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Understanding MVAIC – For Victims Of Motor Vehicle Accidents With No Access To No-Fault or Bodily Injury Coverage

MVAIC (MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT INDEMNIFICATION CORPORATION)

No-Fault and Bodily Injury coverage are many times sufficient means of compensation for medical bills and lost wages following an injurious motor vehicle accident. But there are some instances in which these means of coverage are not available to individuals. If you’re injured in an accident and have absolutely no access to No-Fault or Bodily Injury coverage to help pay for your medical expenses and/or lost wages, you may be eligible to receive this coverage through a non-profit organization called the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC).

MVAIC offers No-Fault and Bodily Injury coverage for individuals who are injured in a motor vehicle accident but do not have any accessible insurance to help cover their losses.

A few scenarios in which you may require MVAIC to act as your No-Fault/Bodily Injury coverage:

  • You are a pedestrian and are hit by a car that is uninsured
  • You are a pedestrian and are hit by a car that leaves the scene of the accident
  • You are an operator of a motorcycle or bicycle and you are in an accident with a car that is uninsured
  • You are an operator of a motorcycle or bicycle and you are in an accident with a car that leaves the scene of the accident
  • You are the passenger in a vehicle which is uninsured (*not to your knowledge) and are in an injurious accident with another motor vehicle that is uninsured

To be eligible for MVAIC compensation, you must meet the following requirements:

  • You were involved in a motor vehicle accident in the state of New York
  • You were a New York resident when your motor vehicle accident occurred. There are some special circumstances in which non-residents of New York are eligible for MVAIC benefits – if you are a non-resident of New York and have questions about your eligibility, you can call them at (646) 205-7800 or email them at HelpDesk@mvaic.com.
  • No other automobile insurance is available to you. Note: if a household member owns an insured motor vehicle, you will have to file a claim to see if they will cover your losses before filing a claim with MVAIC.
  • You weren’t the owner of the uninsured vehicle involved in the accident.
  • You weren’t the spouse of the owner of the uninsured vehicle involved in the accident, and were a passenger in that vehicle.

There are also timeframes you must meet to be eligible to MVAIC coverage:

  • You must report your motor vehicle accident to the police within 24 hours of the incident.
  • You must submit a Notice of Intention to MVAIC within 90 days of your accident if it was a Hit and Run.
  • If the operator of the uninsured vehicle that hit you is identified, you must file your Notice of Intention within 180 days of your accident.

Visit the MVAIC website for more information. You can check your eligibility for MVAIC coverage by answering this simple online questionnaire.

Important deadlines to know for your car accident case

Medical bills and lost wages are paid through no-fault insurance. All no-fault insurance carriers require a no-fault application be filed within thirty days. Failing to do so may result in denial of your no-fault benefits and may make you personally responsible for the bills.

In car accident cases there is generally a three-year statute of limitations to initiate a lawsuit. However, that time period may be reduced to as little as 90 days if your car accident involves a municipal, state or federal entity. So, it’s best to check with a qualified car accident attorney as soon as possible.

When to consult with a Long Island Car Accident Lawyer

If you have suffered injuries in Suffolk County, Long Island from a car accident, it is a good idea to consult with a car accident attorney as soon as possible. Hiring an attorney early on in the process will help protect your legal rights, ensure your medical bills and lost wages are paid and give you an advantage building a strong personal injury case. An early investigation will also help preserve key evidence in your case.

How Much Is My Long Island Car Accident Case Worth?

The value of an injury suffered in a car accident is an accumulation of several different factors. These include any accident related economic expenses such as lost wages and damage to your car as well as non-economic losses such as pain and suffering and mental anguish. At Palermo Law, our experience in handling thousands of car accident cases allows us to accurately assess the value of your case to determine the fairest settlement or jury award. In cases of long-term injuries, we partner with experts in the fields of medicine and economics to make sure that your compensation is adjusted for future inflation. This allows you the peace of mind knowing that you will be compensated for years to come.

Why Hire Palermo Law?

  • We always offer a free no obligation consultation.
  • We never charge a fee unless we win your case.
  • We provide personal one on one attention to every client.
  • We handle all no-fault insurance communications and paperwork for you free of charge.
  • We have over two decades of experience litigating car accident cases on Long Island.
  • We have obtained numerous million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Service We perform:

  • Identifying all potential sources of recover including no-fault insurance limits and all bodily injury insurance limits.
  • Complete investigative services including gathering of all relevant documentation such as accident reports and witness statements, medical records and reports. We often engage the help of experts in the field of accident reconstruction, medicine and economics to help support your claim.
  • We will handle all no-fault insurance communications and paper work free of charge.
  • We litigate your case. If your case cannot be settled we will litigate it in court. It is always our goal to obtain fair compensation for our clients without the need for trial. But rest assured, if your case does not settle we will be prepared to take your case to trial.

About Our Suffolk County Car Accident Law Firm:

Palermo Law was founded in 1994 as a general practice. In 1997, Steven Palermo joined the firm and by the early 2000’s the law firm shifted it’s primary focus to personal injury law. Steven Palermo focuses his entire practice on Personal injury law, with a large majority of those cases being Suffolk County car accidents. He personally oversees every car accident case that the firm handles. He brings to each case over twenty years of experience, numerous successful trial verdicts and a passion for helping Suffolk County car accident victims in their fight for justice against large insurance companies.

While Steven and his team are proud of their record of achievements in the court room, they are equally excited about how their clients feel about their experiences with the law firm. The firm has over two hundred positive reviews from former clients on various websites such as Google, Lawyers.com, Avvo and Facebook. Palermo Law takes particular pride in the fact that they have some of the best reviews in Suffolk County. If you would like to set up an appointment for a free initial no obligation consultation with an experienced Suffolk County car accident attorney, feel free to call today.

Trial Ready Strategy

Most personal injury lawsuits are settled out of court at some point before a trial. Many personal injury law firms on Long Island don’t fully prepare their cases for trial when anticipating a settlement. This weakens their position when it comes time to negotiating a settlement. At Palermo Law, we always fully prepare every case as if it is going to trial. This level of preparation gives us the leverage to negotiate the highest possible compensation for our clients and puts us in a strong position should a trial become necessary.

Focused on Helping the Injured

We realize that being really well versed in any one area of law takes focus. Personal injury law is no exception. That’s why our Long Island personal injury lawyers only handle personal injury cases. Steven Palermo, our managing partner, has been exclusively handling personal injury cases for the last two decades. We handle all types of personal injury cases for the injured, including car accidents, slip and falls and work related accidents. We have never represented an insurance company and never will. We do what we do because we love helping people.

Free Consultation

We offer every potential personal injury client a free, no obligation consultation at any of our five locations throughout Long Island. During the consultation, we will discuss your case in detail and give you our opinion on the chances of success. We will also discuss our potential strategy and our process for handling your case. If after fully discussing your case we feel it is a good fit for our Long Island Personal Injury law firm, we will discuss our fees and give you the option of moving forward with us as your lawyers.

Suffolk County Accident Lawyers

We have litigated hundreds of accident cases over the last two decades. As a result, we’ve become very proficient in handling all aspects of accident litigation including no-fault and property damage claims. We know all the ins and outs of Long Island accident claims and will use our experience to make sure you receive full compensation. We handle all Suffolk county accident cases on a contingency basis. This means we never charge an upfront fee and only get paid if we win your case.

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