Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer

Brooklyn personal injury lawyers at Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP, represent residents injured in car accidents, falls, construction incidents, and medical errors that happen within Kings County, including claims that go before the Brooklyn Supreme Court at 360 Adams Street.

Our firm’s Brooklyn office sits at 9322 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, and our attorneys have represented injured residents across the borough for more than 30 years combined.

Call (718) 843-0300 for a free case review if an accident in Brooklyn left you injured.

Why a Former Brooklyn Prosecutor Now Represents Injured Clients

James Galleshaw built his early career as a Senior Trial Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, trying felony and misdemeanor cases in Brooklyn Supreme Court before moving into insurance defense litigation and then plaintiff’s personal injury work.

That path gave him a view of how Brooklyn juries, judges, and courtroom procedure actually work, from both sides of the courtroom.

Keith Sullivan spent years at Wilson Elser defending insurance companies against the same categories of claims this firm now brings on behalf of injured clients.

Together, the firm’s attorneys hold a 10/10 Superb rating on Avvo, membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and recognition from Super Lawyers.

What This Background Changes About How a Case Gets Handled

A Brooklyn case benefits from this combined experience in a few specific ways:

• Knowing which Kings County Supreme Court parts move quickly and which judges push early settlement conferences.
• Reading an insurance denial the way the insurer’s own defense attorneys would read it internally.
• Preparing every case as though it will reach a Brooklyn jury, since insurers price offers differently for firms with a real trial record.
• Recognizing which claims involve a city agency, since those carry a much shorter filing deadline than a standard injury claim.

None of this replaces strong medical evidence or a clear liability picture.

What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do We Handle in Brooklyn?

Brooklyn’s density, older housing stock, and constant construction activity produce a wide range of injury claims, each with different evidence and deadline questions.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Belt Parkway carry heavy, often stop-and-go traffic that produces frequent rear-end and multi-vehicle collisions. Local corridors like Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue add pedestrian and cyclist risk on top of standard vehicle traffic.

Premises Liability and Slip and Falls

Brooklyn’s brownstone stoops, older sidewalks, and mixed commercial-residential buildings create a steady stream of trip-and-fall claims tied to cracked steps, poor lighting, and inadequate snow removal. Property owners owe a legal duty to keep these spaces safe regardless of a building’s age.

Construction Accidents

Downtown Brooklyn and the waterfront near DUMBO and Williamsburg have seen sustained development activity, and construction sites remain one of the more common sources of serious injury in the borough.

A third-party claim under New York’s Labor Law, including the Scaffold Law, often runs alongside a separate workers’ compensation claim.

Medical Malpractice

Surgical errors, delayed diagnoses, and medication mistakes at Brooklyn hospitals and clinics fall under a shorter filing deadline than most other personal injury claims.

Transit and MTA Accidents

Brooklyn carries more subway lines than any other borough, and injuries on platforms or MTA buses require a Notice of Claim filed within 90 days, far sooner than the standard personal injury deadline.

What Compensation Can You Recover in a Brooklyn Personal Injury Case?

New York law recognizes two categories of compensation, and the available amount depends on injury severity and the insurance coverage involved.

Our firm’s most recent notable result includes a $3,400,000 settlement for a sanitation worker who fell over a pothole and required knee, wrist, and elbow surgery, illustrating how both categories combine in a serious injury case.

What If You Were Injured on NYCHA Property in Brooklyn?

An injury on New York City Housing Authority property follows a different procedural track than a claim against a private landlord.

NYCHA operates a large share of Brooklyn’s housing stock, including developments in Red Hook, Brownsville, and East New York, and the law treats NYCHA as a government entity rather than a private property owner.

That distinction matters because claims against NYCHA fall under General Municipal Law § 50-e, the same notice requirement that applies to claims against the city itself. A Notice of Claim must be served on NYCHA within 90 days of the accident, well before the standard three-year window most premises liability claims would otherwise allow.

NYCHA cases also tend to turn on documentation the agency is required to keep, including the following:

• Prior complaints or work orders submitted for the same hazard, such as a broken stair rail or inadequate lighting.
• Maintenance and repair logs showing how long a dangerous condition existed before the accident.
• Internal inspection records for the building or common area involved.

A hazard that NYCHA knew about and failed to repair carries more weight in a claim than one that appeared unexpectedly. Missing the 90-day notice deadline ends a NYCHA claim regardless of how clear the negligence was, which makes early legal contact especially important in these cases.

What Happens in a Brooklyn Wrongful Death Claim?

A wrongful death claim in New York can only be filed by the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate, not by family members individually. EPTL § 5-4.1 requires this representative to hold Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by Surrogate’s Court before a lawsuit can move forward.

The deadline is two years from the date of death, which runs independently of the underlying injury claim’s deadline. If a government entity, such as NYCHA or a city hospital, may be responsible, a separate Notice of Claim is due within 90 days of the representative’s appointment, not the date of death itself.

New York limits wrongful death damages to pecuniary loss, meaning the measurable financial impact of the death on survivors. Recoverable categories typically include the following:

• Lost financial support the deceased would have provided to their spouse or children.
• Funeral and burial expenses.
• Loss of services, guidance, or parental nurture for surviving minor children.
• Medical expenses incurred between the injury and the death.

Grief and loss of companionship are not compensable under current New York law, despite repeated legislative attempts to change this through the Grieving Families Act. Any settlement in a Brooklyn wrongful death case also requires approval from Surrogate’s Court before funds reach the family, which adds a step private settlements do not typically involve.

How Does Fault Affect a Brooklyn Personal Injury Claim?

New York follows pure comparative negligence, meaning a person can recover damages even if partly at fault, with the award reduced by their percentage of fault. A pedestrian found 15% at fault who wins a $200,000 award still recovers $170,000 under this rule.

Motor vehicle cases carry an exception since New York’s 2026 tort reforms took effect. A driver found more than 50% at fault in a car accident case is now barred from recovering non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, under the amended rule.

This exception applies specifically to motor vehicle claims and does not change the comparative negligence rule for slip and falls, premises liability, or medical malpractice claims.

How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Brooklyn?

Filing deadlines vary depending on who caused the injury and what type of claim is involved.

Missing the 90-day Notice of Claim deadline against a city agency or the MTA bars the claim entirely, regardless of injury severity. Confirming early whether a government entity was involved is one of the most useful first steps after any Brooklyn accident.

What Should You Do After an Accident in Brooklyn?

The steps taken in the first days after an accident shape how strong the claim looks later.

• Get medical treatment the same day, even if injuries seem minor at first.
• Photograph the scene, vehicle damage, or hazard before conditions change.
• Identify whether a government entity, such as the MTA or NYC Parks, was involved.
• Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurer before speaking with an attorney.
• Bring medical records, photos, and any incident report to a free consultation.

Acting early preserves evidence that insurers and property owners are not required to keep indefinitely.

Which Brooklyn Neighborhoods Do We Serve?

Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP represents clients across the borough, not just near its Bay Ridge office.

• Bay Ridge and Sunset Park, home to the firm’s Brooklyn office and a mix of commercial corridors and residential blocks.
• Park Slope and Prospect Heights, where pedestrian and cyclist injuries near Prospect Park are common.
• Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO, where construction activity and dense foot traffic overlap.
• Flatbush and Flatlands, with a high volume of bus-and subway-related transit claims.

Case type and evidence needs shift depending on the neighborhood, but the filing deadlines and legal standards described above apply the same way across all of Kings County.

Ask Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP

Q: Is there a personal injury lawyer near me in Brooklyn?e accident, far shorter than the standard three-year deadline for most injury claims.

Q: What if my accident happened at a construction site in Downtown Brooklyn?
A: Construction injuries involve both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate third-party claim under New York’s Labor Law, depending on who controlled the site and what caused the injury.

Q: How much does hiring a personal injury lawyer cost upfront?

A: Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP’s Brooklyn office is located at 9322 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, and the firm offers free consultations by phone or in person for residents across Kings County.

Q: Do I have a case if the accident happened on a Brooklyn subway platform?
A: Claims against the MTA require a Notice of Claim filed within 90 days of th

A: Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP works on contingency for personal injury cases, meaning no upfront fee and no payment unless the case results in a settlement or verdict.

FAQ for Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer

Does it cost anything to talk to a lawyer about my case?
No, the initial consultation is free, and personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis with no fee unless the case results in a recovery.

Can I still recover compensation if I was partly at fault?
Yes, for most injury claims, since New York follows pure comparative negligence, though motor vehicle cases now carry a 50% fault bar on non-economic damages under the 2026 reform.

Will my case go to trial?
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, though preparing every case as though it will reach a jury tends to result in stronger settlement offers from insurers.

How much is my case worth?
No honest attorney can give an exact figure on a first call, since case value depends on injury severity, available insurance coverage, and the strength of the liability evidence.

What if my accident happened outside Brooklyn but I live here?
Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP, also maintains offices in Manhattan and Queens, so a case can generally be handled by the same firm regardless of which borough the accident occurred in.

Talk to a Brooklyn Personal Injury Lawyer Before the Deadline Starts Working Against You

Surveillance footage from a Brooklyn intersection or a construction site often gets overwritten within weeks, and witnesses become harder to locate the longer a claim waits.

The deadline that applies to your case, whether three years or 90 days, starts running the day the injury happened, not the day you decide to call a lawyer.

Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP, represents injured clients from its Bay Ridge office at 9322 3rd Avenue. Call (718) 843-0300 for a free case review before evidence and testimony become harder to gather.