Four individuals have been injured in a crash involving four taxi cabs on Manhattan’s East Side.
According to reports, the accident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. when four cabs hit each other in a chain-reaction crash. The New York Fire Department stated that three of the cabs were yellow taxis while one was a black livery cab. The four victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center where one is in critical condition and the other three are in serious but stable condition. The accident is still under investigation.
Seeking Damage Compensation in a Taxi Accident
Taking a cab is not usually considered a risky activity. However, there are many instances where individuals have been hurt or even killed while riding in a hired cab. If you have been injured in a cab accident, you may think there is nothing you can do to seek compensation for your damages. However, it is highly unlikely you were at fault for the accident, being a passenger, which means you should be able to seek compensation for your injuries.
New York is a “no-fault” state which means that a driver’s insurance should pay for all injuries within the insured vehicle, regardless of who was actually at fault. This means that, in most cases, if you were a passenger in a taxi cab that was involved in an accident, the cab driver’s insurance should pay your medical bills and other damages. In New York, many drivers carry the minimum no-fault coverage which is $50,000 per accident. This means that if multiple passengers were injured, the $50,000 would be divided evenly among them.
What Damages Does No-Fault Insurance Cover?
No-fault insurance may cover:
- Medical Bills
- Lost Income
- Necessary Medical Expenses
- Death Benefits in a Wrongful Death Case
The cab driver’s insurance may not cover other damages like pain and suffering or other less tangible damages. The driver’s insurance may also not be enough to cover all of the damages. To pursue the full amount of compensation to which you are entitled, you may have to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Like public transportation, taxi cabs fall under “common carrier” law which requires operators to provide a higher level of safety than the average passenger car. This is because they make money from transporting individuals and thus should be more responsible. A common complaint in taxi cab cases is that many taxi cabs do not offer seat belts or do not enforce seat belt use. When a taxi is involved in an accident and passengers are not properly buckled, the injuries will likely be far more severe than if proper safety measures are observed.
If you have been involved in a taxi cab accident and have injuries as a result, call the experienced personal injury attorneys at the Fitzgerald Law Firm in New York. With over 40 years of experience, our team of successful and knowledgeable attorneys can help you seek compensation for your damages, even against a large cab company. Give us a call today and let us show you how we can help you seek justice.