Yes. If you’re homeless, you’re entitled to get money from a personal injury case when you’re physically injured in an accident because of someone’s negligence. You may be able to get money immediately, and your personal injury case could be worth $millions, even if you’re homeless, and YOU DON’T NEED MONEY TO HIRE US!

Do Personal Injury Lawyers Represent People Who Are Homeless?

Some personal injury lawyers in New York may not be interested in your accident case if you’re homeless because of difficulties staying in contact. But we have obtained a lot of money for homeless clients who were physically injured in an accident.

One of my first personal injury clients was homeless in New York City. She was injured when she was hit by a car in a pedestrian accident. It was because she was homeless that I got the phone number 1-800-HURT-911, so she could call me toll-free. I got her a lot of money that she was able to use to rent an apartment in New York City.

How Can I Get Money Right Now If I Am Homeless?

You may be able to get money right now if you were physically injured in an accident. The money is an advance of your personal injury settlement money. Just give us a call, and we will let you know how quickly we can get money for you.

If you were physically injured in an accident and want your personal injury case to move quickly because you’re homeless, we’re good at settling quickly!

What Is the Most Common Accident Injuring Homeless People?

Most people who are homeless and entitled to get money from a personal injury case because of being physically injured in an accident were injured by a pedestrian car accident.

If I Am Homeless, Can I Get Money for an Accident and Keep My Government Benefits?

Yes. If you receive public benefits, like Medicaid, Snap Food Stamps, or Housing, we can protect your public benefits so you can receive both your personal injury settlement money and your public benefits.

Your settlement money from your personal injury case can be deposited into a Special Needs Trust with a credit or debit card you can use to pay for things you want. Another type of trust is a Pooled Trust that you can use to pay for things you want.

If I Am Homeless, How Do I Pay for Medical Bills After a Car Accident?

If you were hit by a car in New York, the car’s No-Fault insurance company will pay for all of your medical treatment even though you were a pedestrian, homeless, and don’t have insurance. The car’s No-Fault insurance will also pay for your transportation to doctors.

If you were injured in a hit-and-run accident by a car that left the accident scene or a car that did not have insurance, you will have No-Fault insurance from MVIAC, a New York State agency.

If I Am Homeless, How Do I Pay for Medical Bills After an Accident?

If you were physically injured in another type of accident, like a slip and fall accident or a trip and fall accident, and need medical treatment but don’t have health insurance or Medicaid, we can get you on Medicaid retroactively.

If you have Medicaid and have difficulty finding doctors that accept Medicaid, we can find good doctors who accept Medicaid.

We can also obtain medical treatment for you without Medicaid.

If you need transportation to doctors, we can arrange transportation for you.

Some Accident and Personal Injury Settlements We Obtained for People Who Were Homeless

I settled a personal injury case in three months and obtained the entire insurance policy for a homeless woman in New York City who was injured in a pedestrian accident when she was hit by a car. This was in addition to getting her hospital and medical bills paid.

We obtained the entire $50,000 insurance policy within a few months for another homeless woman on Long Island whose foot was run over by a car in another pedestrian car accident. This was in addition to getting her hospital and medical bills paid.

We settled a case for $40,000 for a homeless man who was struck by a taxi in the Bronx in another pedestrian accident. We could have gotten more, but he needed the money and wanted to settle quickly. This was in addition to getting her hospital and medical bills paid.

We settled a case in three weeks for $25,000 for a homeless woman who was struck by a car on Long Island in another pedestrian car accident. This was in addition to getting her hospital and medical bills paid.

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Q. Can I get a personal injury settlement if the company I am suing is out of business or goes bankrupt?

A. Yes, as long as there was an insurance policy on the date of your accident.

You were hurt in an accident and were seriously injured. You were lucky because your injury was caused by a company with a lot of insurance.

But suddenly, the defendant company is out of business. Is this a problem? Will your personal injury settlement be affected if the company you are suing is out of business?

Yes, you can still get money from the company’s insurance policy. It is only important that the insurance policy was in force on the date of your accident.

If the company went out of business later, it doesn’t matter, even if the insurance premium is no longer being paid.

If the Company Goes Out of Business, Things Just Got Better for You!

When a company is out of business, it is likely that the owner, managers, supervisors, and employees of the company no longer care about your lawsuit.

The employees and supervisors who may have been negligent and responsible for causing your injury, will also probably not care and will either tell the truth, refuse to testify, or disappear and be unavailable to testify.

See below why you have an advantage when the company you’re suing is out of business.

Why Is It an Advantage if the Company You’re Suing Is Out of Business?

When the employee responsible for causing the accident doesn’t testify, there is no one to contradict your testimony about how the accident happened.

If the employee responsible for causing your accident doesn’t testify, you will likely be entitled to summary judgment on liability.

Summary judgment on liability is a court ruling that the defendant is 100% responsible for causing your injury, which entitles you to 9% interest on your personal injury settlement.

So, if the company you are suing is out of business, that’s probably good news for you, not bad news.

When Is It Bad That the Company I Am Suing Is Out of Business?

If your injury is worth a lot more money for a personal injury settlement than the amount of insurance, the business or company had, you may have to settle for the entire amount of the company’s insurance policy.

The property owner may also be liable for your injury, and the property owner will have insurance. Additionally, the property is a valuable asset that can be used to satisfy your injury claim if the property owner is liable for your injury.

Example When It Is Bad if the Company You Are Suing Is Out of Business

If you’re suing a business or company for a very serious injury like a leg amputation that can be worth many millions of dollars and the company’s insurance policy was only $1 million dollars, you may not be able to obtain more money from the company’s assets that may no longer exist.

What if I Was Injured and the Company Was Out of Business Before I Was Injured?

This is an unusual type of accident, but if you were injured on a property where a company was no longer in business at the time of your accident, there may or may not be liability insurance for that business.

However, the property owner will be liable for your injury, and the property owner will have insurance. Additionally, the property is a valuable asset that can be used to satisfy your injury claim.

What Happened When Our Client Was Injured, and the Company Went Out of Business

We represented a woman who injured her neck when she was knocked down by a forklift in a warehouse store.

After the accident, the store went out of business. The forklift operator was gone and, having no reason to cooperate, never testified at a deposition.

We won summary judgment on liability which entitled our client to 9% interest. The insurance company offered $750,000 and two months later settled for its entire $1 million policy.

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If Your Lawyer Insists That You Close Your Facebook Account, Find a New Lawyer

So, your accident lawyer told you to close your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts. Do you really have to close your accounts?

No. You don’t have to close your social media accounts, but you might have to find another lawyer. Not all injury lawyers will require you to close your social media accounts. We do not require clients to close their accounts.

We request that you be careful with what you post on your accounts, and we want you to understand that you could damage your injury case.

Why Accident Lawyers Ask You to Close Your Social Media Accounts

Let’s start with why an accident lawyer would ask you to close your accounts. The reason is that you may post photos you think are okay but, in fact, could either damage your case or make it more difficult to settle.

The obvious one is a photo of you doing something you claim you can’t do any longer. That photo of you skydiving will make it next to impossible to claim that you have pain when going up or down stairs.

Even if you don’t post the photo, someone else could post a photo of you on their account. Your friend who was skydiving with you may post a photo of both of you on his Facebook account. A mutual friend sees you in the photo and tags your image with your name. Your photo just became easily discoverable.

Less obvious are the normal photos, such as one of you holding a baby. You may have testified at your deposition that you can’t lift more than 10 pounds, but that baby you’re holding in the photo may weigh 15 pounds.

Your entire history and all your old photos can be seen. It’s possible these photos don’t portray the kind of life you claim to have given up because of your injuries. You may also have had a previous injury or accident, which could be discovered from your account.

If you make your profiles and postings public, this information can be used against you in your lawsuit. If you make your profile private, an insurance adjuster or defense attorney may be able to have access to your photo if a friend shares your photo.

Even if your social media accounts are set to private, the defense attorney may be able to get a court order ordering you to turn over your usernames and passwords.

Is It Legal for an Insurance Company to Access My Social Media Account If It’s Private?

It is legal for an insurance company to access your social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and others.

First, if your accounts are not private and can be viewed by anyone, insurance companies can view them. They can view your social media accounts to determine your premium or your renewal premium, to look for evidence to defend against your personal injury claim, or for any other reason.

Insurance companies cannot view your social media accounts to determine your premium if they are private and you don’t give them permission.

Insurance companies routinely view your social media accounts if you file a personal injury lawsuit, even if your social media accounts are private. However, they can’t search your accounts without your written authorization.

Why would you authorize an insurance company to look at your social media accounts when you litigate a personal injury case? The court may require you to provide the insurance company with authorizations to view your social media accounts. If a court requires it, and you don’t comply, your personal injury lawsuit could be dismissed.

If I have a personal injury case, can an insurance company always look at my social media accounts?

No. The insurance company is not allowed to go on a “fishing expedition” to see if there is anything in your social media accounts showing your injury is not as bad as you claim or even that your claim is bogus.

The insurance company must provide evidence to the court showing that there is a good reason to believe there is something in your social media account they need to defend their insured against your personal injury case.

We Don’t Ask You to Close Your Social Media Accounts

We won’t ask you to close your social media accounts. Just be careful.

Attorney Phil Franckel owns a substantial amount of shares in Meta (Facebook) for transparency.

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Answer: The best time to call a personal injury lawyer is immediately after an accident and preferably within 10 days of the accident, even if you don’t hire an accident lawyer. The next best time is right now if it’s less than 3 years after your accident.

According to the Insurance Research Council, just speaking to a lawyer about your rights can get you almost 40% more money than not talking to a lawyer. But it’s important to call a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Time Deadlines to Call a Personal Injury Lawyer Are Shorter Than You Think

The statute of limitations in New York is three years to file a lawsuit. The statute of limitations in some other states is shorter.

Many people know the statute of limitations in New York allows three years to file a lawsuit, but the statute of limitations in New York can be as short as 15 months for some accidents.

There are also other much shorter time deadlines, as short as 30 days or 90 days, to protect your rights and benefits.

For instance, you only have 30 days to file a claim for No-fault benefits when you’re injured in a car accident, and you may only have 90 days for many lawsuits! Missing a 90-day deadline can even prevent you from filing a lawsuit, even if the statute of limitations has not expired. See below.

There are usually several time deadlines that are different for each type of personal injury case.

What Is the Statute of Limitations?

The statute of limitations is like a gate that closes on your lawsuit at a certain time. It is the time within which a lawsuit must be filed with the court.

But most personal injury lawyers won’t take your case with only a few months to go before the gate closes.

If you miss the statute of limitations, the gate is closed, and you may have lost millions of dollars!

How Long Is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury in New York?

See a New York statute of limitations timetable chart on NYCourts.gov.

In New York, determining the time to file a lawsuit for an injury is complicated. Read below for more information.

Statute of Limitations for a Personal Injury Lawsuit in New York

The statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit in New York against an individual or private company is three years. A lawsuit must be filed with the court within three years of the date of your accident.

This is the same for car accidents and non-motor vehicle accidents.

Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice in New York

Medical malpractice and dental malpractice have a shorter statute of limitations of two years and six months from the date of the malpractice or from the end of continuous treatment by the doctor.

It is very tricky to determine when the statute of limitations for malpractice begins to run.

Statute of Limitations for Children in New York

The statute of limitations is extended for children and begins running from the date they turn 18.

Short Time Deadlines to File a Lawsuit

Accidents that involve a government entity usually have a statute of limitations that is one year and 90 days from the date of the accident. There are many lawsuits where a government entity must be sued, but you wouldn’t know because it’s not obvious.

For instance, a car accident may be caused by a driver in a government vehicle, or a government must be sued because of a defective road design or defective condition.

If a government is involved, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days of the accident, and the statute of limitations is one year and ninety after the accident.

Some common entities that also have short time deadlines include:

• Utilities
• Hospitals
• Public Universities and Community Colleges

This is another reason why you should speak with a personal injury lawyer immediately.

30-Day and 90-Day Deadlines!

Besides the statute of limitations, there are many short deadlines to file claims for various benefits.

A claim must be filed within 30 days of an accident for payment of medical bills and lost wages when you have a car accident.

If you have a car accident, uninsured claims and underinsured claims must be filed within 90 days, with some limited exceptions.

A notice of claim against a government entity (mentioned above) must be filed within 90 days.

Legal Work That Must Be Done before the Statute of Limitations

Another problem with waiting because you have time before the statute of limitations ends is that a lot of investigation and work must be done before filing a lawsuit, and that can take as much as 6-18 months.

Most lawyers will not take your case if you call the lawyer within 6 months of the statute of limitations.

What Will Happen If I Speak With the Insurance Company?

If you have any discussions with the insurance company during the time that you are deciding whether you want to hire a lawyer or not, you will damage your case and may reduce the amount your case can be settled for.

Should I Try to Settle With the Insurance Company Before I Hire a Lawyer?

Many clients have called a lawyer a year or two after an accident because the insurance company led them to believe that they will fairly settle the claim. After delaying the case for a year or two and never offering a reasonable settlement, the claimant will give up and call an attorney. We’ve had several clients who called us a year or two after their accident when they couldn’t get the insurance company to fairly settle the claim.

The insurance company may offer a settlement that sounds good but is actually 10-20 times less than the injury is worth. We have spoken with people who settled their claim for $40,000, thinking it was a lot of money when the injury was actually worth over $1 million.

Read about Colossus, one of the tactics that insurance companies use to convince you not to call a lawyer.

How will you know what your injury is worth?

• You won’t know what your injury is really worth.
• You may have injuries you don’t realize are serious.
• You may have injuries you’re not aware of.

We have had many clients who didn’t realize that they had other very valuable injuries, often worth much more than the injuries they complained about.

One of our clients was trying to get $40,000 for his fractured ribs. The insurance wouldn’t even pay that much, so he called us. We found he had a concussion and got him $1,000,000.

How Can I Calculate What My Personal Injury Case is Worth?

See some other cases to get a feel for what your injury is worth. Then use the HURT-911® Personal Injury Settlement Calculator to see what you would get from your settlement.

Should I Represent Myself If I Need a Quick Settlement?

You’ll risk ruining your personal injury case and missing the statute of limitations. See Can I Settle My Own Accident Case Without a Lawyer? If you’re injured in an accident and need money quickly, we can get you a lawsuit loan.

Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

The Insurance Research Council found that if you have a lawyer, the insurance company is likely to pay 3 ½ times more money on average to settle your case before deducting legal fees and expenses.

However, we often get personal injury settlements of 10-100 times more money than you can get without a lawyer. See some of our personal injury settlements.

How to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

Know what questions you should ask before hiring a personal injury lawyer.

How Can You Protect Your Rights & Get Money After an Accident?

Call the 1-800-HURT-911® Personal Injury Lawyer Dream Team while the gate is still open if you want a successful personal injury settlement.

Even if you think you’re not injured enough for an attorney to take your case, call us right now for a free consultation with no obligation. If, after speaking with us, you want to hire us, we’ll protect your rights immediately!

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Comments About When Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer or Accident Lawyer?

Q. How much money can I file a lawsuit for?

A. You cannot sue for a declared amount of money for personal injury in New York anymore. The amount demanded to compensate you for your injury will be requested from the jury at the end of the trial.

When Did a Personal Injury Lawyer Make a Demand for Money?

The amount of money you are suing for in a personal injury lawsuit used to be stated in the Complaint.

The Complaint is the legal document starting the lawsuit. It is filed with the New York State Supreme Court and served on the defendant.

The Complaint states a lot of allegations besides how much money is being demanded, including how the accident happened; that you were injured; who is responsible for causing the accident; who is responsible to pay for your damages; and many other things.

How Did a Lawyer Determine How Much to Sue for in a Personal Injury Case?

The amount demanded was arbitrarily determined based on what the lawyer thought was enough for the injury.

I have seen Complaints from many attorneys demanding amounts of $150,000 to $300,000 for injuries in accident cases. Some lawyers looking for publicity sued for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Once the Complaint is filed, the amount demanded could not be changed without a court order. Since the court might not allow the amount to be increased and there was no additional court fee to sue for more money, there was no reason to demand a small amount.

Because a jury can award more than you thought the injury was worth, and an injury often gets worse during the course of the lawsuit, I always demanded at least $10 million in every lawsuit.

I admit that in one case, I was one of those lawyers who sued for $500 million. That was because the drivers of two cars were drag racing and caused serious injuries.

Why Can’t a Personal Injury Lawyer Sue for Money?

In 2003, New York law (NY CPLR § 3017 (c) Demand for relief) was changed to prohibit lawyers from demanding a declared amount of money for injuries in a Complaint. This was done to stop lawyers from demanding millions of dollars to seek publicity and made the public think that lawsuits are out-of-control.

When Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Make a Demand for Money Now?

Now, personal injury lawyers can only demand “money” in the Complaint, not a certain amount of money. The amount of money is requested of the jury at the end of the trial.

Occasionally, I still see lawyers filing a lawsuit seeking a large amount of money. This is either done because of ignorance of the new rule or because the lawyer wants publicity. The consequences of ignoring the rule can range from nothing to sanctions (punishment) by the court against the attorney or your case and punishment from the grievance committee for an ethical violation.

How much is your injury worth? See the value of these injuries and the amount of money we got for our clients. See how we prove even a broken rib is worth a lot of money.

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