apply to gravity-related construction injuries and general site safety failures. These provisions impose duties on property owners and general contractors that do not depend on their direct supervision of the injured worker, which means injured construction workers often have claims against parties beyond their direct employer. Workers’ compensation and a third-party personal injury claim can coexist in these situations, and the interaction between them requires careful coordination. Construction injury cases frequently involve significant damages because the injuries are often severe, and the applicable legal framework can produce substantial recoveries when properly pursued.

What role does an expert witness play in a personal injury case?

Expert witnesses are often essential to connecting the mechanism of injury to its consequences and to establishing what a reasonable party should have done differently. Medical experts explain the injury, the treatment required, and the long-term prognosis. Accident reconstruction specialists reconstruct how a collision or fall occurred. Economic experts calculate future lost earnings and care costs. In medical malpractice cases, a physician expert must establish the standard of care and how it was breached. The selection, preparation, and presentation of expert testimony is one of the areas where legal representation makes the greatest practical difference.

Is there any cost to consult with a New York City personal injury attorney at Mark David Shirian P.C.?

The firm offers confidential case evaluations, and personal injury cases are typically handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no attorney’s fee unless compensation is recovered. This structure means that the ability to afford legal representation is not a barrier to pursuing a legitimate injury claim, and it aligns the attorney’s financial interest directly with achieving the best possible outcome for the client.

Representing Injury Clients Across New York City and the Surrounding Region

Mark David Shirian P.C. serves clients throughout all five boroughs of New York City and across New York State. In Manhattan, the firm represents clients from Midtown and the Upper East Side through the Financial District, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem, and Washington Heights. Brooklyn clients come from neighborhoods including Park Slope, Flatbush, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and East New York. In Queens, the firm handles cases arising in Flushing, Jamaica, Astoria, Long Island City, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst. The Bronx client base spans areas including Fordham, Riverdale, Mott Haven, and Co-op City. Staten Island residents from St. George, Stapleton, and the South Shore communities are also served.

Beyond the five boroughs, the firm’s personal injury representation extends to Nassau County communities including Hempstead, Garden City, Mineola, and Great Neck, as well as Westchester County areas including Yonkers, White Plains, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle. Clients from Suffolk County, Rockland County, and other parts of the greater New York metropolitan region have also worked with the firm on serious injury matters. Wherever the injury occurred within the firm’s geographic reach, the legal work is grounded in a thorough understanding of the New York court system and the specific dynamics of each jurisdiction.

Talk to a New York City Personal Injury Attorney About Your Situation

Serious injuries change the trajectory of a person’s life in ways that extend far beyond the immediate physical harm. The financial and personal stakes involved in a personal injury claim are real, and the quality of legal representation you secure directly affects the outcome. Mark David Shirian P.C. provides the focused, case-specific advocacy that produces results, drawing on years of litigation experience and a genuine commitment to the people who come to the firm for help.

If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, a New York City personal injury attorney at Mark David Shirian P.C. is ready to evaluate your situation, explain what your claim may be worth, and outline what steps come next. Contact the firm today for a confidential case evaluation.