Brain Injury Lawyer Jamaica Queens NY

Jamaica, Queens is home to over 111,000 residents and serves as a vital hub in southeastern Queens. When traumatic brain injuries occur in this densely populated area, victims face life-altering consequences that extend far beyond immediate medical treatment. According to New York State Department of Health, Queens County experiences approximately 11,585 traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits annually, with 2,068 hospitalizations and 213 deaths each year.

Brain injuries represent some of the most complex and devastating injuries in personal injury law. Whether caused by car accidents on the Van Wyck Expressway, slip and fall incidents at local businesses, or medical malpractice at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, these cases demand attorneys who understand both the medical complexities and legal intricacies involved. In New York, brain injury victims have specific rights to compensation, but securing that compensation requires experienced legal representation familiar with Jamaica’s unique healthcare and legal landscape.

What Qualifies as a Traumatic Brain Injury in New York?

Traumatic brain injuries occur when external force causes brain dysfunction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 69,000 TBI-related deaths occurred in the United States in 2021, representing approximately 190 deaths daily. These injuries range from mild concussions to severe brain damage requiring lifelong care.

In Jamaica, Queens, brain injuries commonly result from several distinct causes. Falls represent the leading cause of TBI hospitalizations nationwide and account for a significant portion of cases at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, which treats over 117,000 emergency patients annually. Motor vehicle accidents on major thoroughfares like the Van Wyck Expressway, Grand Central Parkway, and Jamaica Avenue contribute substantially to local TBI statistics. The hospital serves as the only trauma center in Southeast Queens, making it the primary destination for severe brain injury cases in the area.

Types of Brain Injuries Recognized in New York Law

New York courts recognize various categories of traumatic brain injuries, each with distinct legal and medical implications. Closed-head injuries occur when the skull remains intact but the brain suffers damage from impact, acceleration, or deceleration forces. These injuries frequently result from car accidents, slip and falls, or assaults. Despite no visible external wounds, closed-head injuries can cause severe cognitive impairment, personality changes, and permanent disability.

Open-head injuries involve penetration of the skull, typically from gunshot wounds, stabbings, or flying debris in construction accidents or explosions. These injuries carry immediate life-threatening risks and often require emergency neurosurgery at facilities like Jamaica Hospital’s trauma center. The visible nature of open-head injuries sometimes makes liability more straightforward in legal proceedings, though proving the full extent of damages remains complex.

Acquired brain injuries, while not always classified as traumatic, can also form the basis for legal claims when caused by negligence. These include injuries from oxygen deprivation during medical procedures, toxic exposure, infections from medical devices, or complications from anesthesia errors. Jamaica’s diverse healthcare landscape includes numerous medical facilities where such injuries may occur, creating potential medical malpractice claims distinct from typical accident cases.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries in Jamaica Queens

Jamaica’s unique characteristics as a transportation hub and densely populated residential area create specific risk factors for brain injuries. Understanding these local causes helps injury victims identify potentially liable parties and build stronger legal cases.

Understanding Your Legal Rights After a Brain Injury in Jamaica Queens

New York law provides substantial protections for brain injury victims, establishing clear pathways to compensation when injuries result from another party’s negligence or intentional conduct. Unlike some states that impose damage caps, New York allows victims to recover the full value of all damages proven at trial, making comprehensive legal representation essential for maximizing recovery.

Brain injury claims in Jamaica, Queens typically proceed under New York’s negligence law framework. To establish a viable claim, victims must prove four essential elements. First, the defendant owed a duty of care to the victim. Second, the defendant breached that duty through negligent or reckless conduct. Third, the breach directly caused the brain injury. Fourth, the victim suffered actual damages as a result. Each element requires specific evidence and legal argumentation tailored to the unique circumstances of your case.

New York’s Pure Comparative Negligence Rule

New York follows a pure comparative negligence standard, meaning your compensation can be reduced if you share fault for the accident. For example, if you’re found 20% at fault for a car accident that caused your brain injury, your damages award would be reduced by 20%. This makes thorough investigation and evidence preservation critical from the earliest stages of your case.

Types of Compensation Available for Jamaica Brain Injury Victims

New York law recognizes multiple categories of damages in brain injury cases, each designed to address different aspects of your losses. Economic damages compensate for quantifiable financial losses. Medical expenses represent the most obvious category, including emergency room treatment at Jamaica Hospital, neurosurgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, prescription medications, medical equipment, and future medical care. Given that severe brain injuries often require lifelong treatment, properly calculating future medical costs requires expert testimony from medical professionals and life care planners.

Lost income encompasses wages missed during recovery, but brain injuries often prevent victims from returning to their previous employment. Loss of earning capacity damages compensate for reduced future earnings when injuries prevent you from working in your chosen field or limit your advancement opportunities. For Jamaica residents working in skilled trades, healthcare, education, or professional services, proving lost earning capacity requires vocational expert testimony and detailed financial analysis.

Non-economic damages address the intangible but profound impacts of brain injuries. Pain and suffering compensation reflects the physical discomfort and emotional distress caused by the injury and ongoing symptoms. Loss of enjoyment of life damages compensate for your inability to participate in activities and experiences you valued before the injury, from recreational pursuits to family gatherings to career satisfaction. Consortium claims may be available to spouses whose marriages suffer due to the victim’s injuries, addressing loss of companionship, affection, and support.

The Critical Statute of Limitations for Jamaica Queens Brain Injury Cases

Time is not on your side after a brain injury in Jamaica, Queens. New York law imposes strict deadlines for filing personal injury lawsuits, and missing these deadlines typically bars you from recovering any compensation regardless of how strong your case may be. According to New York personal injury law, the standard statute of limitations for brain injury claims is three years from the date of injury.

The three-year deadline begins on the date the injury occurred, not when you discovered the full extent of your damages. For a car accident on the Van Wyck Expressway that causes a brain injury, the clock starts ticking on the accident date. However, brain injuries present unique challenges because symptoms may not manifest immediately. Victims often experience delayed symptoms including cognitive difficulties, personality changes, memory problems, and physical impairments that emerge weeks or months after the initial trauma.

The discovery rule provides limited flexibility in cases where the injury or its connection to negligent conduct was not immediately apparent. However, New York courts apply this rule narrowly, particularly in brain injury cases where the traumatic event itself was obvious even if the full extent of damage emerged later. Relying on the discovery rule is risky, making prompt legal consultation essential.

Practical considerations make waiting dangerous even when the statute of limitations has not expired. Evidence deteriorates over time, with accident scene conditions changing, surveillance footage being deleted, and witness memories fading. Medical records become harder to obtain as years pass. Insurance companies become less willing to negotiate reasonable settlements as deadlines approach, knowing that plaintiffs face increasing pressure. Most importantly, building a strong brain injury case requires extensive investigation, expert consultation, and medical documentation that takes months to compile properly.

How Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Serves Brain Injury Victims

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center stands as the cornerstone of emergency medical care in Southeast Queens, making it central to brain injury treatment in the area. According to the New York Governor’s office, the hospital recently broke ground on a $150 million emergency department expansion that will create the only Level 1 trauma center in the Southeast Queens area near JFK Airport. This expansion adds two new critical care units with 22 new ICU beds, significantly enhancing capacity for severe brain injury treatment.

The hospital’s emergency department operates 24/7, treating over 117,000 patients annually. For brain injury victims, this means immediate access to neurology specialists, advanced imaging capabilities including CT scans and MRIs, and comprehensive trauma protocols. Jamaica Hospital’s status as a teaching facility affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine ensures that patients receive care informed by the latest research and treatment protocols in traumatic brain injury management.

From a legal perspective, medical records from Jamaica Hospital Medical Center carry substantial weight in brain injury litigation. The facility’s comprehensive documentation practices, including detailed emergency department notes, neurology consultations, imaging studies, and discharge summaries, provide crucial evidence establishing the severity and cause of brain injuries. However, obtaining and properly interpreting these records requires legal expertise and understanding of medical terminology and hospital record-keeping systems.

Building a Strong Brain Injury Case in Jamaica Queens

Successful brain injury litigation in Jamaica, Queens requires methodical evidence gathering and strategic case development from the earliest stages. The foundation of every strong case begins with comprehensive medical documentation. Immediate medical evaluation following any head trauma is essential, even when symptoms seem mild. Emergency room records from Jamaica Hospital or other facilities establish the temporal connection between the accident and your injury, documenting your initial symptoms, physician observations, diagnostic test results, and preliminary diagnoses.

Accident scene evidence must be preserved quickly before conditions change or materials are destroyed. Photographs and videos should document vehicle damage positions, road conditions, traffic control devices, property defects, lighting conditions, weather factors, and any other relevant environmental conditions. Surveillance camera footage from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, or security systems provides objective evidence of how accidents occurred, but this footage is often deleted within days or weeks unless properly preserved through legal action.

Challenges Unique to Jamaica Queens Brain Injury Cases

Jamaica’s demographic diversity creates both opportunities and challenges in brain injury litigation. The neighborhood’s population reflects wide ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity, with significant Caribbean, Latin American, Asian, and African American communities. This diversity can affect jury composition, witness availability, cultural perceptions of medical treatment and disability, and communication challenges in medical and legal proceedings.

Language barriers present practical obstacles when victims, witnesses, or family members speak languages other than English. Medical records may contain incomplete patient histories if language difficulties prevented full communication with healthcare providers. Witness statements may require translation, and victims may need interpreters for depositions, medical examinations, and trial testimony. Experienced attorneys must have resources to obtain qualified medical and legal interpreters who understand both language nuances and technical terminology.

Jamaica’s economic diversity means brain injury victims come from all income levels, from professionals to service workers to individuals experiencing economic hardship. Pre-injury earnings affect lost income calculations, but even victims with modest incomes deserve full compensation for their medical expenses, future care needs, and non-economic damages. Defendants and insurance companies may attempt to minimize damages based on a victim’s lower pre-injury income, requiring vigorous advocacy to ensure fair compensation regardless of economic status.

The neighborhood’s transportation infrastructure creates unique liability issues. The Van Wyck Expressway is maintained by New York State, Jamaica Avenue is a New York City roadway, and the nearby AirTrain and LIRR systems involve additional governmental entities. Determining which government entity bears responsibility for roadway defects, traffic control failures, or public transportation accidents requires knowledge of jurisdictional boundaries and maintenance responsibilities. Government claims have shortened notice requirements and different procedural rules than claims against private parties.

Workers’ Compensation vs. Personal Injury Claims for Brain Injuries

Jamaica residents who suffer brain injuries at work face a complex legal landscape involving both workers’ compensation benefits and potential personal injury claims. Understanding the relationship between these systems is essential for maximizing your recovery. According to New York workers’ compensation law, brain injuries occurring in the course of employment are covered under the workers’ compensation system, which provides benefits regardless of fault.

Workers’ compensation covers medical treatment for brain injuries, including emergency care, neurology consultations, surgery, rehabilitation, medications, and ongoing care. The system also provides wage replacement benefits, typically two-thirds of your average weekly wage, during periods of disability. For permanent brain injuries resulting in lasting impairment, workers’ compensation awards compensation for permanent partial or total disability based on the severity of your functional limitations.

The workers’ compensation system operates as an exclusive remedy against employers, meaning you generally cannot sue your employer in civil court for a work-related brain injury. This trade-off provides guaranteed benefits without proving fault but limits recovery compared to personal injury lawsuits. Workers’ compensation does not compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, or the full value of lost earning capacity that a successful personal injury lawsuit might recover.

Dealing With Insurance Companies After a Jamaica Brain Injury

Insurance companies play a central role in brain injury cases, but their interests often conflict sharply with victims’ need for full compensation. Understanding common insurance company tactics helps protect your rights and avoid costly mistakes. In Jamaica, Queens, victims typically deal with several types of insurance coverage depending on how the injury occurred.

Auto insurance policies provide coverage for car accident-related brain injuries through mandatory personal injury protection benefits, liability coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. New York’s no-fault insurance system requires your own insurance to pay initial medical bills and lost wages up to $50,000 regardless of fault, but serious brain injuries quickly exceed these limits. Pursuing compensation from at-fault drivers requires satisfying New York’s serious injury threshold, which traumatic brain injuries typically meet.

Premises liability cases involve property owners’ general liability policies covering slip and falls, inadequate security, and other property-based accidents. Commercial properties in Jamaica carry substantial liability coverage, but insurance adjusters aggressively contest liability by arguing comparative negligence, claiming hazards were open and obvious, or asserting that injuries are less severe than claimed.

Insurance companies employ various strategies to minimize payouts on brain injury claims. Early settlement offers may arrive before you understand the full extent of your injuries, medical needs, and long-term prognosis. Brain injuries evolve over months or years as the full neurological impact becomes apparent. Accepting early settlements prevents you from seeking additional compensation when future complications arise. Recorded statements obtained shortly after accidents can be used against you by highlighting inconsistencies with later symptoms that naturally emerge as brain injuries progress.

The Role of Neurological Testing in Jamaica Brain Injury Cases

Proving the existence and severity of brain injuries requires sophisticated neurological testing that documents objective evidence of brain dysfunction. Unlike broken bones visible on X-rays, brain injuries often involve subtle changes in brain structure or function that require specialized diagnostic techniques. The strength of your legal case often depends on the comprehensiveness and quality of your neurological evaluation.

Computerized tomography scans provide initial emergency assessment of brain injuries, particularly detecting skull fractures, brain bleeds, and swelling. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s emergency department routinely performs CT scans on patients with head trauma. While CT scans excel at identifying acute life-threatening injuries, they may miss subtle brain damage that causes cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Normal CT results do not rule out significant brain injury.

Magnetic resonance imaging offers superior detail for assessing brain structure, identifying smaller lesions, detecting axonal damage, and revealing abnormalities missed by CT scans. Different MRI sequences can highlight different types of brain tissue damage. For legal purposes, MRI findings provide powerful objective evidence corroborating subjective complaints of cognitive difficulties, memory problems, and behavioral changes. Defense attorneys often challenge brain injury claims lacking positive MRI findings, making comprehensive imaging essential.

Neuropsychological testing evaluates cognitive function across multiple domains including memory, attention, processing speed, executive function, language, visual-spatial skills, and emotional regulation. These standardized tests compare your performance to age and education-matched norms, identifying specific deficits caused by brain injury. Neuropsychological evaluations typically span several hours and generate detailed reports that both establish the presence of brain injury and document how cognitive impairments affect daily living and employment capacity.

Long-Term Consequences of Brain Injuries for Jamaica Residents

Brain injuries create ripple effects that extend far beyond initial medical treatment, affecting every aspect of victims’ lives for years or decades. Understanding these long-term consequences is essential for calculating appropriate compensation and planning for future needs. According to the CDC, TBIs in children may disrupt development and affect school participation and learning capacity, with potential long-term effects on health, thinking, and behavior.

Cognitive impairments represent some of the most disabling consequences of brain injury. Memory problems ranging from difficulty forming new memories to gaps in recalling personal history affect work performance and daily activities. Attention deficits make concentrating on tasks challenging, limiting employment options and educational pursuits. Slowed processing speed means victims need more time to understand information and respond appropriately, often frustrating both the victim and family members who don’t fully understand the nature of brain injury.

Executive function deficits impair planning, organization, problem-solving, and judgment. Jamaica residents with executive dysfunction struggle with managing finances, maintaining employment, organizing households, and making sound decisions. These higher-level cognitive skills are essential for independent living and professional success, making their loss particularly devastating for victims who previously functioned at high levels.

Physical symptoms often persist long after acute injuries heal. Chronic headaches plague many brain injury survivors, sometimes developing into debilitating migraines that interfere with work and daily activities. Balance and coordination problems increase fall risk and limit mobility. Vision changes including double vision, visual field defects, and difficulty tracking moving objects create safety concerns and limit driving ability. Sleep disturbances leave victims fatigued despite spending adequate time in bed, compounding cognitive difficulties.

Emotional and behavioral changes strain relationships and diminish quality of life. Depression affects approximately half of all brain injury survivors, with rates higher among those with more severe injuries. Anxiety disorders commonly develop, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder when the brain injury resulted from a traumatic event. Personality changes may include increased irritability, reduced impulse control, emotional volatility, and altered social behavior that family members find difficult to understand and accept.

Special Considerations for Different Types of Jamaica Brain Injury Accidents

The legal approach to brain injury cases varies significantly depending on the type of accident that caused the injury. Each category presents distinct liability issues, evidence requirements, and potential defendants. Jamaica’s diverse environment creates exposure to all major categories of brain injury accidents.

Car Accidents on Jamaica’s Roadways

Motor vehicle accidents represent a leading cause of traumatic brain injury in Jamaica. The Van Wyck Expressway’s high speeds make collisions particularly dangerous, with drivers and passengers suffering brain injuries from impacts with steering wheels, dashboards, windows, and other interior surfaces. Airbags sometimes cause brain injuries despite their life-saving function, particularly when deployed in low-speed collisions or when occupants are improperly positioned.

Pedestrian accidents frequently result in severe brain injuries, as pedestrians struck by vehicles often suffer head impacts with the vehicle, ground, or nearby objects. Jamaica’s busy commercial corridors create numerous pedestrian-vehicle conflict points. Crosswalk accidents may involve driver negligence through failure to yield, distracted driving, or speeding. Mid-block pedestrian accidents raise comparative negligence questions about whether pedestrians should have used marked crosswalks.

Determining liability in Jamaica car accident cases requires analyzing driver conduct, road conditions, traffic control devices, and contributing factors. Evidence includes police accident reports, traffic camera footage, witness statements, vehicle event data recorders, and accident reconstruction analysis. New York’s pure comparative negligence rule means even partially at-fault victims can recover damages, though recovery is reduced by their percentage of fault.

Slip and Fall Accidents at Jamaica Businesses and Properties

Premises liability law governs brain injuries occurring on another party’s property due to hazardous conditions. Jamaica’s retail corridors, apartment buildings, and public spaces contain numerous potential hazards including wet floors without warning signs, damaged sidewalks and stairs, inadequate lighting, debris or clutter in walkways, defective handrails, and snow and ice accumulation. When falls result in head impacts causing brain injury, property owners may be liable if they created the hazard, knew or should have known about the hazard, and failed to repair it or provide adequate warning.

Proving premises liability claims requires establishing the property owner’s actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition. This often involves examining maintenance records, prior incident reports, inspection logs, and witness testimony about how long a hazard existed before the accident. Defendants frequently argue that hazards were open and obvious, victims were not paying attention, or victims were on the property for unauthorized purposes affecting the duty of care owed.

Medical Malpractice Brain Injuries

Jamaica Hospital and other area healthcare facilities occasionally face claims involving brain injuries caused by medical negligence. Surgical errors including damage to brain structures during procedures, improper patient positioning, or retained surgical instruments can cause direct brain injury. Anesthesia errors may cause oxygen deprivation leading to hypoxic brain injury. Failure to diagnose and treat conditions like brain bleeds, aneurysms, or strokes in a timely manner can result in preventable brain damage. Birth injuries from mismanaged labor and delivery sometimes cause infant brain injuries with lifelong consequences.

Medical malpractice cases require expert testimony from qualified medical professionals establishing the applicable standard of care, showing how the defendant deviated from that standard, and proving that the deviation caused the plaintiff’s injuries. New York’s medical malpractice statute of limitations of two years and six months from the date of malpractice makes prompt action critical. Hospital records, medical literature, and expert opinions form the foundation of these complex cases.

How to Choose the Right Brain Injury Lawyer in Jamaica Queens

Selecting an attorney to handle your brain injury case ranks among the most important decisions you’ll make following your injury. The right attorney can mean the difference between inadequate compensation and full recovery for your losses. Jamaica residents should evaluate several critical factors when choosing legal representation.

Experience with brain injury cases specifically is essential, as these cases require medical knowledge and legal strategies different from other personal injury matters. Attorneys should have a track record of handling TBI cases, understanding neurological medical records, working with neurology experts, and presenting complex medical evidence to juries. General personal injury experience, while valuable, does not substitute for specific brain injury case experience.

Resources to fully investigate and prosecute your case include financial capacity to advance costs for expert witnesses, medical record retrieval, accident reconstruction, medical illustrations, and other litigation expenses. Brain injury cases may require tens of thousands of dollars in expert costs before reaching trial. Attorneys should be willing and able to invest these resources in your case, typically recovering costs only if the case succeeds.

Trial experience matters because insurance companies evaluate settlement demands based partly on an attorney’s willingness and ability to try cases. Attorneys who rarely go to trial may receive lower settlement offers because insurers know they will likely accept reduced amounts rather than face a jury. While most cases settle, having a trial-ready attorney strengthens your negotiating position.

The Brain Injury Litigation Process in Jamaica Queens Courts

Understanding how brain injury lawsuits proceed through New York courts helps set realistic expectations and enables informed decision-making throughout your case. Jamaica brain injury cases filed in New York State Supreme Court (the trial-level court for major civil cases) follow established procedural rules and timelines.

The process begins with pre-litigation investigation and preparation. Before filing a lawsuit, your attorney investigates liability, preserves evidence, obtains medical records, consults with experts, and attempts settlement negotiations with insurance companies. Many cases settle during this phase when liability is clear and damages are well-documented. However, insurance companies often require the filing of a lawsuit before making serious settlement offers on substantial brain injury claims.

Complaint filing initiates formal litigation. The complaint is a legal document outlining your factual allegations, identifying legal theories of liability, and specifying damages sought. After filing with the court, the complaint must be served on all defendants, who then have specified time periods to respond by filing answers or pre-answer motions. The answer sets forth the defendant’s version of events and raises defenses to your claims.

Discovery is the most time-consuming litigation phase, often spanning 12-18 months or longer in complex brain injury cases. Discovery allows both parties to gather evidence through various formal mechanisms. Depositions involve sworn testimony recorded by court reporters, with attorneys questioning parties, witnesses, and experts. Document demands require production of medical records, employment files, insurance documents, and other relevant materials. Interrogatories are written questions requiring written answers under oath. Independent medical examinations allow defense doctors to evaluate injury claimants.

Settlement negotiations occur throughout litigation but often intensify after discovery reveals the strength of each side’s evidence. Mediation involves a neutral third party facilitating settlement discussions, often resulting in resolution of cases that might otherwise proceed to trial. Settlement conferences with judges assigned to cases can also promote resolution. Defendants consider trial risks, potential verdict amounts, defense costs, and adverse publicity when evaluating settlement offers.

Trial becomes necessary when settlement efforts fail and the case proceeds to verdict. New York brain injury trials are heard by juries unless both parties agree to bench trials before judges. Trials typically span one to three weeks depending on case complexity. The plaintiff presents evidence first, including lay witness testimony, expert testimony, and documentary evidence. The defense then presents its case, often including competing expert opinions minimizing injuries or challenging causation. After closing arguments, juries deliberate and return verdicts specifying liability findings and damage awards.

Frequently Asked Questions About Jamaica Queens Brain Injury Cases

Take Action to Protect Your Rights After a Jamaica Queens Brain Injury

Brain injuries represent life-altering events that demand immediate legal attention to protect your rights and secure the compensation you deserve. Jamaica, Queens residents face unique challenges navigating New York’s complex personal injury legal system while recovering from devastating neurological trauma. With over 11,500 traumatic brain injury emergency department visits annually in Queens County, you are not alone in confronting these challenges.

The decisions you make in the days and weeks following your brain injury will significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. Evidence disappears quickly, with accident scenes changing, surveillance footage being deleted, and witness memories fading. New York’s statute of limitations imposes strict deadlines for filing claims, with shorter deadlines for claims against government entities and medical malpractice cases. Insurance companies move quickly to minimize their exposure, often contacting victims while still hospitalized to obtain statements that can be used against them later.

Professional legal representation levels the playing field against insurance companies and defendants who have teams of lawyers protecting their interests. Brain injury attorneys understand the medical complexities of traumatic brain injuries, know how to work with neurology experts, have resources to fully investigate claims, can calculate the true value of your damages including future needs, and possess the trial experience to maximize your recovery. Most importantly, experienced attorneys handle brain injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless your case succeeds.

Jamaica’s diverse community deserves access to experienced legal representation that understands both the medical complexities of brain injuries and the cultural sensitivities of this unique neighborhood. Whether your injury resulted from a car accident on the Van Wyck Expressway, a slip and fall at a local business, medical malpractice at Jamaica Hospital, or a workplace accident, you have legal rights to compensation. Acting quickly preserves those rights and maximizes your chances of full recovery for all your damages.