Queens Personal Injury Lawyer

Meet the Attorney serving our Queens clients

Licensed in NY

Admir Muratovic

Associate Attorney

I am the son of Bosnian immigrants and grew up in Slovenia, where I initially studied law. During my studies, I participated in international moot court competitions and spent two semesters studying abroad. After working for a government agency, I moved to the United States to pursue an LL.M.

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Address: 87 Covert Avenue Suite 4, Floral Park, New York 11002

Phone: (347) 604-6612

By Appointment Only

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Quick Summary: Queens Personal Injury Lawyer

Most personal injury claims have a three-year filing deadline under CPLR 214(5).
CPLR 1411 applies comparative negligence, with different rules for most motor vehicle claims.
Car accident claims generally require a serious injury under Insurance Law 5102(d).
Claims against New York City usually require a Notice of Claim within 90 days.

Queens Boulevard carried the nickname “Boulevard of Death” for decades, and it remains one of the borough’s busiest corridors. Traffic crashes, pedestrian accidents, and construction falls in Long Island City continue to cause serious injuries each year. Many people injured in these incidents require extensive medical treatment and face difficult financial and legal challenges.

A personal injury lawyer serving clients in Queens understands the legal issues that can affect these cases, from determining liability to preserving evidence and pursuing available compensation. Representing injured clients in Queens requires an understanding of the laws and procedures that govern personal injury claims in the borough. Filing deadlines, No-Fault benefits, how fault is divided, and the strength of the evidence can all affect the outcome of a claim. Knowing how these rules apply helps injured people make informed decisions after a serious accident.

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Common Accident Claims That Lead Queens Residents to Seek Legal Help

Personal injury claims often begin with an ordinary moment that suddenly turns dangerous. A traffic collision, property hazard, or workplace incident can leave someone facing serious injuries and unexpected expenses. Understanding how these accidents happen is an important first step in evaluating a potential claim.

Motor vehicle accidents: Crashes where the Long Island Expressway meets the Van Wyck Expressway can involve multiple vehicles and serious injuries.
Delivery vehicle collisions: Delivery vans can strike pedestrians or other motorists while navigating busy commercial areas.
Construction site accidents: Falls from scaffolds and other job site hazards remain a concern on Long Island City construction projects.
Slip and fall incidents: Wet floors, broken stair treads, and untreated ice may lead injured people to seek support from a premises injury representation when a property owner knew or should have known about the hazardous condition.
Rideshare crashes: Accidents involving rideshare vehicles may trigger overlapping insurance coverage and more complex claims.

Queens accident victims often discover these challenges only after an insurance carrier disputes or denies a claim. What ties these situations together is a single question of liability: who created the danger, and who is responsible for the harm that followed? Answering that question is often the foundation of a successful personal injury claim.

What to Do After a Personal Injury Accident in Queens

The steps you take after an accident can affect both your recovery and your personal injury claim. Seeking medical care, preserving evidence, and avoiding common mistakes can make it easier to establish what happened. Acting promptly also helps protect important deadlines and supporting documentation.

Report the Accident and Seek Medical Care

Calling 911 brings the NYPD to the scene and creates an official record of the incident. Prompt medical treatment protects your health while connecting your injuries to the accident through medical documentation. Both records can become important evidence during the claims process.

Obtain Important Records

Getting the necessary paperwork takes a separate step after the accident. Although the NYPD responds throughout Queens, collision reports are obtained through the NYPD Collision Records process or by requesting a copy from the New York State DMV. Keeping copies of these records, along with medical bills and treatment notes, can help support your claim.

Avoid Common Mistakes That Can Weaken a Claim

Several early mistakes can reduce the value of a personal injury claim. Common examples include:

Giving a recorded statement to an insurance company before understanding your legal rights
Delaying or missing medical treatment after the accident
Posting about the accident or your injuries on social media
Accepting an early settlement offer before the full extent of your injuries is known

One deadline also catches many people by surprise. The No-Fault application is generally due within 30 days after a motor vehicle accident. Missing that deadline can affect the benefits available under New York’s No-Fault system.

The New York Legal Framework Behind Personal Injury Claims

New York law sets the deadlines, court procedures, and liability rules that apply to personal injury claims. Understanding these rules can help protect your rights after an accident. Knowing what to expect also makes the legal process easier to navigate.

Statute of Limitations and Court Deadlines

Most personal injury claims must be filed within three years from the date of injury under CPLR 214(5). Wrongful death claims generally have a shorter filing deadline of two years under EPTL 5-4.1. Missing these deadlines may prevent you from recovering compensation.

Where a lawsuit is filed depends on the type and value of the case. Most lawsuits arising in Queens are filed in Supreme Court, Queens County, while claims up to $50,000 may proceed in Civil Court. Appeals are heard by the Appellate Division, Second Department, and some federal claims proceed in the Eastern District of New York.

Notice of Claim Deadlines for City and Transit Injuries

Claims against government entities follow different rules. Injuries involving city vehicles, defective sidewalks, or park hazards generally require a Notice of Claim within 90 days under General Municipal Law 50-e. The lawsuit generally must be filed within one year and 90 days under General Municipal Law 50-i.

Transit-related injuries follow separate requirements under Public Authorities Law 1212. JFK and LaGuardia may also involve Port Authority notice requirements. These shorter deadlines are one of the most common reasons otherwise valid claims are lost.

How Comparative Negligence Divides Fault

Sharing some blame does not automatically prevent recovery. Outside of motor vehicle cases, pure comparative negligence applies in New York under CPLR 1411, reducing compensation according to each person’s share of fault. For example, a shopper who was not watching the floor may still recover damages if a store failed to clean up a known spill, with the award reduced by the shopper’s share of fault.

Motor vehicle cases changed for actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026. A new subsection of CPLR 1411 bars recovery in certain auto injury actions when the claimant’s share of fault is greater than the defendant’s, or greater than the combined fault of all defendants. Pure comparative negligence still governs slip and fall, construction, and other non-auto claims.

No-Fault Benefits and the Serious Injury Threshold

Motor vehicle injury claims generally begin under New York’s No-Fault system. PIP coverage pays up to $50,000 in basic economic loss, regardless of who caused the crash. These benefits may cover medical treatment, 80% of lost earnings up to $2,000 per month for up to three years, and certain necessary expenses.

Recovering pain and suffering damages requires meeting the No-Fault serious injury threshold under New York’s serious injury statute. The qualifying categories include:

Death
Dismemberment
Significant disfigurement
Fracture
Loss of a fetus
Permanent loss of use of a body part
Permanent consequential limitation of use
Significant limitation of use

The law changed in 2026. The former 90/180-day category, which applied to injuries preventing normal daily activities for 90 of the first 180 days after an accident, was repealed for actions commenced on or after May 26, 2026.

As a result, thorough medical documentation has become even more important for people pursuing a car crash claim involving serious but non-permanent injuries.

How Insurance Carriers Evaluate a Claim

Adjusters approach these files cautiously, intending to pay as little as the facts allow. They scrutinize treatment records, look for gaps in care, and question whether an injury is as limiting as described. Opening offers often land well below what a claim is worth.

The formal push runs through a demand letter that lays out liability, the injuries, and the losses, followed by settlement negotiation. Preparation carries real weight at that stage, and being genuinely ready to litigate tends to improve the final figure.

Personal injury lawyers serving Queens discusses a case, with one attorney listening attentively with her hands clasp together while the other explains legal points using hand gestures.

Evidence and Documentation That Strengthen a Claim

Cases are built on records, not recollection. Police reports, photographs of the scene and the injuries, witness statements, and continuous medical treatment together create a factual spine that a carrier cannot easily dispute.

Video does more work than most people expect. Nearby businesses, apartment buildings, and MTA buses capture what no report can, yet much of that footage is overwritten within days, so a preservation letter needs to go out quickly. The city’s published Vision Zero crash data can also help show that a corridor had a documented safety history well before the incident.

Queens lawyer discussing a case with a client

Accident Compensation in New York: The Damages Categories

Understanding the types of compensation available can help set realistic expectations after an accident. The damages awarded in a personal injury claim depend on the facts of the case, the available evidence, and the severity of the injuries. Every claim is different, so no attorney can honestly guarantee a specific recovery.

Economic and Non-Economic Damages

New York recognizes different categories of damages in personal injury cases. Economic damages cover measurable losses such as medical bills, future care costs, and lost wages. Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages may be available when a defendant’s conduct shows a high degree of moral culpability, but these awards remain rare. A narrow 2026 provision also limits non-economic damages to $100,000 for certain at-fault drivers, including those convicted of impaired driving in the same crash.

Accident compensation under New York law ultimately depends on the facts, the available proof, and the severity of the injury.

Local Legal Representation Across Queens

Representing injured clients in Queens takes familiarity with the borough’s roadways, its emergency response patterns, and its courts. The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm knows which corridors generate the most serious crashes and how local agencies handle records requests, and that knowledge shortens the distance between an incident and a documented claim.

Certain stretches of the borough produce injuries year after year:

Queens Boulevard: Heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic through Forest Hills, Rego Park, and Elmhurst still produces serious crosswalk collisions.
The Long Island Expressway and Van Wyck Expressway interchange: Merging traffic and sudden backups drive rear-end and multi-vehicle wrecks through this bottleneck.
Grand Central Parkway near LaGuardia Airport: Rideshare pickups, rental returns, and rushed travelers combine into a high-conflict corridor.
Northern Boulevard through Jackson Heights and Flushing: Wide lanes and dense storefronts leave pedestrians and cyclists exposed at busy intersections.
Woodhaven Boulevard and the Belt Parkway: High speeds through South Queens contribute to severe injury crashes and roadway defect claims.

Neighborhoods and Communities We Serve

We help Queens accident victims in Astoria, Long Island City, Flushing, Jamaica, Far Rockaway, Forest Hills, Rego Park, and Elmhurst. Long Island City’s construction boom and the two airport corridors generate their own claim types, from scaffold falls to livery collisions.

Early work matters most where evidence disappears fastest. Our team requests the collision or incident report, sends preservation letters for nearby video, and tracks the medical record as treatment continues. Cases that need to move forward are filed in Supreme Court, Queens County, or the appropriate venue.

Queens Personal Injury FAQ

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim after an accident in Queens?

Most personal injury claims in Queens carry a three-year deadline from the date of injury, but shorter clocks control more often than people expect. A government defendant triggers a 90-day Notice of Claim, wrongful death runs two years from the date of death, and the No-Fault application is generally due within 30 days.

Can I still recover compensation if I was partially at fault for the accident under New York law?

Usually, yes. Outside motor vehicle cases, New York reduces your award by your percentage of fault rather than barring it, so 30% fault means recovering 70% of your damages. Auto cases commenced on or after May 26, 2026 follow a stricter rule that bars recovery once your share of fault exceeds the defendant’s.

What does the “serious injury” threshold mean for car accident claims in New York?

The threshold decides whether you can sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering or stay limited to No-Fault benefits. Eight categories qualify, including a fracture, significant disfigurement, and permanent or significant limitation of use. The former 90/180 category no longer counts, which makes objective medical proof of a lasting limitation far more important.

Personal Injury Law Firm Serving Queens Can Help in Legal Matters

Personal injury claims in Queens often depend on filing deadlines, insurance coverage, and evidence that should be preserved as early as possible. Understanding how these rules apply to your situation can make it easier to protect your rights, especially under New York’s evolving fault and injury threshold requirements.

A legal team serving Queens can review the facts of your accident, explain the laws that may apply, and answer your questions about the claims process. Whether your injuries resulted from a car accident, slip and fall, construction accident, or another act of negligence, discussing your situation early can help you understand your legal options and the next steps available to you.

Practice Areas

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Car Accident

Bicycle Accident

Motorcycle Accident

Truck Accident

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Slip And Fall Injury

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Drunk Driving

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Achievements

Awards & Memberships

Our law firm has over 50 years of combined legal experience. We represent our communities and are honored to provide powerful representation to those in need.

Awards and accolades are granted by independent organizations based on their own criteria and applicant pools. They do not guarantee future results. Learn more.

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Goes above and beyond for the community and those that have gotten into in a bad predicament on the roads. Ensuring you receive the outcome you deserve. Check out the whole firm.

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Results vary and depend on the unique facts of each case. Past outcomes do not guarantee similar results. The attorney mentioned and/or who achieved this result may not be licensed in your state. To find an attorney licensed in your state, visit our legal team page.

Ali is an excellent, experienced, and well knowledgeable attorney in his area of practice. He treats each person, client, prospective client, an acquaintance, or opposing counsel with the upmost respect and kindness. The greatest part, Ali genuinely cares in the interest of ALL. It’s hard to find attributes such as these, especially being impartial and unbiased, in today’s time, but Ali possess them all and some more. You can’t go…

Posted by zohra khorashi

My family had a car accident last year and sustained minor injuries. It felt like a complicated process to get compensation but after speaking with a representative at the firm they were so transparent and helpful. The representatives here made sure to listen to my family concerns and were really considerate. They kept my family in the loop every step of the way and they barely had to chase. A…

Posted by Sharmin Noorie

My first time using a personal injury attorney was CEO Lawyer. Came highly recommended from a friend and boy did it pay off! From start to finish, they had my primary interest in mind. I even got a personal phone call from the CEO Lawyer himself checking to make sure I was happy with my service. 100% recommend.

Posted by Hangar 913

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Posted by Vickjeet Singh

My mom was in a car accident, and CEO Lawyer was recommended to us. They keep us up to date on what is going on with our case, and they always call to check on how my mom is doing. Richard and Elena have been working with us, and they are a pleasure to speak to. Keep up the excellent work! Thank you! Recommended 10/10

Posted by Shamar Jones

I must say this was the most seamless and transparent experience I have ever been through. Every question and every call was answered. The team is truly dedicated to helping you navigate through a difficult time. I will 100% recommend the CEO Lawyer.

Posted by Derek L

CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm exceeded all my expectations. From the moment I walked through their doors, I was greeted with professionalism and warmth. The team's experience in personal injury law was evident in every interaction. They listened attentively to my concerns and provided clear, concise guidance throughout the legal process. Their dedication to securing the most favorable outcome for me was unwavering. They truly go above and beyond…

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I wanted to express my gratitude towards Ali Awad. I was involved in a rear end collision and I had some questions. I wrote Ali and he responded immediately. I would have used him for representation however, he’s in a different state. He did suggest an attorney that was local to me, which said a lot about his character. That showed me that he wasn’t selfish and wanted a fair resolution for every party involved (the good guys). Even after realizing he couldn’t represent me, he still answered questions free of charge. Ali has always displayed patience, wide range of knowledge and empathy. If you want strong representation from a lawyer who has integrity , experience, wisdom ; choose Ali!!

F eugene

I heard of Ali Awad through Instagram beleive it or not. I gave them a shot. My daughter and I were in accidents within 1 month of each other. I was pleased by the way my care was coordinated of with the providers. I know Amanda, and Tiffany worked hard throughout the process with the insurance company as well. I requested weekly follow up calls on my case and they respected my wishes. They do a great job negotiating down the medical bills as well. PLEASE CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. It makes a difference and we really appreciate that.

Michana XXIII

My entire family uses Ali Awad the CEO Lawyer because he’s not only an amazing lawyer but an incredible human being. He always takes care of us no matter what - even if it’s not a car accident case he finds us another lawyer to help. I think when you find a great lawyer they become your go-to for everything, and im just really happy to have a skilled personal injury lawyer in America to be my lawyer! If you are looking for a car/truck/motorcycle accident lawyer, this man does it all! I highly recommend the CEO Lawyer to everyone!

Ahmad Dabdoub

Attorney Ali Awad is the BEST Personal Injury attorney I have ever worked with. He had no issues answering my questions, being involved in a truck accident I had a lot of questions and he always made time to talk to me. His staff is very knowledgeable and professional. They made sure I was treated for my injuries and got my bills reduced so I could have more from my settlement after fees and bills for my pain and suffering. If you are injured in a personal injury case, I highly recommend Attorney Ali Awad. He and his staff will give you quality service and results.

Candiece A. Black

Awad law firm and his staff is a great firm who will treat you as family. During my test of time of enduring a car accident, Awad the founder called and checked on me, making sure I had great medical assistance, asking did I have any questions even though he paired me with one of his attorneys. Also, Awad gets to know all of his clients personally, making sure my experience was a great one. I would like to thank this prestige establishment for their hard work and dedication, treating me like my worth. You can’t go wrong. Again, thank you!

Ricke Willis

Frequently Asked Questions

Take a look at some of the most common personal injury law questions for general information, and then reach out to one of our seasoned attorneys for specific guidance on your case!

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Results depend on the unique facts of each case; past outcomes don’t guarantee similar results. The attorney shown is licensed in Georgia. Visit our legal team page to find an attorney licensed in your state.

What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in New York?

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is three years from the date of the injury in New York. If the claim involves a government entity, a Notice of Claim must typically be filed within 90 days, followed by a shorter filing window for the lawsuit. Missing these deadlines can bar recovery entirely. Certain exceptions, such as delayed discovery or cases involving minors, may extend the timeline, but these are limited and often require specific legal justification to apply.

How long does a personal injury case take to settle in New York?

A personal injury case can take several months to a few years, and in New York, timelines often depend on case complexity and court congestion. Straightforward claims may resolve quickly, while disputed or severe injury cases can take longer. The state’s busy court system, especially in urban areas, may delay proceedings. Settlements are often reached faster than cases that go to trial, as litigation involves additional steps like discovery, motions, and possible court scheduling delays.

How much is a personal injury case worth in New York?

The value of a personal injury case depends on economic and non-economic damages, and in New York, there is no cap on most personal injury damages. This means compensation can be significant in cases involving serious injuries. Factors like medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering all play a role. Each case is evaluated based on its specific facts and available insurance, including policy limits that may ultimately affect how much compensation can be recovered.

How are personal injury settlements calculated in New York?

Settlement amounts are calculated by combining financial losses with pain and suffering, and New York follows a pure comparative negligence rule. This means compensation is reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault. Methods like multipliers or per diem calculations may be used to estimate non-economic damages. Proper documentation is essential to support the total value of the claim, as incomplete or inconsistent records can reduce the credibility and overall settlement amount.

How is fault determined in a car accident in New York?

Fault is determined based on evidence such as police reports and witness statements, with New York applying a pure comparative negligence system. Each party may share responsibility, and compensation is adjusted accordingly. Even partially at-fault individuals can still recover damages. Additionally, the state’s no-fault insurance system requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP) to cover initial medical expenses regardless of fault, though claims for serious injuries may still proceed outside the no-fault system.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only. Each case is unique and should be evaluated by an attorney licensed in your state. For a list of our attorneys and where they are licensed, view our legal team page.