The law that applies to your claim
Rockland County Supreme Court
Civil injury claims for the county are heard in New City, along with Surrogate’s Court for estate matters. That is a different courthouse, a different clerk’s office and a different jury pool from Westchester, and it is a short drive from both of our Rockland offices.
Five towns, nineteen villages
Clarkstown, Orangetown, Ramapo, Haverstraw and Stony Point, with villages including Nyack, Spring Valley, Suffern, Piermont and Pearl River. As in Westchester, which entity maintains a given road or sidewalk determines who is responsible — and whether a 90-day notice of claim applies.
Transport of Rockland
The county bus system, along with municipal and school district fleets, means public-entity claims are common here. The 90-day rule is the one to check first.
The roads here
Route 59 is the county’s commercial spine, running from Suffern through Spring Valley and Nanuet to Nyack, with continuous retail entrances and heavy turning movements — and it produces a disproportionate share of collisions. The Palisades Interstate Parkway carries high-speed traffic through wooded terrain with limited lighting. The Thruway and the approaches to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge concentrate traffic at the county’s eastern edge. Route 9W and Route 303 carry the north-south local load.
Treatment locally
Montefiore Nyack Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern are the county’s main facilities, with serious trauma frequently transferred across the river to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
That cross-river transfer matters practically: it means records sit with custodians in two counties, and assembling them takes longer than families expect.
Our Rockland offices
Our Nyack office is on Main Street; our Nanuet office is on Old Turnpike Road. Both are minutes from the New City courthouse. Details and directions are on the Nyack and Nanuet pages.
How long you have to act
- Three years from the date of the accident for most negligence claims (CPLR §214).
- Two years for wrongful death (EPTL §5-4.1).
- 90 days to serve a notice of claim where a city, county, school district, transit authority or other public body is involved (General Municipal Law §50-e), with suit generally within one year and 90 days.
The 90-day rule is the one that quietly ends otherwise strong cases. If a public entity may be involved, that is the first thing to check — not the last.
What it costs
Nothing up front. These cases are handled on contingency: there is no fee unless we win, and the consultation is free. You will be told the percentage and how expenses are handled, in writing, before you sign anything.
Common questions
Where would my case be heard?
Rockland County Supreme Court in New City for a Rockland accident. If the collision happened across the bridge, venue may lie in Westchester instead.
My accident was on Route 59.
Route 59 is a state highway through several municipalities. Establishing which entity maintained the section involved matters, particularly where the road itself contributed.
I was hit by a TOR bus.
That is a public entity, so a 90-day notice of claim generally applies. It should be addressed immediately.
