Frequently Asked Questions

The first consultation is free. You pay nothing to speak with us. Tell us what happened, and learn where you stand. The firm handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That means no money upfront and no hourly bills. The attorney's fee is a percentage of the compensation recovered for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney's fee. This structure exists for a reason. When you are injured, out of work, and facing medical bills, you should not have to pay out of pocket to hold a negligent party accountable.

The firm carries that risk with you. Case costs, such as court fees, medical records, investigators, and experts, are handled one of two ways, and you choose in your retainer agreement. We can advance the case costs as the matter moves forward, so you are not asked to fund the investigation, records, or experts while you recover. Under that option, you never repay the costs if there is no recovery; if there is a recovery, the costs are repaid from it, and the fee is figured on the full recovery before costs are deducted.

Or you can remain responsible for the costs, win or lose, and the fee is figured on the recovery after the costs are deducted. Your retainer agreement explains both options before you sign. The experienced personal injury attorney at The Eskesen Law Firm is dedicated to protecting your rights every step of the way. We fight tirelessly to pursue the full compensation you deserve so you can focus entirely on your physical and financial recovery.

Let our team carry the legal burden so you can move forward with confidence and peace of mind.

The short answer is this. Do what you can, when you are able, and never let anything come before your health and safety. There is no perfect checklist, because every situation is different. A person who can walk away from an incident has options that a person taken away in an ambulance does not. In 2025, traffic crashes in New York City injured 48,903 people and killed 209, according to the NYC Department of Transportation.

Here is what helps a case when it is possible to do it: Get medical attention as soon as practicable. This matters most. Some serious injuries do not show symptoms right away, and a delay in treatment can be used against you later. If you need care, get it, and do not worry about anything else first. Document the scene if you safely can. Photographs of the hazard, the vehicles, your injuries, and the surrounding area can be powerful evidence.

Scenes change fast. A spill gets cleaned, a car gets towed, a broken step gets repaired. If you are hurt and cannot stay, that is fine. Your health comes first. If a friend, family member, or bystander can take photos for you, that may be an alternative to you doing so yourself. Get the details while they are available. The names and numbers of any witnesses, the other driver's insurance and contact information, and a police or incident report all help.

Be careful what you say. Do not admit fault or guess about what happened, and do not give a recorded statement to the other side's insurance company before speaking with a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to minimize your claim. Call a dedicated car accident attorney or personal injury attorney as soon as you reasonably can. Evidence disappears, security cameras record over footage, and New York sets firm filing deadlines.

If you were unable to document the scene yourself, an attorney can move quickly to preserve evidence before it is gone. The sooner the firm gets involved, the more it can protect your rights.

There is no flat answer, because every case turns on its own facts. The value depends on how serious your injuries are, how they affect your ability to work and live, the medical treatment you need now and in the future, and the strength of the evidence showing another party was at fault. In New York, compensation can include past and future medical expenses, lost wages and lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering.

New York also follows a comparative negligence rule, so a share of fault assigned to you can reduce your recovery. There is an important exception for motor vehicle cases: in a lawsuit started on or after May 26, 2026, you may recover nothing if you are found more at fault than the people you sue. There is also a practical side that a dedicated personal injury law firm looks at from the start. The value of an injury is one thing.

The ability to actually collect is another. Recovery often comes through insurance, and the available coverage can affect what is realistically collectible. This does not lower the worth of what you went through. It simply means part of the job is finding every source of recovery. That can include more than one insurance policy, more than one responsible party, and coverage you may not know you have. The firm pursues all available avenues of recovery so that nothing is left on the table.

Attorney Frank Eskesen has over 25 years of experience valuing and litigating serious injury claims and has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case. The honest way to learn what your claim may be worth is a free consultation, where Frank can review the specifics with you and map out the best path to recovery.

The firm focuses exclusively on personal injury on the injured person's side. That includes car accidents, taxi and Uber and Lyft accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian knockdown cases, premises liability such as slip and fall and trip and fall, and construction site accidents. The firm brings experienced, specialized insight to every vehicle collision claim. Frank Eskesen is a Brooklyn Law School graduate with more than 25 years of litigation experience and is admitted in the New York state courts and in the U.S.

District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. The firm serves clients throughout New York City, including Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens, Manhattan (New York County), the Bronx, and Staten Island (Richmond County). We speak English, Spanish and Portuguese. Calls are answered live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unlike larger firms where a client may never meet any lawyer, Frank personally oversees every case and meets with clients directly.

Any lawyer can resolve a serious case fast. But the honest question is not how fast, but how well. A serious claim can be settled quickly for a fraction of its worth. That is easy, and it is not how this firm works. Whether you need a dedicated slip and fall attorney or representation for another serious injury, getting the full value of your case takes time, and it is worth the wait. Here is the reality. Most cases settle before trial, but a fair settlement is earned through preparation, not speed.

First comes discovery, where both sides exchange evidence and take testimony. That stage alone can take a year or more in a serious case. After discovery, the case goes onto the court's trial calendar, and the sad reality is that most New York City courtrooms are overwhelmed. Waiting for several months just for motions to be decided is not uncommon. Waiting more than a year for the first trial conference once discovery is complete is the norm.

When the defendant is the City of New York or a public entity, the wait can be longer still, because those court parts carry heavy caseloads. None of this means your case is stalled. It means the system is crowded, and a good lawyer plans for it from day one. The firm treats that timeline as part of the strategy. The Eskesen Law Firm prepares cases as if they will be tried, whether or not it ever reaches a jury. That preparation is what commands the strongest recovery.

Insurance companies know which lawyers are ready to try a case and which are looking for a quick, cheap exit. When the other side sees that the firm is built to go the distance, they pay closer to what your case is truly worth. In short, the goal is not the fastest check. The goal is the fullest recovery, done the right way. Frank will keep you informed at every step and will always be straight with you about where your case stands.