Personal Injury Lawyer in Richmond Hill, Queens
Liberty Avenue and Jamaica Avenue carry an unusually high share of for-hire vehicles — livery cars, black cars, TLC-plated rideshare drivers and community car services working out of local bases. If you were hurt in a collision in Richmond Hill, there is a fair chance one of the vehicles involved was a for-hire vehicle, and that changes the insurance picture in ways that work in your favor once someone actually looks for the extra coverage. Most of these cases in Queens are settled against the wrong policy, or against only one of several.
For-hire vehicles usually mean more than one policy
A licensed for-hire vehicle in New York City is required to carry liability coverage at levels above the ordinary private-car minimum, and the vehicle’s registered owner is not always the person behind the wheel. That second point is where the value is. Under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 388, every owner of a vehicle used or operated in New York is liable for injuries resulting from negligent operation by anyone driving with permission. Where a base, a fleet owner or a lessor holds title and the driver merely operates, § 388 reaches the owner as well as the driver.
So a single collision can implicate the driver personally, the titled owner or fleet, the base the vehicle was affiliated with, and — where the trip was arranged through an app — a rideshare policy whose limits depend on whether the driver was idle, en route to a pickup, or carrying a passenger at the moment of impact. Those coverage periods differ enormously. The trip record settles which applied, and it should be preserved early.
One caution: federal law shields companies whose business is renting or leasing vehicles from pure vicarious liability where they were not themselves negligent. Whether the titled owner is a lessor or an operator therefore matters, and it is worth answering at the start rather than after a year of litigation.
No-fault, the threshold, and uninsured drivers
As a passenger, a pedestrian or a cyclist, you are covered by the no-fault policy of the vehicle involved — treatment and part of your lost earnings, regardless of fault, with no need to own a car. The NF-2 application is generally due within 30 days. Compensation for the injury itself requires the serious injury threshold in Insurance Law § 5102(d), proven with measured findings and continuous treatment.
Where the striking vehicle was unregistered, uninsured or fled, the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC) may cover a qualified New York resident, on short deadlines and only with a police report. Against a private defendant the suit deadline is the three years under CPLR 214; where a City vehicle or the MTA is involved, a § 50-e Notice of Claim is due within 90 days. Partial fault reduces recovery proportionally under CPLR 1411 and never bars it.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was a passenger in a livery car. Whose insurance covers my treatment?
The vehicle you were riding in covers your no-fault benefits, regardless of which driver caused the crash. As a passenger you are almost never assigned fault, which makes these among the cleanest liability cases there are — the fight is usually between the two drivers’ insurers over who pays, not over whether you deserve to be paid.
The car had TLC plates but the driver says he owns it himself. Does that change anything?
It changes who is on the hook, so it is worth checking rather than accepting. Registration records, the base affiliation and the insurance certificate frequently tell a different story from what a driver says at the roadside — and a fleet or base owner in the case means a larger available policy than a single driver.
The car that hit me had no insurance. Is there anything I can do?
Often yes, through two routes: uninsured motorist coverage on your own policy if you have one, and MVAIC if you qualify as a New York resident injured by an uninsured or unidentified vehicle. Both require prompt notice and a police report, and both have deadlines shorter than the ordinary three years. This is not a situation to wait out.
Will I have to go to court?
Most cases settle without a trial. You should expect to give sworn testimony at a deposition and to attend an insurance medical examination, but the great majority of injured people never testify in front of a jury. We prepare every case as though it will be tried, because that is what produces a fair offer.
Courts that hear Richmond Hill injury cases
- Queens County Supreme Court, Civil Term — 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, a short distance east along Jamaica Avenue, and 25-10 Court Square, Long Island City.
- NYC Civil Court, Queens County — 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica.
Our Office & Directions from Richmond Hill
Yakov Mushiyev & Associates, PC
1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325
Rosedale, NY 11422
Phone: 718.775.3110
Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Home and hospital visits available.
Open these directions in Google Maps
Request a Free Case Review
Nearby: Woodhaven · Ozone Park · Jamaica · Kew Gardens · Personal Injury Practice · All Queens Locations
This page is general information about New York law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case turns on its own facts, and deadlines vary. Speak with an attorney before relying on anything here.