Are you looking for a drunk driving accident lawyer in Hempstead, NY?
At Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP, we are trusted drunk driving accident lawyers serving clients across Hempstead for more than 45 years.
If you were hit by a drunk driver in Hempstead, you may be eligible for compensation. Someone chose to drink and then get behind the wheel, and you are living with the result. Our firm has represented injured people on Long Island since 1978, and we have recovered more than $200 million for clients across every kind of negligence case. Bring us the police report, your medical records, and your questions. A Hempstead, NY drunk driving accident lawyer from our office will explain what the case is worth and what it will take to win it.
Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Hempstead, NY
State health department data compiled for Nassau County roadways shows that alcohol-related crashes made up 1.6 percent of all collisions but 9.3 percent of crash hospitalizations, and 12.4 percent of the traumatic brain injuries serious enough to require admission. Drunk drivers do not tap bumpers. They run red lights on Hempstead Turnpike at full speed, drift across Peninsula Boulevard, and strike people who never saw them coming.
A drunk driving accident lawyer is a personal injury attorney who pursues civil compensation from an impaired driver and, in some cases, from the bar or restaurant that kept serving them. The criminal case belongs to the Nassau County District Attorney. The civil case belongs to you. We build it separately, on our own timeline, using the DWI arrest, the blood alcohol results, and the crash reconstruction as evidence of fault.
Types of Drunk Driving Accident Cases We Handle in Hempstead
Impaired drivers hurt people in every setting, from the Southern State Parkway at 2 a.m. to a crosswalk on Fulton Avenue at dinnertime. Who was hit, and what they were riding in, shapes the insurance picture and the evidence we need. These are the matters our Hempstead drunk driving accident attorneys handle most often.
- Car accidents. Head-on, rear-end, and intersection collisions caused by a drinking driver. We obtain the arrest paperwork and chemical test results early and use them to pin down fault before the insurer starts negotiating.
- Pedestrian accidents. People struck in crosswalks, on sidewalks, or while walking along Hempstead Turnpike after dark. Impaired drivers rarely brake in time, so these injuries are often catastrophic.
- Motorcycle accidents. Riders hit by drunk drivers who turned left across their path or drifted into their lane. We push back against the assumption that the rider must have been speeding.
- Bicycle accidents. Cyclists on Front Street, Peninsula Boulevard, and neighborhood roads hit by drivers who never saw them. The bike is evidence. We ask clients not to repair or discard it.
- Truck accidents. Commercial drivers who tested positive after a crash. The trucking company, not just the driver, may be responsible, and its hiring and testing records become part of the case.
- Lyft accidents. Passengers injured when their rideshare driver was impaired, or when a drunk driver hit the rideshare vehicle. Several insurance policies can apply at once, and we sort out which one pays.
- Passengers of the drunk driver. Riding with someone who was drinking does not forfeit your claim. We bring these cases against the driver’s own policy, and we handle the difficult conversations that come with them.
- Hit-and-run crashes. Drunk drivers flee more often than sober ones. When the driver is never found, or is found and has no coverage, your own uninsured motorist coverage may be the path to compensation.
- Bar and restaurant liability. New York law can hold an establishment responsible when it served a visibly intoxicated person who then injured someone. These claims add a second source of recovery, and they require fast investigation before receipts and video are gone.
- Wrongful death. When a drunk driver kills a family member, the estate can pursue a claim for the financial losses the death caused. We have handled these cases for Long Island families for decades.
Why Choose Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP as my Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Hempstead, NY?
Trial Lawyers Since 1973
Martin Schiowitz was admitted to the New York bar in 1973 and co-founded our firm five years later. He has tried high-stakes injury and wrongful death cases for more than five decades and is a member of the Trial Lawyers Association. Jeremy Schiowitz joined him in 2003 after starting his career on the defense side, which means he knows how an insurer values an impaired-driver claim before the file lands on the adjuster’s desk. He argued the appellate case that changed how liability works in New York City train platform accidents, holds a Martindale-Hubbell profile, and has been selected to Super Lawyers every year since 2014. That depth is what you want from a personal injury lawyer in Hempstead, NY when the other side is an insurance company that defends drunk drivers for a living.
Results Against the Insurers Who Defend Drunk Drivers
Our attorneys have recovered more than $200 million for injured clients. Motor vehicle results include:
- $2,800,000 for a car accident victim
- $2,300,000 in a car accident case
- $2,000,000 for a client injured in a collision
- $1,600,000 car accident recovery
- $1,350,000 car accident settlement
We take these cases on a contingency fee. There is no cost to you unless we recover, and the first consultation with a DWI accident attorney in Hempstead is free.
What Is Important To Understand About Drunk Driving Accident Cases?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Drunk Driving Accident Cases
Liability in these cases turns on negligence, and a driver who was legally intoxicated has handed you most of that proof. What remains is documenting the harm.
- Economic damages: hospital bills, surgery, rehabilitation, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering: available in New York motor vehicle cases only when the injury meets the state’s serious injury threshold, which now requires objective medical proof.
- Punitive damages: rarely awarded in ordinary crashes, but drunk driving is one of the situations where New York courts allow them, because the conduct was reckless rather than careless.
- Comparative fault: since May 2026, New York applies a modified rule to motor vehicle injury lawsuits. Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and a claimant whose fault exceeds the driver’s can be barred entirely. Against an intoxicated driver, that share is usually small or nonexistent.
- Wrongful death damages: limited under current New York law to the financial losses the death caused, such as lost support and funeral costs.
What Are Important Aspects of a Drunk Driving Accident Case?
The DWI arrest is powerful evidence, but it is not the case. Insurers still dispute injury severity, gaps in treatment, and pre-existing conditions.
- The criminal prosecution and your civil claim run separately, and a guilty plea in the criminal case can be used in yours.
- Chemical test results, body camera footage, and bar receipts must be requested quickly. Some are purged within months.
- Your own no-fault carrier pays initial medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault. The lawsuit addresses everything beyond that.
- Insurance limits matter. Many drunk drivers carry minimum coverage, so a drunk driving crash lawyer in Hempstead looks for additional policies from the day the file opens.
What Is The Drunk Driving Accident Case Timeline?
The case timeline depends on how badly you were hurt and whether the driver’s DWI prosecution is still pending. A typical sequence looks like this.
- Investigation and evidence preservation in the first weeks, including the police report and any 911 recordings.
- No-fault application and medical treatment over the following months.
- A demand to the driver’s insurer once your doctors can describe your long-term prognosis.
- Filing the lawsuit in Nassau County Supreme Court, followed by document exchange and depositions.
- Settlement negotiations, mediation, or trial. Most cases resolve before a jury is picked. We prepare each one as if it will not.
New York gives you three years from the crash to file most injury lawsuits and two years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim, with an extension when a criminal case against the same driver is still pending.
What Should You Bring to Your Drunk Driving Accident Consultation?
Bring what you have. Missing documents are not a reason to wait.
- The police accident report or the report number
- Photographs of the vehicles, the scene, and your injuries
- Discharge papers and any bills received so far
- Your own auto insurance declarations page
- Any letters or calls from the other driver’s insurer
We will review the facts, explain how the criminal charges affect your claim, and tell you plainly whether we believe the case is worth pursuing. Most consultations with a drunk driving accident lawyer in Hempstead take under an hour.
Most Dangerous Roads for Drunk Driving Accidents in Hempstead
Hempstead Turnpike, Peninsula Boulevard, and the stretch of Front Street near the LIRR station carry the heaviest late-night traffic, while the Southern State Parkway and Meadowbrook Parkway funnel bar and concert crowds through the village on weekend nights. ITSMR data shows 63 percent of New York crashes involving a drinking driver happen between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. The Nassau County fatality dashboard maps every fatal collision in the county by location and contributing factor. DWI charges from the village are arraigned at Nassau County District Court on Main Street in Hempstead, and the civil lawsuit is filed at Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola. Crash reports taken by the Nassau County Police Department can be ordered online or through the DMV.
Reach Out to Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP to Schedule a Consultation
A drunk driver put you here. Our job is to make sure the driver’s insurer, and anyone else who shares responsibility, pays for it. There is no fee for the first meeting and no fee at all unless we recover money for you. We return calls the same business day whenever possible and can meet in person, by phone, or by video. Contact us to schedule your free consultation with a Hempstead drunk driving accident attorney.