If you or someone you love was injured due to another person, company, or entity’s negligence, we can help. Our Queens personal injury attorneys are here to answer your questions and provide you with the personalized legal counsel you need.

Damages are any financial or otherwise losses a person sustains due to another party’s negligent or wrongful conduct. Because each case is unique, the actual damages you will be able to recover in your injury lawsuit will depend on the specific circumstances involved.

Our Queens personal injury attorneys help injured individuals seek compensation for the following damages:

• All medical expenses associated with treating accident-related injuries
• Future medical care costs, including future treatments and ongoing care
• Lost income, wages, and other employment benefits
• Future lost earnings and loss of earning ability due to disability
• Pain and suffering

In cases where the defendant acted with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others, injured victims may also be able to seek punitive damages. In contrast to compensatory damages, like those listed above, punitive damages are not meant to compensate the victim for losses but to punish the defendant for egregious negligence. Punitive damages are rare, but they can sometimes be used to send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated.

People who have been injured due to the careless conduct of another can sue under a variety of legal theories, but perhaps the most common is negligence.

To prevail in a negligence claim under New York law, the injured victim typically must prove:

• The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care (usually to act reasonably)
• The defendant breached that duty
• There was proximate cause
• The plaintiff was damaged due to the defendant’s breach of duty

For example, all drivers owe a duty to others on the road to exercise due care and operate their vehicles carefully. For example, those who drive carelessly by texting or driving while drunk have breached this duty. If this reckless conduct causes an accident and someone else is injured, the injured party may sue the driver for compensatory damages to cover damages.