The law that applies to your claim
Where these collisions happen here
The I-287 Cross Westchester Expressway interchanges, where merging traffic backs up at Exit 6 and Exit 8. The Bronx River Parkway, with its short sight lines, tight curves and 1930s-era ramp geometry. Central Park Avenue and its continuous retail curb cuts. Mamaroneck Avenue and the downtown one-way grid. And Tarrytown Road where it feeds the hospital and the highway.
Where your case would be heard
Westchester County Supreme Court, at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in White Plains — a few minutes from our office. Knowing the county’s motion practice, its jury pool and how particular parts are run is not a marketing point; it changes how a case is prepared and when it settles.
The law that governs it
No-fault, the serious injury threshold and the deadlines are the same across the state. Rather than repeat them here, they are set out on our New York car accident page.
What is different about a White Plains crash
This is a small city carrying a large city’s traffic. It is the county seat, so the courts, county offices and a substantial commuter population all converge on a compact downtown. Add a regional shopping destination and the corporate campuses along Westchester Avenue, and weekday volume is far heavier than the residential population suggests.
Practically, that means more low-speed intersection impacts downtown, more high-speed parkway and expressway collisions at the edges, and a lot of drivers unfamiliar with the one-way pattern.
Treatment, and why it matters to the claim
Most people are taken to White Plains Hospital on Davis Avenue, or to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla for major trauma. Rehabilitation frequently runs through Burke in White Plains.
Those records become the spine of the claim. A gap between the crash and the first visit, or treatment that stops and restarts, is the first thing an insurer points to — not because it proves anything, but because it is easy to argue.
Buses and county vehicles change the deadline
Westchester’s Bee-Line buses run throughout White Plains, and county and municipal vehicles are common downtown. If one was involved, a notice of claim is generally required within 90 days rather than the usual three years. That single fact reorders everything, so it is the first thing we establish.
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
Do I have to come to your office?
No. We are on Old Tarrytown Road and glad to see you, but we can take everything by phone and come to you if you are not able to travel.
My accident was in White Plains but I live elsewhere.
That is common in a county seat. Where the collision happened generally supports venue in Westchester, and living in another county does not prevent the claim.
The other driver was from out of state.
It does not prevent a New York claim. Driving here submits a driver to New York jurisdiction for a collision that happens here.
