Auto Accident · Upper West Side

Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer on the Upper West Side

The Upper West Side combines dense residential and pedestrian activity — schools, museums, Central Park access — with major north-south corridors that carry constant traffic. Broadway, Amsterdam, Columbus, and West End Avenue each have their own accident patterns. 96th Street and 79th Street are the most-crashed cross-town streets. The West Side Highway entrances at 79th and 96th create chronic merging conflicts.

Amparo Law Firm represents Upper West Side residents injured in motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian strikes, and cyclist collisions.
  • Broadway. Major commercial corridor with high pedestrian density. Crashes concentrate at the major cross-streets — 72nd, 79th, 86th, 96th.
  • Amsterdam Avenue — high-speed north-south corridor.
  • Columbus Avenue — corridor with school zones and pedestrian density.
  • West End Avenue — relatively calmer residential corridor with periodic incidents.
  • 96th Street — major cross-town and West Side Highway access — high-speed corridor with pedestrian conflicts.
  • 79th Street — major cross-town with West Side Highway access.
  • The West Side Highway / Henry Hudson Parkway entrances at 79th and 96th — high-speed merging.
  • Central Park West — corridor along the park, with pedestrian and cyclist conflicts at intersections.

PIP coverage. 30-day filing deadline. Pain and suffering requires meeting the serious injury threshold.

Call 911. Photograph the scene. Get the police report. Get medical care. File the PIP application within 30 days. Don’t give a recorded statement. Call us.

Federal-court-trained advocacy from a 40 Wall Street office. Direct attorney access. Bilingual representation. Free consultation, no fee unless we recover.

Frequently asked questions.

New York is a "no-fault" state. What does that actually mean for my injury case?

New York’s No-Fault Law (Insurance Law §5103) means your own auto insurance pays your initial medical bills and lost wages up to $50,000, regardless of who caused the crash. To sue the at-fault driver for pain-and-suffering damages, your injury must meet the “serious injury” threshold in Insurance Law §5102(d) — one of nine categories: death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement, fracture, loss of a fetus, permanent loss of use of a body organ or system, permanent consequential limitation, significant limitation, or a medically determined injury that prevents normal daily activities for at least 90 of the 180 days following the crash.

The No-Fault statute requires you to file an application (NF-2) with your own insurer within 30 days of the accident (Ins. Law §5103). Missing it can mean losing access to no-fault medical benefits — but not your tort case. Contact a lawyer immediately; some exceptions and equitable arguments may preserve benefits.

Yes, through two pathways. Your own policy’s Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage stands in the shoes of the missing insurance. If you don’t have UM (or were a pedestrian), MVAIC — the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation — covers serious injuries from uninsured drivers, hit-and-runs, and stolen-vehicle crashes. MVAIC requires a Notice of Intention within 90 days of the accident.

When a rideshare app trip is active (driver is en route or you’re in the car), the rideshare company’s commercial policy provides up to $1.25 million in liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in New York. This stacks on top of the driver’s personal policy. The trip status at the moment of the crash determines which layer applies — preserve trip-record evidence early.

Three years from the date of the accident for personal injury (CPLR §214(5)). If the at-fault vehicle is a municipal vehicle — MTA bus, NYCHA shuttle, sanitation truck, police car — you must file a Notice of Claim within 90 days under GML §50-e and then a Summons & Complaint within one year and 90 days. The municipal deadline is unforgiving; act quickly.

Photos of vehicle damage, the scene, and any visible injuries. The other driver’s license, registration, and insurance card. Witness names and phone numbers. The police report number and the responding officer’s name. If you went to the hospital, every discharge paperwork. If a rideshare or commercial vehicle was involved, screenshot your trip record or the company name on the vehicle. Don’t post about the crash on social media until you’ve talked to a lawyer.

Service Area
High-Incident Intersections
Broadway & W 72nd St
1/2/3 hub
Amsterdam & W 72nd
Commercial corridor
Columbus Ave & W 86th
Pedestrian density
West End & W 72nd
Henry Hudson access
Broadway & W 96th
1/2/3 hub

If you were injured in a the Upper West Side accident, call us today.

Free case evaluation. No fee unless we recover for you.