Inwood has a surprising pedigree. The Inwood Country Club, tucked against the marshes of Jamaica Bay at the village’s western edge, hosted the 1921 PGA Championship and the 1923 U.S. Open, which a young Bobby Jones won on its final hole. A century later, the roads around it tell a busier story: Rockaway Turnpike’s big-box traffic, airport-bound drivers cutting toward JFK, Five Towns commuters on Burnside Avenue and Doughty Boulevard, and trucks heading for the cargo areas just across the city line.
When a crash happens on those roads, the law can feel like a wall of rules. But a surprising amount of New York car accident law comes down to a handful of numbers. Know them, and you know most of what matters in the first weeks after a crash. Here are the ten numbers a car accident lawyer in Inwood NY explains to every new client.
Number 1: 30 Days
The no-fault deadline. After a car crash in New York, you generally must file a written no-fault application (often called the NF-2) within 30 days. No-fault, also known as Personal Injury Protection, pays reasonable medical bills and part of lost wages regardless of fault. Late applications can be denied. If you remember only one number, make it this one.
Number 2: $50,000
The basic no-fault limit. Mandatory no-fault coverage generally pays up to $50,000 per person in “basic economic loss,” which includes medical expenses, lost earnings (subject to limits) and some other reasonable expenses. Some people purchase additional optional coverage. Serious injuries can exhaust $50,000 quickly, which is why the next numbers matter.
Number 3: 80% and $2,000
The lost wage formula. No-fault generally pays 80% of lost earnings up to a maximum of $2,000 per month, for up to three years, within the overall $50,000 cap. For many workers, that leaves a substantial gap, which can be pursued in a liability claim if the serious injury threshold is met.
Number 4: 90/180
One of the serious injury categories. Under Insurance Law Section 5102(d), you can only sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering if you suffered a “serious injury.” One category is a medically determined injury that prevented you from performing substantially all of your usual daily activities for at least 90 of the 180 days immediately following the crash. Other categories include fractures, significant disfigurement, permanent consequential limitation of use of a body organ or member, and significant limitation of use of a body function or system.
Number 5: $25,000 / $50,000
New York’s minimum liability limits. Drivers must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage (higher amounts apply to death). Many drivers carry only these minimums. If your injuries are worth more, the at-fault driver’s policy may not be enough, which brings us to the next number.
Number 6: SUM
Not exactly a number, but it is on every policy declaration page: Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage. If the at-fault driver’s coverage is too low, your own SUM coverage may pay the difference up to your SUM limit. One important rule: you typically need your SUM insurer’s consent before settling with the at-fault driver, or you can lose SUM rights. Check your declarations page today; SUM coverage is inexpensive to increase.
Number 7: 10 Days
The DMV report deadline. If a crash causes injury, death, or more than $1,000 in property damage to any one person’s property, each driver generally must file a Report of Motor Vehicle Accident (Form MV-104) with the DMV within 10 days. This is separate from the police report. You can find the form on the DMV website.
Number 8: 90 Days
The Notice of Claim deadline. If a public entity may be responsible, such as the Village of Inwood (or more precisely, the Town of Hempstead, since Inwood is an unincorporated hamlet), Nassau County, a school district, the MTA or the Port Authority (which has its own rules), you must generally serve a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the crash under General Municipal Law Section 50-e. Many Nassau municipalities also have prior written notice requirements for road defects.
Number 9: 3 Years
The statute of limitations for most personal injury lawsuits in New York (CPLR 214). Claims against public entities have shorter deadlines, generally one year and 90 days. Wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years.
Number 10: 100%
The comparative fault scale. New York uses pure comparative negligence (CPLR 1411). Fault is divided on a 100% scale, and your recovery is reduced by your percentage. If you were 30% at fault, you recover 70%. Even a driver who was mostly at fault can recover the portion attributable to the other driver.
Putting the Numbers to Work in Inwood
Consider a typical Rockaway Turnpike crash. A driver leaving a shopping center lot turns left across traffic and is struck by an oncoming car. The oncoming driver suffers a fractured ankle (a serious injury under Number 4’s statute) and misses ten weeks of work.
- Within 30 days, she files for no-fault.
- No-fault pays her medical bills and 80% of her wages up to $2,000 a month, within the $50,000 cap.
- Because a fracture qualifies as a serious injury, she can pursue the turning driver for pain and suffering and her remaining wage loss.
- The turning driver carries only $25,000 in coverage, so her lawyer notifies her SUM carrier and obtains consent before settling.
- Both drivers file MV-104 reports within 10 days.
- No public entity is involved, so the 90-day notice does not apply.
- The case resolves well within the three-year limitations period.
- The turning driver argues she was speeding; any finding of fault reduces her recovery on the 100% scale, but does not bar it.
Inwood Roads to Watch
Rockaway Turnpike with its shopping centers and airport traffic; Burnside Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard through industrial pockets; Doughty Boulevard toward the bay; and the approaches to the Nassau Expressway and JFK. Nassau County Police, Fourth Precinct, covers Inwood. Lawsuits are frequently filed in Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola.
Talk to Mushiyev Law
We are a few minutes north of Inwood in Rosedale. We help Five Towns drivers manage every number on this list, from the 30-day no-fault deadline to settlement. There is no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Visit our home page or contact us.
Directions From Inwood to Our Rosedale Office
Mushiyev Law is at 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325, Rosedale, NY 11422, beside the Cross Island Parkway and the Belt Parkway interchange.
From the Inwood Country Club, follow Doughty Boulevard to Rockaway Turnpike, then north to Rockaway Boulevard and east toward the Cross Island Parkway.
Number 11 (A Bonus): 0
The amount of attorney fees you pay up front on a contingency case: zero. Most New York personal injury lawyers, including Mushiyev Law, are paid a percentage of the recovery only if there is one. The fee is set out in a written retainer agreement and is subject to court rules that cap contingency fees in personal injury cases. That means cost should never be the reason someone with a serious injury handles a claim alone.
Numbers Insurers Watch That You Should Too
Insurers evaluate claims using their own internal numbers, and knowing them helps you understand how your case looks from the other side:
- Days until first treatment. The longer the gap between the crash and your first doctor visit, the more the insurer will question causation.
- Gaps in treatment. Weeks without appointments suggest recovery, even if you simply could not get time off work.
- Total medical specials. The billed amount of your medical care is one factor insurers use, though it is far from the only measure of value.
- Diagnostic findings. MRI or X-ray findings that show objective injury carry more weight than subjective complaints alone.
- Range-of-motion percentages. In soft-tissue and spinal cases, quantified loss of motion compared with normal values is often central to meeting the serious injury threshold.
- Policy limits. The at-fault driver’s coverage and your SUM coverage set practical boundaries on what is collectible.
You cannot control every number, but you can control several: get treatment promptly, attend every appointment, describe your symptoms honestly, and keep records of how the injury affects your daily life.
Why Inwood Crashes Can Be Complicated
Inwood’s location makes some cases more complex than usual. A crash near the city line may involve NYPD rather than Nassau County Police. A collision on airport-adjacent roads may involve the Port Authority. Commercial trucks and rideshare vehicles add extra insurance layers. And flooding on low-lying streets can raise questions about road maintenance by the Town of Hempstead or Nassau County, with their own notice rules. Sorting out which numbers apply to which defendant is part of a lawyer’s job.
Keep This List Handy
Save this page or jot the key numbers in your phone: 30 days for no-fault, 10 days for the DMV report, 90 days for any claim against a public entity, and three years for most lawsuits. Those four dates protect your rights while you focus on healing.
Safety Notes for Inwood Drivers
Rockaway Turnpike’s shopping center exits are among the most common crash points in the Five Towns. Slow down near driveways, watch for cars nosing out between parked vehicles, and avoid left turns across multiple lanes at busy times when a safer route exists. Near the airport, expect sudden lane changes from drivers following GPS to terminals and cargo areas. In heavy rain, low-lying streets near the bay can flood quickly; never drive through standing water of unknown depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file for no-fault after an Inwood car accident?
Generally 30 days from the crash. File the NF-2 application promptly so medical bills and lost wages can be paid.
What does no-fault pay for lost wages?
Generally 80% of lost earnings up to $2,000 per month, for up to three years, within the basic $50,000 limit.
What if the driver who hit me has only $25,000 in coverage?
Your own SUM coverage may pay the difference up to your limit. Get your SUM insurer’s consent before settling with the at-fault driver.
Do I need to file a DMV report after a crash in Inwood?
If anyone was injured or property damage exceeded $1,000, each driver generally must file an MV-104 within 10 days.
How much does a car accident lawyer in Inwood NY cost?
Mushiyev Law works on contingency: no attorney fee unless we recover money for you, and a free consultation.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.