A proven record
Our firm has achieved numerous million and multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements. We often take cases that other firms have refused and win.
Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. · Forest Hills, Queens
Queens catastrophic injury attorneys at Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. represent people with paralysis, brain damage, amputations, severe burns and blindness after crashes on Queens expressways, construction falls in Long Island City and medical negligence at Queens hospitals. These claims involve lifetime care costs, and a 90-day notice of claim can apply when a city or transit entity is involved.
Ask SAM before the insurance company calls.
When an injury changes what daily life looks like forever, the value of the case is measured in decades of care. Ask4SAM builds Queens catastrophic claims around that reality.
Why Ask4SAM
Why Families With Catastrophic Injuries Hire Silberstein & Miklos, P.C.
Silberstein & Miklos has spent decades representing New Yorkers with permanent, life-altering injuries, including a $23,199,615 Queens County medical-malpractice verdict that left a patient paralyzed, certified the No. 1 medical malpractice verdict in Queens and all of New York City for 2023 by TopVerdict. The firm holds Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent rating and takes high-exposure cases other firms have declined. Every case is handled on contingency, so you pay no attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
The firm's $23.2 million Queens paralysis verdict was certified by TopVerdict as the top medical malpractice verdict in Queens and New York City for 2023.
Joseph Miklos and the firm hold Martindale-Hubbell's highest possible professional rating.
We build claims around lifetime medical care, lost earning capacity and the support a family will need for decades.
What To Do Now
After a Catastrophic Injury in Queens, Protect the Lifetime Claim
In the first weeks after a catastrophic injury, decisions get made that shape the next decades. A few steps protect the family's position.
- Stabilize and document care. Keep every record, imaging study and referral; the medical file is the spine of a catastrophic claim.
- Preserve what disappears. Vehicle wreckage, scaffolds, surveillance video, driver logs and worksite conditions vanish fastest. Counsel can send preservation letters immediately.
- Report through every channel. Police or FDNY for crashes, the employer and OSHA-area office for work injuries, the facility for care failures.
- Do not accept early offers. Insurers sometimes move quickly after catastrophic injuries, before the full cost of care is known. A settlement signed early cannot be reopened.
- Watch the 90-day mark. If a City of New York or transit entity is involved, a notice of claim is generally due within 90 days.
- Bring in counsel early. Lifetime-care claims need economists, life-care planners and medical experts lined up before demand, not after.
Key Deadlines
Queens Catastrophic Injury Claim Deadlines at a Glance
Which deadline applies depends on who is responsible and what kind of claim you have. These are the most common ones after a catastrophic injury in Queens. Treat 90 days as the planning date for any government or transit entity and ask a lawyer to confirm your exact dates.
| Deadline | Applies to | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 90 days after the incident | Notice of claim when a City of New York agency or a NYC Transit Authority bus or subway is involved | GML § 50-e; PAL § 1212 |
| Demand, then 30 days; suit within one year and 90 days | Claims against the MTA or an MTA subsidiary such as MTA Bus Company | PAL § 1276 |
| One year and 90 days | Lawsuit against the City of New York | GML § 50-i |
| Two years and six months | Medical malpractice against private providers, from the act or the end of continuous treatment | CPLR § 214-a |
| Three years | Negligence claims against private parties, including crashes, falls and most construction injuries | CPLR § 214(5) |
| Two years after the death | Wrongful death claims | EPTL § 5-4.1 |
Attorney Advertising. Deadlines can be shorter or longer depending on the parties, the injuries and the type of claim. Talk to a lawyer before relying on any date above.
Catastrophic Injuries We Handle
Queens Catastrophic Cases Ask4SAM Handles
Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. represents Queens families facing permanent injuries of every kind.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Closed-head injuries, comas and cognitive loss after crashes and falls, and the care they require for life.
Queens brain injury claimsSpinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis
Paraplegia, quadriplegia and partial paralysis from crashes, falls from height and medical negligence.
Queens paralysis claimsHigh-Impact Truck Crashes
Catastrophic outcomes from commercial vehicles on the LIE, Grand Central and Van Wyck.
Queens truck crash claimsMedical Negligence
Undiagnosed strokes, surgical catastrophes and birth injuries that cause permanent harm, as in the firm's Queens paralysis verdict.
Queens malpractice claimsOther catastrophic outcomes
We also handle pedestrian knockdowns, construction falls, fatal accidents, severe burns, amputations and loss of vision.
The SAM Standard
How Ask4SAM Builds a Lifetime Claim
Catastrophic claims are not oversized ordinary claims. They are built differently from day one.
Preservation letters, scene and vehicle evidence, medical records and every liable party, identified before anything disappears.
Life-care planners, economists and treating physicians quantify decades of care, equipment, lost income and family support.
We force insurers to confront the full cost of the injury, in negotiation or before a Queens jury.
Talk to SAM Before the Insurance Company Calls
Free consultation. Available 24/7. No attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
Queens Catastrophic Injury FAQ
Common Questions After a Catastrophic Injury in Queens
How is a catastrophic injury claim valued differently?
By decades, not months. The claim includes future medical care, equipment, home modification, lost lifetime earnings and the family's loss of support, proven through life-care planners and economists rather than medical bills alone.
How long do we have to file after a catastrophic injury in Queens?
Most negligence claims against private parties must be started within three years under CPLR § 214(5). If a City of New York or transit entity was involved, a notice of claim is generally due within 90 days. The exact rule depends on who is responsible, so confirm it early.
What if my family member cannot make decisions because of the injury?
A guardian or conservator may be appointed to act for an injured person who cannot direct the case. Ask4SAM works with families to put that protection in place and then pursues the claim on the injured person's behalf.
Will the money run out with lifetime care needs?
A structured settlement or special needs trust can protect eligibility for government benefits while spreading payments across the injured person's lifetime. The right structure depends on the care plan, which is why the claim is built around it.
How much does it cost to hire Ask4SAM?
The consultation is free. Ask4SAM works on a contingency fee, which means you pay no attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
Queens Office
Contact Ask4SAM in Queens
Silberstein & Miklos, P.C.118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400
Forest Hills, NY 11375
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See What New Yorkers Say About Ask4SAM
Reviews help injured clients understand what it is like to work with the Ask4SAM team.
Read more client stories on the Testimonials page and the Wall of Love.
Legal References
New York Laws That May Apply to Your Queens Catastrophic Injury Claim
Catastrophic injury claims in Queens are governed primarily by New York's Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR), the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL), the Labor Law, the Public Authorities Law (PAL) and the General Municipal Law (GML). The authorities below frequently come up in catastrophic cases handled by Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. Rules vary by the type of defendant and claim, so confirm specifics with an attorney as early as possible.
Sets the general three-year statute of limitations for most catastrophic injury claims based on negligence, including crashes, falls and many construction injuries. Read CPLR § 214 on the NY State Senate site.
Establishes the two-year, six-month statute of limitations for medical malpractice that causes catastrophic harm, including the Queens paralysis verdict the firm won in 2023. Read CPLR § 214-a.
Requires a Notice of Claim within 90 days when suing the City of New York or other municipal entities. NYC Transit Authority claims follow PAL § 1212. Read GML § 50-e.
Sets the demand-then-30-days procedure and one-year-and-90-day suit deadline for claims against the MTA and MTA Bus Company. Read PAL § 1276.
Places strict responsibility on owners and contractors for scaffold, ladder and other elevation-related falls, a frequent source of catastrophic injuries at Queens construction sites. Read Labor Law § 240.
Allows the personal representative of a decedent's estate to bring a wrongful death action within two years of the date of death when a catastrophic injury becomes fatal. Read EPTL § 5-4.1.
Most Queens catastrophic injury lawsuits seeking significant damages are filed in the Queens County Supreme Court, Civil Term in Jamaica. Visit the official court site.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Every case is different, and deadlines may vary depending on the facts, parties and type of claim.
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