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. · New York City
New York catastrophic injury lawyers at Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. represent people paralyzed, brain-injured or blinded by crashes, construction falls and medical negligence across the five boroughs. The firm's results include a $28 million hospital-negligence verdict and a $23.2 million paralysis verdict, and claims against city or transit entities generally require notice within 90 days.
Ask SAM before the insurance company calls.
A catastrophic injury changes what work, home and daily life look like for decades. Ask4SAM builds New York claims around that reality, from the subway platform to the operating room.
Why Ask4SAM
Why New York Families With Catastrophic Injuries Hire Silberstein & Miklos, P.C.
Silberstein & Miklos has spent decades representing New Yorkers with permanent injuries, from a $28,057,288 verdict against New York City Health & Hospitals to a $23,199,615 paralysis verdict certified No. 1 in the city for 2023. 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.
Robert A. Miklos of the firm has helped recover over $100 million for malpractice and negligence victims, including a $28 million brain-injury verdict against NYC Health & Hospitals.
Joseph Miklos and the firm hold Martindale-Hubbell's highest possible professional rating.
The firm tries cases in the Supreme Courts of New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond Counties, and across the metropolitan area.
Case Results
Verified Catastrophic Injury Results Across New York
Each result below is documented in a published court decision or an independent verdict registry.
Kings County jury verdict for a stroke victim after hospital staff failed to act, tried by Robert A. Miklos of the firm; a Top 10 New York personal injury verdict and Top 10 U.S. medical malpractice verdict for 2019. See the TopVerdict listing.
Queens County jury verdict for a patient left paralyzed, certified by TopVerdict as the No. 1 medical malpractice and paralysis verdict in Queens and New York City for 2023, tried by attorneys of the firm then known as Silberstein & Miklos. See the TopVerdict listing.
Kings County med-mal brain-injury verdict the firm won back on appeal after the trial court tried to set it aside, reinstated conditioned on a reduced award. Read the court's published decision.
Failure-to-diagnose and delayed-treatment verdict certified by TopVerdict as the No. 1 New York verdict in its category for 2022, tried by attorneys of the firm then known as Silberstein & Miklos. See the TopVerdict listing.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What To Do Now
After a Catastrophic Injury in New York, Protect the Lifetime Claim
In the first weeks, decisions get made that shape the next decades, and city or transit involvement starts short clocks. 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 for work injuries, the facility for care failures, and the transit authority incident report for subway and bus injuries.
- 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 agency, a public hospital or a 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
New York 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 New York City. 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, a NYC Health + Hospitals facility, or a NYC Transit Authority bus or subway anywhere in the five boroughs 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 or its agencies | 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
New York Catastrophic Cases Ask4SAM Handles
Silberstein & Miklos, P.C. represents New Yorkers facing permanent injuries of every kind.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Truck and car crashes, falls and construction accidents that leave lasting cognitive and physical limits.
New York brain injury claimsSpinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis
Paraplegia and quadriplegia from crashes, surgical errors and falls from height.
New York paralysis claimsMedical Negligence
Hospital failures that cause strokes, paralysis and blindness, as in the firm's $28 million and $23.2 million verdicts.
New York malpractice claimsConstruction Falls
Scaffold and ladder falls across the city's building boom, pursued under the Labor Law.
New York construction claimsOther catastrophic outcomes
We also handle pedestrian knockdowns, truck crashes, 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, and the city's transit and hospital systems bring their own rules.
Preservation letters, scene and vehicle evidence, complete 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 deal with insurers and the city's lawyers, and present the full cost of the injury to a New York jury when they will not settle.
Talk to SAM Before You Talk to the Insurance Company
Free consultation. Available 24/7. No attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
New York Catastrophic Injury FAQ
Common Questions After a Catastrophic Injury in New York
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 in New York City?
Most negligence claims against private parties must be started within three years under CPLR § 214(5). If a City of New York agency 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 the injury happened on the subway or an MTA bus?
NYC Transit Authority claims follow PAL § 1212, and claims against the MTA or MTA Bus Company follow a demand-and-30-day procedure under PAL § 1276 before a one-year-and-90-day suit deadline. Treat 90 days as the planning date and ask a lawyer to confirm the entity.
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.
Does Ask4SAM handle catastrophic cases in all five boroughs?
Yes. The firm tries cases in the Supreme Courts of New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx and Richmond Counties, and its borough pages track the local courts, transit entities and hospitals for each.
Queens Office
Contact Ask4SAM in New York
Silberstein & Miklos, P.C.118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400
Forest Hills, NY 11375
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Client Reviews
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 Catastrophic Injury Claim
New York City catastrophic injury claims are governed primarily by the 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 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. Read CPLR § 214 on the NY State Senate site.
Requires a Notice of Claim within 90 days when suing city agencies or NYC Health + Hospitals facilities. 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 MTA and MTA Bus Company claims citywide. Read PAL § 1276.
Places strict responsibility on owners and contractors for scaffold, ladder and other elevation-related falls at construction sites across the city. Read Labor Law § 240.
Sets the two-year, six-month limitations period for the malpractice that caused catastrophic harm, as in the firm's $28 million and $23.2 million verdicts. Read CPLR § 214-a.
When a catastrophic injury becomes fatal, the estate's wrongful death claim must generally be brought within two years of the date of death. Read EPTL § 5-4.1.
Catastrophic injury lawsuits are filed in the Supreme Court of the county where the injury occurred: New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx or Richmond. See the NYC Supreme Courts on 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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