Latest / BSPE Legal Marketing Podcast / How Do I File a Notice of Claim Against New York City After a Car Accident? - Keetick L. Sanchez

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How Do I File a Notice of Claim Against New York City After a Car Accident? - Keetick L. Sanchez · BSPE Legal Marketing Podcast

• 0:00
  How Do I File a Notice of Claim Against New York City After a Car Accident?
• 0:04
  If a city bus, sanitation truck, or police cruiser caused your crash in New York City, a 90-day deadline could determine whether you ever see justice.
• 0:14
  Under New York General Municipal Law Section 50-e, you must serve a written Notice of Claim on the appropriate public agency before you can file any lawsuit against the city.
• 0:25
  This notice is not the same as a lawsuit — it is a required legal step that puts the government on formal notice that you were injured and intend to hold it responsible.
• 0:34
  The law gives public agencies this early warning so they can send investigators to the scene, review vehicle maintenance records, and interview witnesses while the evidence is still fresh.
• 0:45
  Missing the 90-calendar-day deadline — which counts every weekend and holiday from the day of the crash — can permanently bar your right to bring a claim at all.
• 0:54
  Any accident involving a vehicle owned or operated by New York City, the MTA, or a dangerous condition on city-owned property can trigger this rule.
• 1:04
  Collisions with city buses fall under the 90-day requirement whether you were a driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian crossing in front of the vehicle.
• 1:12
  Importantly, claims against the New York City Transit Authority and MTA Bus Company must be served on the authority itself or its designated agent, not the Comptroller's Office.
• 1:23
  Crashes involving DSNY sanitation trucks, Parks Department vehicles, and other city fleet vehicles typically require notice served directly on the Comptroller's Office.
• 1:33
  Accidents with NYPD cruisers — whether during a routine patrol or an emergency response — are also subject to the same strict deadline, even though these cases carry additional legal complexity.
• 1:45
  Claims involving potholes, missing signage, or dead traffic signals face an extra legal hurdle, as the city generally cannot be held liable unless it had prior written notice of the dangerous condition under Administrative Code Section 7-201.
• 2:01
  Your Notice of Claim must be in writing and must state your legal name and address, the nature of the claim, the exact date, time, and location of the crash, and every injury and damage you are claiming.
• 2:12
  Vague location descriptions like 'near Roosevelt Avenue' or an incomplete list of injuries can give the public agency grounds to challenge the entire notice later.
• 2:23
  A crash with a city bus on March 1 means your notice must be served by roughly May 30, and because counting errors are costly, treating the deadline as far earlier than day 90 is always the safer approach.
• 2:36
  Keetick L. Sanchez is an experienced attorney admitted to practice in all New York City courtrooms and has prosecuted hundreds of personal injury cases involving exactly these kinds of municipal claims.
• 2:48
  As a dedicated lawyer serving injured individuals across Jackson Heights and Queens, she understands how procedural rules can make or break a case before it ever reaches a courtroom.
• 2:59
  The law firm K L Sanchez Law Office, P.C. also helps clients navigate pressure from adjusters and insurance carriers while building the strongest possible municipal claim on their behalf.
• 3:11
  Contact K L Sanchez Law Office, P.C. at 646, 701, 7990, located at 37-06 82nd St #304, Jackson Heights, NY 11372, United States, to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation today.