A Smithtown personal injury lawyer helps accident victims.Smithtown is a beautiful city along the north shore of Long Island, bordering Smithtown Bay. Home to nearly 120,000 people, the city is known for its amazing state parks and its family-friendliness. At Carner & DeVita, our personal injury attorneys have represented members of the Smithtown community for over 60 years.

About Our Community of Smithtown

Carner & DeVita has been the lead Smithtown personal injury lawyer for decades

A beautiful lakeside view in Smithtown, NY.

Originally called Smithfield, the area of Smithtown was first settled in the 1660s. The prevailing myth is that Richard Smith, who founded the town, rescued the abducted daughter of a Native American chief. In gratitude, the chief granted Smith a title to all the land he could encircle in a day on the back of a bull. So, Smith chose to ride on the bull on the longest day of the year — the summer solstice.

The land he encircled is said to be the area of the town today. A statue of the Smithtown Bull (whose name is Whisper) stands at the fork of Jericho Turnpike and St. Johnland Road.

While our city’s founding is surrounded in myth, our dedication to serving the community isn’t. Give us a call at (631) 543-7070 or contact us online today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Smithtown personal injury lawyer.

Who Our Smithtown Personal Injury Lawyers Help

Our attorneys have helped recover millions of dollars in compensation for victims of vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, construction accidents, defective products, wrongful death and more. We’re intimately familiar with all the state and local laws that dictate your ability to seek compensation.

We have helped clients throughout the villages and hamlets of Smithtown like Head of the Harbor, Commack, Kings Park, Nesconset, Village of the Branch, and others. If you’ve been injured in Smithtown or the surrounding area, we can help you determine if you are entitled to compensation.

Types of Cases Our Personal Injury Lawyers Handle in Smithtown

No matter where you go or what you do during the day, there’s always a risk that you can be injured. These injuries can lead to a pile of medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more. The good news is, if your injuries are caused by someone else’s actions or negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.

Injured in an accident? A Smithtown personal injury attorney can help you.

A Smithtown personal injury attorney can help you seek compensation for many types of damages.

There are quite a few different types of compensation your Smithtown personal injury lawyer may seek. These types of compensation, or damages, will help you recover both economic damages for the real money you lost due to your injury, as well as the noneconomic losses you suffered.

Your lawyer can help you seek compensation for:

  • Lost wages
  • Past and future medical and rehabilitation bills
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
  • Property damage
  • Pain and suffering
  • Permanent disfigurement
  • Replacement domestic services
  • And more

Any type of injury can lead to these losses. Some of the most common types of cases our Smithtown personal injury lawyers handle include:

Common Injuries Seen in Smithtown

According to statistics from the New York State Dept. of Health, falls are the most common cause of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in Suffolk County. Falls made up 28% of all attributable ED causes and 50% of all hospitalizations. A fall can occur as a result of losing balance. Yet they also happen at a worksite, as the result of a slip and fall on someone’s property, or by a defective product, such as a faulty ladder.

Motor vehicle accidents were the second-most common reason individuals visited the ED or were hospitalized at 14% and 11%, respectively. Being struck by or against an object was the second-leading cause of ER visits (13%), followed by overexertion (9%) and cutting or piercing injuries (8%).

Poisoning was the leading cause of deaths in Suffolk County, accounting for 30% of all known causes. A poisoning can include overdoses or adverse reactions to a drug or chemical that is defective, even when used as directed. Falls were the next most-prominent cause of death (22%), followed by suicide (17%), fatal motor vehicle accidents (16%), and homicide (4%).

These figures mirror some of the leading causes of injury in the U.S., according to recent statistics from the National Safety Council (NSC). Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injury (32%), while struck by/against (13%), overexertion (9%), and motor-vehicle collisions (9%), are the next-most common.

Car Accident Statistics for Smithtown, NY

The Traffic Safety Statistical Repository (TSSR) for New York recorded 36,037 accidents in Suffolk County in 2018. One hundred and twenty-three of these accidents were fatal, while 11,427 led to a personal injury. A further 841 were categorized as a “serious” accident, while 1,549 were classified as “moderate.”

Pedestrian crashes in Suffolk County had the highest rate of injuries (92%) and deaths (7%), with just over 1% of all pedestrian accidents leading to “property damage only.” In 2018, Suffolk County saw 592 total pedestrian accidents, leading to 43 deaths. Bicycle accidents also proved to be consistently injurious, with 94% of them resulting in an injury. Motorcycle accidents carry an injury rate of 79%.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Smithtown Personal Injury Cases

Do I Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

Having an attorney help you file an insurance claim can always be beneficial. It is especially vital if you have incurred a serious injury, have several thousand dollars of damages, or have had your claim denied or severely reduced by an insurer. 

You can always have an experienced Smithtown car accident lawyer review your initial settlement offer. They can assist with documenting your damages. If you are being sued or accused of fault, it’s important to have a legal representative and advisor at your side.

Do I Need to File a Police Report to Make an Insurance Claim After a Car Accident?

You should always seek to file a report following a car accident. A police report provides an official record of an accident, so it can be an important part of your claim or injury case. If you have not filed a crash report yet, you can do so online.

Do I Have to File Under My Own Insurance (PIP) After an Accident?

Your PIP insurance policy is the primary coverage for medical expenses in the majority of accident scenarios. If you have a serious injury or exceed the PIP policy limit, you can seek compensation from other sources, including a liability policy for an at-fault driver or business.

Will I Need to Sue Someone to Get Compensation After My Injury?

Most often, the first action taken in a personal injury case is to calculate your full damages. From there, your lawyer will request repayment in a demand letter sent to the insurer representing the negligent party. 

A majority of cases can then be settled out of court. Only rarely does a case need to progress through the full course of a lawsuit.  Even then it may end through a settlement agreement before a trial date is scheduled. However, your Smithtown personal injury attorney will be prepared to present your case to a jury if that is required to secure fair and just compensation for you.

What Do I Do If I’m Hurt and I Don’t Know Where to File a Claim?

Our Smithtown personal injury attorneys can assist you in identifying any at-fault parties and pursuing the maximum amount of compensation legally available. Your case may involve complex questions of fault, and there may even be two or more parties who contributed fault. In these cases, we pursue claims against all liable parties to increase your chances of successful recovery.

Get the Compensation You Deserve with the Help of a Smithtown Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’ve been injured by another person’s negligence or intentional actions, you have legal rights. At Carner & DeVita, our personal injury attorneys have represented members of the Smithtown community for over 60 years.

We’ll do everything we can to settle your case out of court so you can get your money faster. But if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement, we have the skills and experience to fight for your rights in the courtroom. We don’t charge a dime unless we win your case, you there’s no upfront cost to hire us.

Give us a call at (631) 543-7070 or contact us online today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Smithtown personal injury attorney.

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