A Brief Summary of Practice Areas
Car Accidents
Every New Yorker knows that auto accidents are a sad fact of life in this busy city. But until you or a loved one has actually been involved in an accident, it is impossible to realize how physically and financially damaging such events truly are. For forty years, the Law Firm of Steven Smedresman has represented injured New Yorkers with their crucially important auto accident cases.
We will be there every step of the way to help. We will initiate a prompt investigation of your case to obtain witness statements and other evidence vital to the case; we will make sure your medical claims are filed with the correct insurance company and that your bills are paid; we will make sure that all possible sources of insurance coverage are looked into and that claims are all put in on a timely basis; we will help you find the right doctor for your case if you don't have one already, and we will collect all the medical reports to put forth the strongest possible case.
Even if your case involves a hit-and-run accident or an uninsured car, we can still get you money for your claim. If you've been involved in a hit-and-run accident, it is crucial that you contact me immediately, as filing deadlines must be strictly adhered to!
Pedestrian & Bicyclist Knockdown & Hit and Run Accidents
We all know that New York is a town where you're expected to hurry up or get out of the way. Unfortunately, that way of life all too often leads to pedestrians and bicyclists getting hit or knocked down by cars, trucks, and buses. For forty years, the Law Firm of Steven Smedresman has helped injured New Yorkers with their pedestrian or bicyclist knockdown cases.
Pedestrian knockdown or bicyclist knockdown accidents are often the results of simple carelessness: The usual reasons are carelessness (for example, drivers not watching the road ahead or being distracted by cell phone calls) or other reasons (alcohol involvement, rushing for work, inexperience). Most auto accidents involve some combination of speed and inattention.
Injuries from auto accidents are often very severe, physically and psychologically. Neck, head, and back injuries often result, and in more severe cases, there can be nerve damage, broken or dislocated bones, paralysis, loss of limbs, and even death. Being unable to work even for a brief period, and surely for lengthy periods, causes serious financial difficulties.
We will be there every step of the way to help. We'll initiate a prompt investigation, obtain witness statements and other evidence to prove the case; we'll make sure your medical claims are filed with the correct insurance company and that your medical bills are paid; we'll make sure that all possible sources of insurance coverage are looked into and that claims are all put in on a timely basis; we'll help you find the right doctor for your case if you don't have one already, and we'll collect all the medical reports to put forth the strongest possible case. Even if your case involves a hit-and-run accident or an uninsured car, we can still get you money for your claim if you act quickly and contact us.
Many people are often hesitant to bring a claim because they feel that, in some way, they might have been at fault or contributed to the accident. Even if that's you, you should call it: New York State law provides that fault is allocated between the parties in common sense, the comparative manner by allocating fault between the parties. My job is to fight for you and put the strongest case possible before the Court. Your job is simple: To get better.
Construction Worker Accidents (Labor Law)
Some jobs are simply more dangerous than others jobs. If you are a construction worker or if you have a family member who is a construction worker, you know that working at a construction site exposes workers to acutely dangerous accidents. Falling from a height; being exposed to falling objects; being hit by construction equipment; crush injuries; injuries resulting from falling into ditches or trenches; and electrocution are just some of the great dangers construction workers face every day on the job.
The first step in protecting your rights is to ensure that your worker's compensation claim is set up. Worker's compensation laws provide you with coverage for most of your medical expenses and some of your lost wages. You are automatically entitled to these benefits regardless of your own fault in the accident. The worker's compensation laws provide you with a source of automatic payments that start almost immediately. But the worker's compensation laws also prevent you from suing your employer or co-workers.
To get full justice if you've been hurt in a construction accident, you will need an attorney experienced in suing other parties (so-called "third parties") who might be legally responsible for your accident. New York's pro-worker Labor Laws squarely place legal responsibility for a safe place to work on a landowner, general contractor, and other parties.
Bringing a lawsuit against the building owner, general contractor, or others requires professional legal representation. Construction worker cases, also known as Labor Law cases, involve an ever-changing and subtle area of law where having the right attorney can mean the difference between winning in court and having your case dismissed.
False Arrest and Civil Rights Violations
The United States Constitution guarantees each and every citizen freedom from abuses of State power and State and City police powers. If you have been falsely arrested and spent time in jail for a crime you did not commit, or if you have been the victim of police brutality or beating, you may be entitled to monetary damages. For forty years, the Law Firm of Steven Smedresman has vigorously represented injured New Yorkers with their civil rights violations cases.
Examples of civil rights violations are false arrest and/or wrongful imprisonment; wrongful conviction; police brutality and excessive force; false arrest based on racial profiling; and prosecutorial misconduct
For anyone who has ever been the victim of abuse of state power, you know
Well, how deep an injustice such an event is and how crucial it is to go to Court to correct that great injustice.
Medical Malpractice
The consequences of medical malpractice can be devastating and tragic for the patient and family. Cases involving babies born with Cerebral Palsy (caused by a lack of oxygen to a baby's brain during childbirth), Erb's palsy (caused by having excessive force placed on a baby during a difficult birth causing damage to the child's brachial plexus); and cases involving a failure to diagnose certain cancers on a timely basis, are examples of medical malpractice cases.
Medical malpractice cases are the most difficult of all personal injury cases to bring to a successful conclusion. It's not enough to show that a mistake has occurred. To bring a successful case, you must show that the error or mistake was so egregious that a jury could conclude the healthcare professional departed or deviated from all accepted standards of medical care.
It goes without saying that the victims of malpractice and their families need to be certain that they are entrusting their case to an attorney with a long and successful history of handling these types of claims.
Wrongful Death
There is no tragedy more devastating for a family than the loss of a loved one. When that loss is caused by accident, it is even more incomprehensible. For forty years, the Law Firm of Steven Smedresman has compassionately represented New Yorkers with their vitally important wrongful death claims.
When someone dies as a result of an accident, the family he or she leaves behind has the right to bring a claim in court. Wrongful death claims may include claims for loss of financial support, based on the loss of all the wages the family member would have earned and contributed to the household; loss of pension, retirement, or inheritance benefits; expenses associated with the death, including the funeral and medical expenses; the pain and suffering the family member endured before their death; and loss of guidance, companionship, and future care.
Wrongful death cases arise in car accident cases, due to falls and injuries at construction sites, due to defective and dangerous products, or as a consequence of medical malpractice.
We will be there every step of the way to help. We will initiate a prompt investigation, obtain witness statements and other evidence to prove the case; we will make sure your medical claims are filed with the correct insurance company and that your bills are paid, and we will make sure that all possible sources of insurance coverage are looked into and that claims are all put in on a timely basis.
Premises Liability
Every property owner has a legal responsibility to protect tenants, pedestrians, friends, or workers by keeping their property in a safe condition. This legal duty extends to owners of single-family homes, co-op owners, condo owners, owners of apartment buildings, or the City of New York, which owns the streets, sidewalks, and many other properties.
A raised slab of concrete, a sloped step, an unlit hallway, an icy sidewalk, or a wet floor can all cause serious accidents. For almost forty years, the Law Firm of Steven Smedresman has professionally represented injured New Yorkers with their premises liability claims.
We will be there every step of the way to help. We'll initiate a prompt investigation, which means we'll get to the scene immediately to photograph the condition that caused your accident. Never has the expression "a picture is worth 1,000 words" been more true than in the context of cases involving dangerous streets, sidewalks, or property conditions that are subject to rapid change or repair or icy conditions that, by their nature, change quickly.
We'll obtain witness statements and other evidence to prove the case; we'll make sure your medical claims are filed with the correct insurance company; we'll help you find the right doctor for your case if you don't have one already, and we'll collect all the medical reports to put forth the strongest possible case.
Other Types of Accidents
New York is a place where accidents and other unforeseen incidents can and often do happen. In addition to the types of accidents more fully described in the practice areas section of this site, below is a list of other types of cases handled by Steven Smedresman: