Brooklyn Truck Accident Lawyer

Are you looking for a truck accident lawyer in Brooklyn?

At The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP, we have been trusted truck accident lawyers serving clients across Brooklyn for over 85 years.

If you were hit by a tractor-trailer, a delivery truck, or a city sanitation vehicle in Brooklyn, the company on the other side has likely already started protecting itself. Its insurer has adjusters, investigators, and defense counsel on call. You should have someone in your corner too. Our firm has represented injured New Yorkers since 1937, three generations of trial attorneys working in the borough where you were hurt. Our Brooklyn, NY truck accident lawyer has been relied on by families for decades, and we’ll start preserving evidence right away. The consultation is free.

Truck Accident Lawyer Brooklyn, NY

What does a truck accident attorney in Brooklyn, NY do that a general injury firm does not? We treat the truck as a business asset owned by a company that keeps records. That means demanding the driver’s logs, dispatch history, maintenance file, and onboard data before it can be overwritten, while naming every party who shares fault.

NYC DOT sensors counted a monthly average of 7,777 overweight trucks crossing the BQE’s triple cantilever in Downtown Brooklyn in the seven months before automated enforcement began. Heavier trucks stop slower and hit harder. When one of them causes a collision, both the injuries and the litigation look different from an ordinary car crash.

Types of Truck Accident Cases We Handle in Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s truck traffic ranges from 80,000-pound tractor-trailers on the Gowanus Expressway to box trucks squeezing down residential blocks in Bensonhurst. Each brings its own defendants and paper trail. These are the cases our Brooklyn truck accident attorneys handle most often.

• Tractor-trailer and semi-truck collisions. The heaviest vehicles on the BQE and the Gowanus cause the most severe injuries when they rear-end or sideswipe passenger cars. We pursue the driver, the motor carrier, and any company that loaded or dispatched the trailer.
• Delivery and box truck accidents. Package vans and box trucks make thousands of stops a day across the borough, often double-parked or pulling out without looking. A driver rushing a route is still an employee, and the company that set the route answers for him.
• Sanitation and city-owned truck crashes. Department of Sanitation trucks, street sweepers, and other municipal vehicles injure Brooklyn residents every year. These claims run against the city, which means shorter deadlines and additional procedural steps, so we move on them immediately.
• Private carting and garbage truck accidents. Commercial waste haulers run overnight routes at speed with drivers at the end of long shifts. We obtain route records and driver hours to show what the company knew about fatigue.
• Construction and dump truck collisions. With active work zones across Downtown Brooklyn, Gowanus, and Williamsburg, dump trucks and concrete mixers share narrow streets with pedestrians and cyclists. Contractors, site owners, and trucking companies can all be responsible.
• Blind spot and wide-turn crashes. A truck turning right onto Atlantic Avenue or Flatbush Avenue can crush a cyclist or a pedestrian in the crosswalk without the driver ever seeing them. Drivers are trained to account for those blind spots, and failing to do so is negligence.
• Jackknife, rollover, and lost-load accidents. Poorly secured cargo and hard braking on wet highway ramps cause trailers to swing or tip. These cases often turn on loading records and inspection reports rather than driver error.
• Fatal truck accidents. When a family loses someone to a truck crash, we bring the wrongful death claim on the estate’s behalf and account for the support that person would have provided.

Why Choose The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP as my Truck Accident Lawyer in Brooklyn, NY?

Results Against Trucking Companies and the City

Our firm has recovered more than $131 million for injured clients. Several of those results came from truck cases:

• $5,250,000 settlement for a man who suffered life-changing groin and leg injuries, scarring, and a fractured elbow after being hit by a negligently driven truck
• $1,850,000 settlement for a driver who sustained back injuries after being struck by a street sweeper
• $1,500,000 jury verdict for a man severely injured when a tractor-trailer hit his car
• $1,200,000 settlement for a woman dragged by a Department of Sanitation truck, whose leg injuries and scarring required surgery

Three Generations of Brooklyn Trial Lawyers

Paul J. Edelstein and Glenn K. Faegenburg handle our truck accident cases. Both earned their law degrees at Brooklyn Law School, Glenn in 1990 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. Glenn has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2018, and the firm is listed with Super Lawyers. Both belong to the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and Paul is also a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association.  Our personal injury lawyer in Brooklyn, NY has decades of trial work against insurers and knows what to do when a carrier refuses to make a fair offer.

What Is Important To Understand About Truck Accident Cases?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Truck Accident Cases

• Negligence. The driver or the company failed to use reasonable care, and that failure caused your injury. In truck cases the negligence often lives in company records: hiring, training, maintenance, scheduling.
• Company liability. A carrier answers for its driver’s mistakes on the job, and separately for its own decisions, such as sending a poorly maintained rig onto the BQE.
• Comparative fault. Under CPLR 1411, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. For motor vehicle cases filed after New York’s May 2026 reform, a claimant found more at fault than the defendants combined recovers nothing, so insurers now work hard to shift blame to you.
• No-fault benefits. Your no-fault coverage pays medical bills and a portion of lost wages, up to $50,000 in basic economic loss under Insurance Law 5102, regardless of who caused the crash.
• Pain and suffering. Recoverable from the at-fault party only if your injury meets the statutory definition of a serious injury: a fracture, significant disfigurement, a permanent or significant limitation, or death. The old 90/180-day category no longer applies to new cases, so the serious injury threshold is often the first fight.
• Economic damages. Medical costs beyond no-fault limits, lost earnings, reduced earning capacity, and future care.

Important Aspects of a Truck Accident Case

Trucking evidence disappears quickly. Onboard data gets overwritten, dashcam footage is deleted on a schedule, and drivers move on. A Brooklyn truck accident attorney earns the fee in the first month by locking that evidence down.

• Preservation demands sent to the carrier and its insurer within days
• Every responsible party identified: driver, carrier, trailer owner, shipper, maintenance contractor, and the city for municipal vehicles
• Engine control module, GPS, telematics, and camera data pulled before it cycles out
• In turning crashes the company will argue you were in the truck’s blind spot. We anticipate that defense and answer it with camera footage, witnesses, and reconstruction.

What Is The Truck Accident Case Timeline?

A truck case in Kings County typically runs one to three years, depending on your injuries and how hard the carrier fights.

• Weeks one through four: investigation, preservation demands, no-fault paperwork, and the start of treatment
• Months one through six: treatment continues while we build the liability case. Common mistakes in this stretch, like posting on social media or skipping appointments, cost money later
• Demand and negotiation once your doctors can describe your long-term recovery
• Lawsuit filed in Kings County Supreme Court if the carrier will not pay, followed by depositions and defense medical exams
• Mediation, settlement, or trial. Most cases resolve before a jury is picked, but we prepare each one as though it won’t

You have three years from the crash to file suit under CPLR 214. Claims against New York City run on a much shorter clock, and our truck accident attorneys in Brooklyn, NY have written about suing the city for exactly that reason.

What to Bring to Your Truck Accident Consultation

Bring what you have to your appointment with us. Missing items won’t stop the evaluation, as we can gather more information we need later on.

• The police accident report or its number, along with the trucking company’s name and any USDOT number you photographed on the cab door
• Photos and video of the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries
• Medical records, discharge instructions, and bills received so far
• Your auto insurance policy and any letters or calls from the trucking company’s insurer
• Names and contact information for witnesses

The consultation is free. We’ll tell you whether you have a case, which parties we would pursue, and what happens next.

Most Dangerous Locations for Truck Accidents in Brooklyn

Citywide, NYC DOT reported 140 freight-involved traffic deaths between 2020 and 2024, 11 percent of all traffic fatalities in that span. In Brooklyn, these crashes cluster along the designated truck routes and the local streets that feed them:

• The BQE (I-278) and its ramps at Atlantic Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, and Metropolitan Avenue
• The Gowanus Expressway and Third Avenue through Sunset Park, where Industry City and the waterfront warehouses draw constant freight
• Atlantic Avenue from Downtown Brooklyn to East New York
• Flatbush Avenue, Linden Boulevard, and Pennsylvania Avenue
• Flushing Avenue along the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Truck cases arising in the borough are filed in Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, at 360 Adams Street, the busiest civil term in New York State.

Reach Out to The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP to Schedule a Consultation

A truck case is often won in the first few weeks, before the carrier’s records get lost. Our consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we win. We’ll review the crash report, explain how liability and no-fault apply, and tell you whether we can help. Contact us online or by phone and a Brooklyn, NY truck accident lawyer will contact you to schedule a consultation.

Truck Accident Statistics in Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn carries more freight on local streets than any other borough. Close to 90 percent of the goods that reach New York City arrive by truck, according to NYC DOT freight data, and a city freight report counted 73,583 daily truck crossings into and out of Brooklyn.

The national picture explains why our Brooklyn truck accident lawyers treat these cases differently from a fender-bender on Ocean Parkway. When a loaded rig hits a passenger car, the person in the car takes the injury.

• In 2023, 5,472 people died in crashes involving large trucks nationwide, and 70 percent of them were occupants of other vehicles, per NHTSA crash data.
• The same NHTSA summary estimates 153,452 people were injured in large-truck crashes that year.
• Brooklyn recorded 63 traffic deaths in 2025, down from 69 the year before, according to a NYC DOT release. Fewer, but still more than one a week.
• Trucks make up 8 to 12 percent of traffic on city streets, per the city freight report, and freight tonnage is projected to grow 68 percent by 2045.

Numbers like these are why a truck accident attorney in Brooklyn, NY starts every case by asking who owned the truck, who loaded it, and who dispatched it.

What Are Common Types of Injuries in a Brooklyn Truck Accident Case?

A truck outweighs a sedan by a factor of 20 or more. The injuries reflect that difference. These are the ones our truck accident attorneys in Brooklyn see most often.

• Traumatic brain injuries. A head striking a window at 40 miles per hour can cause bleeding and swelling that don’t show up for hours. Concussions and diffuse axonal injuries are common in truck collisions, and a Brooklyn brain injury lawyer will tell you the hardest part is proving symptoms nobody can see on an X-ray.
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Rear-end impacts from a heavy truck compress the spine in ways a car crash rarely does. Partial or complete paralysis requires lifetime care, which is why the spinal cord injury claims we handle are built around future medical costs, not just past bills.
• Herniated discs and permanent back injuries. Not every back injury is catastrophic, but many are permanent. Insurers push hard on these because the 2026 changes to the serious injury threshold removed the old 90/180-day category, so documenting permanent back injuries with objective testing is now essential.
• Fractures and crush injuries. Pelvic and femur fractures and crushed hands or feet are frequent when a truck’s weight lands on a smaller vehicle. Surgery, hardware, and months of rehabilitation follow.
• Burns. Fuel tanks on tractor-trailers hold up to 300 gallons. When one ruptures, the resulting fire causes burn injuries that require grafting and leave scarring, which itself qualifies as a serious injury under New York law.
• Internal injuries. Organ damage and internal bleeding may not produce pain right away. Some of the signs an injury is serious appear a day or two later. Get a full medical evaluation even if you walked away from the scene.
• Psychological injuries. Post-traumatic stress and anxiety behind the wheel are real and compensable. Psychological trauma after a truck crash needs treatment and documentation the same as a physical injury.
• Fatal injuries. When a crash takes a life, the family’s claim moves to our Brooklyn wrongful death lawyer, who accounts for lost income, lost guidance, and funeral costs on the estate’s behalf.

Brooklyn Truck Accident Lawyer FAQs

How much does a truck accident lawyer in Brooklyn cost?

Nothing up front. We handle truck accident cases on a contingency fee, which means our fee is a percentage of what we recover and you pay no fee unless we win. Case expenses, such as reconstruction consultants and medical records, are advanced by the firm. The details of how you pay a lawyer are spelled out in a written retainer before we start.

What happens at the free consultation?

We listen first. Then we review the police report, ask about your treatment, and identify which parties may be responsible. What to expect is a candid assessment, not a sales pitch. If we don’t think we can help, we say so.

Should I speak with the trucking company’s insurance adjuster?

Not without counsel. The adjuster’s job is to limit what the carrier pays, and a recorded statement given in the first week is often used against you months later. Knowing what to do when an adjuster calls can protect the value of your claim.

Can a Brooklyn truck accident attorney settle my case without filing a lawsuit?

Sometimes. Whether you can negotiate a truck accident claim before suit depends on how clear liability is and how willing the carrier’s insurer is to pay full value. Many carriers only make a fair offer after a lawsuit is filed in Kings County.

The truck belonged to the Department of Sanitation. Does that change my case?

Yes, substantially. Claims against New York City require a notice of claim within 90 days, and the city can require you to sit for a 50-h hearing, which is sworn testimony taken before any lawsuit is filed. Our truck accident lawyers in Brooklyn, NY handle municipal claims regularly and calendar these deadlines the day we’re retained.

The company says I was in the truck’s blind spot. Does that end my claim?

No. A commercial driver is trained to account for blind spots before turning or changing lanes. Failing to do so is negligence, not a defense. The question of truck blind spots and liability usually turns on camera footage, witness accounts, and the driver’s own training records.

Will I have to give a deposition?

If a lawsuit is filed, probably. A deposition is sworn testimony taken in a conference room, not a courtroom. We prepare you beforehand and sit beside you the entire time.

What is a defense medical exam?

The carrier’s insurer will send you to a doctor it selects and pays. These independent medical examinations are anything but independent. We tell clients what to expect and what to write down afterward.

How much is my Brooklyn, NY truck accident case worth?

It depends on the severity and permanence of your injuries, your medical costs, lost earnings, and the insurance available. Carriers typically hold far larger policies than private drivers. We won’t quote a number at the first meeting, but we can explain what affects case value once your doctors can describe your recovery.

Who pays my medical bills while the case is pending?

Your own no-fault coverage pays first, regardless of fault, up to the policy limit. After that, health insurance, Medicaid, or a treating provider’s lien may cover care. Working out how to pay medical bills before settlement is part of what a truck accident attorney in Brooklyn does for you.

Important Resources for Brooklyn Truck Accident Cases

What Are Important New York Legal Resources for Truck Accident Cases?

The statutes below cover the deadlines, fault rules, and damages that govern a Brooklyn truck accident claim. They are a starting point, not a substitute for advice.

• CPLR Article 14-A: sets out New York’s comparative fault rules, including the 2026 amendment that bars recovery in motor vehicle injury cases when the claimant’s fault exceeds the defendants’ combined fault.
• EPTL 5-4.1: gives a decedent’s personal representative two years from the date of death to bring a wrongful death action.
• General Municipal Law 50-e: requires a notice of claim within 90 days for claims against New York City and its agencies.

Important Local Resources for Brooklyn Truck Accident

After a truck crash in Brooklyn, NY, these agencies and hospitals handle the police report, emergency care, and safety complaints that become part of the case file.

• NYPD 72nd Precinct: 830 4th Avenue, (718) 965-6311. Covers Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace, including the Gowanus Expressway corridor, and holds collision reports for 30 days.
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County: 451 Clarkson Avenue, (718) 245-3131. Adult Level 1 trauma center serving central and eastern Brooklyn.
• NYU Langone Hospital, Brooklyn: 150 55th Street, (718) 630-7000. Level 1 trauma center in Sunset Park that treats a high volume of motor vehicle injuries.
• FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database: 1-888-368-7238. Federal portal for reporting unsafe commercial carriers and drivers.

The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP does not endorse and is not affiliated with any of the organizations listed above. They are provided for informational purposes only.

About The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP

Three partners run this firm, and two of them try our truck cases. Paul J. Edelstein came to Brooklyn Law School from the State University of New York at Albany, belongs to the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, and volunteered with Trial Lawyers Care on the 9/11 Project.

Glenn K. Faegenburg is a member of Eight Figure Litigators, a group limited to attorneys who have secured verdicts or settlements above $10 million. Arthur Blyakher, the firm’s third partner, spent 13 years working in the personal injury field before earning his law degree at Brooklyn Law School in 2016. Among our results is a $7,208,000 recovery for the family of a worker killed by a company truck.

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“Paul Edelstein and Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Blyakher LLP are exceptional. Paul is incredibly knowledgeable, responsive, and truly cares about his clients. He explained everything clearly, was always available to answer questions, and handled my case with professionalism and precision from start to finish. The entire team was organized, supportive, and committed to achieving the best possible outcome. Working with Paul made a stressful situation feel manageable and gave me complete confidence that my case was in the right hands. I highly recommend Paul Edelstein and this firm to anyone looking for outstanding legal representation.” – Jeffrey Frank

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Additional Resources for Brooklyn Truck Accident Cases

• Who’s Liable for a Truck Accident?
• How Long Do You Have to Retain an Attorney After a Truck Accident?
• 5 Questions for Your Truck Accident Consultation
• Medical Records That Win Truck Cases

Contact The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Blyakher LLP

If a commercial truck injured you or a family member, speak with a Brooklyn truck accident lawyer who has spent decades holding carriers and the city accountable. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we win. We’ll review the crash report, explain how no-fault and the serious injury threshold apply to your situation, and tell you what parties we would pursue. Our office is on 36th Street in Sunset Park. Contact us online or by phone to schedule your consultation.