For the past 18 years, the Law Office of Richard J. Kaufman has been a leading law firm in the area of personal injury law where our mission has been to help rebuild the lives of those harmed by the negligent and other wrongful conduct of others. (see Achievements below) 

If you have any questions regarding any criminal matter, please contact us at (631) 331-0950 for immediate assistance or via email at info@KaufmanAtLaw.com to receive a response within 24 hours.

Unfortunately, the days when a person or corporation would stand up and admit they were wrong and pay for the pain and suffering they caused in someone’s life may be gone.  Contrary to the picture painted by insurance companies and politicians, it is the important and difficult role of the trial attorney to make sure that justice is done, victims are fully compensated and wrongdoers are held accountable. 

We are proud to play a role in keeping the justice system strong by protecting the rights of the individual.

If you think you have been the victim of an accident or other wrong for which you may deserve compensation, our staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to discuss your case with you at no charge.  To immediately discuss your case with an experienced lawyer, call us at 631- 331-0950.

Many people, including attorneys, regard auto accident litigation as a simple, open and shut type of case. In some situations, that may be true. In cases involving substantial injuries with questionable insurance coverage limits on the other vehicle, it can, however, become much more.There are attorneys who merely remind the client of the limited policy on the other vehicle and say that they should accept a settlement of their claim. This is not the case at the Law Office of Richard J. Kaufman, where if you have been seriously injured in an accident involving a car, motorcycle, or bicycle we will open every possible area of investigation to recover for your injuries.

1. Obtain insurance information of other drivers.
2. Call the police.
3. Obtain contact information of any witnesses.
4. Seek immediate medical treatment.
5. Consult an attorney before giving a recorded statement or signing a release for an insurance company.

Often our clients have been injured as a result of a slip and fall on someone else’s property. While there is sometimes limited insurance available for medical expenses not based on fault , the usual case is before there can be any recovery for medical expenses or pain and suffering, it is first necessary to establish that

1. A dangerous condition which was a substantial cause of the accident
2. The person owning or maintaining the premises created or failed to repair the dangerous condition which caused the accident.
3. That person had a reasonable opportunity to correct the condition before the accident.

In New York, the two most common defenses to these types of cases create a Catch-22. Depending on the particular case, the defendant would take the position that the condition was so large, so “open and obvious”, that the victim should have seen the defect and avoided it or on the other hand, that it was so small, so de minimis, that it did not constitute a defect at all.

Fortunately, in recent years there has been a significant change in the way the Appellate and Trial courts view these cases which makes it far more difficult for the defendants to prevail by this assertion and as a result, it is not as easy for wrongdoers to evade the responsibility of their acts or omissions.

1. File a report where possible with the premises’ owner/tenant or with the authorities
2. As soon as you are able, reconstruct where you fell and how
3. Obtain the contact information of the premises’ owner or tenant
4. As close to the time of the accident take photographs from different angles and distances
5. Obtain contact information of any witnesses.
6. Seek immediate medical treatment
7. Consult an attorney before giving a recorded statement or signing a release for an insurance company

The purpose of wrongful death laws is to compensate for harm to a person resulting in death. A wrongful death lawsuit allows the surviving dependents or beneficiaries, such as a spouse, child, or dependent parent, to receive monetary damages as a result of the defendant's negligent conduct. Each state in the United States has passed "wrongful death statutes" unique to its own jurisdiction.

Wrongful death claims seek compensation for the loss of love, companionship, emotional support, anticipated earnings until the expected time of retirement, as well as medical bills, funeral expenses and other expenses. Loss of a loved one can be overwhelming, causing untold mental anguish for the family. Loss of income and loss of future income can be devastating for a dependant who is already suffering the emotional loss of a parent or guardian.
A wrongful death law firm specializes in handling claims for the families of victims of wrongful death. If a fair and reasonable settlement cannot be achieved, a wrongful death lawsuit should be brought claiming all damages allowable under the law.

Remember, like all claims, each type of lawsuit has a limit on the time within which a claim can be brought. It is important to consult a legal advisor as soon as you believe that a proper claim exists.

There are numerous types of personal injury matters which are handled by our firm, including substantial recoveries over the past years for construction accidents (multiple back surgeries), school yard accidents (brain damage resulting from an improperly placed fence), dog bites, malicious prosecution and wrongful arrest, product liability, medical and dental malpractice, hospital negligence, food poisoning, and assault and battery among many others.

The following is a list of some of the recent results we have obtained for our clients:

• $2,000,000 settlement after liability verdict against a major hospital in a case involving the hospital’s failure to to warn the client of an FDA recall for a defective Vitek Proplast TMJ implant device.
• $450,000 settlement against a school district on behalf of 8 year old girl for head injury caused by negligent placement of a rope divider in the playground
• $377,500 settlement against a Suffolk County driver for multiple fractures of the hand and foot requiring surgery and insertion of hardware.
• $375,000 settlement against a negligent driver for client who was found permanently disabled based upon soft tissue injury without surgery
• $260,000 settlement against a negligent driver for elderly bicyclist with head injury sustained as he rode into side of oncoming motor vehicle
• $225,000 settlement against negligent driver for middle-aged driver for back and shoulder injuries resulting from motor vehicle accident.
• $185,000 settlement for worker’s fracturing leg while assisting delivery company in offloading heavy machinery from truck
• $150,000 settlement for client’s fracturing hip slipping on icy front door stoop

If you have any questions regarding any personal injury matter, please contact us at (631) 331-0950 for immediate assistance or via email at info@KaufmanAtLaw.com to receive a response within 24 hours.