Attorneys Rod Behren & Barton Sobel have built their entire careers successfully representing and protecting the rights of accident victims. They have earned the recognition of The New York State Insurance Department and numerous insurance companies and have been included as Panel Member counsel.

The Firm is dedicated to representing clients throughout New York within the following areas:

• Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • Automobile Accidents
  • Bicycle Accidents
  • Bus Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• SUV-Rollover Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Construction/On-the-Job Accidents
• Slip and Fall/Premises Liability
• Catastrophic Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injury

Behren & Sobel attorneys are uniquely accessible, and, if needed, will visit you in your home or at the hospital at no charge. In addition, every client is provided with their attorney's personal cell phone number and can contact them even after normal business hours. Each client will deal personally and exclusively with their assigned counsel.

"As our clients can attest, we are qualified to handle the most challenging accident and injury cases having succeeded in procuring awards on even the most complex liability issues. Since 1991, we have provided personal and professional service to our clients and have a long track record of successful results."

- Behren & Sobel

If you or someone you know in Great Neck, or the wider metropolitan area of New York, needs the assistance and skilled legal counsel of an experienced serious injury lawyer, contact Behren & Sobel today at (866) 722-4088, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Practice Areas and Legal Definitions

New York Motor Vehicle Accidents:

Legal claims that arise from vehicle accidents are typically governed by the law of negligence. Any individual who negligently operates a motor vehicle may be required to pay damages to an injured victim. A personal injury case involving a vehicle accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings, or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed. Motor vehicle accidents can include:

• automobile accidents
• admiralty and maritime law
• ATV/SUV rollover/truck accidents
• aviation accidents
• bicycle accidents
• boating/yacht/cruise ship accidents
• bus (commercial or school) accidents
• intersection accidents
• motorcycle accidents
• pedestrian accidents
• rear end collisions
• semi-tractor trailer accidents
• train accidents

The surviving family members of a fatally injured accident victim may be able to bring wrongful death charges against the defendant.

New York Automobile Accidents:

The New York car accident lawyers of Behren & Sobel work closely with doctors and other health care providers to discuss short and long-term medical consequences of injuries. They possess a detailed comprehension of New York's automobile insurance and liability laws and understand the different sources of recovery available to car accident victims and their families.

New York Wrongful Death:

A wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company, or organization. A legal action for wrongful death belongs to the decedent's immediate family members, usually a surviving spouse and children, and sometimes parents. Under certain circumstances, unrelated minor children living with and supported by the decedent may also bring a claim for wrongful death. In order to bring a successful wrongful death cause of action in New York, the following elements must be present:

• The death of a human being caused by another's negligent or intentional conduct.
• The survival of family members who are suffering the loss of financial support, love, care, comfort, supervision, guidance, household assistance and general society previously provided by the deceased.

The general rule in wrongful death cases is that one is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages suffered as a result of loss of a loved one. Economic damages in a wrongful death case include an award for financial contributions that decedent would have made to his wife, children and/or parents had he/she survived, recovery for funeral services in memory of decedent and for burial costs. Non-economic damages include loss of love, society, companionship, comfort, affection, society, solace or moral support.

New York Construction/On-the-Job Accidents:

Construction labor makes up one of the three most dangerous occupations in the U.S. today, each year producing thousands of debilitating injuries and wrongful deaths. Factors that contribute to construction accidents include workers lifting loads with worn and weathered cables, working on elevated platforms without fall protection, wearing defective safety harnesses and lanyards, working in trenches with improper benching and/or using outdated tools and equipment. Farming and manufacturing accidents, as well as those in the oil and gas industries can also cause serious injury and toxic exposure.

Construction site personal injury law is not practiced nor understood by many personal injury attorneys. As a result, many of these claims are often subject to mediocre representation and minimal financial compensation due to improper legal counsel. Injured construction workers are urged to seek an attorney who is knowledgeable in a variety of construction techniques and has successfully litigated numerous construction site personal injury cases.

New York Slip and Fall/Premises Liability:

Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and can cause serious personal injury. Most slip and falls happen in commercial settings, such as grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, construction sites, and gas stations and malls, but they also happen on private property. Premises liability accidents can include toxic exposure, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents and amusement park ride accidents. In any event, there exist duties on the part of the property owners to maintain the property responsibly and avoid the existence of hazardous conditions. Dangerous or defective conditions may be a large or small, temporary or permanent. Therefore, investigation of the claim is essential to a successful case. Temporary conditions such as water on the floor of a grocery store, or snow and ice on the stairs of a restaurant need to be investigated quickly.

New York Catastrophic/Serious Injury:

Catastrophic injury law falls under Tort Law. It involves a civil law suit for a lump sum monetary settlement or on-going compensation for a catastrophic injury suffered by the victim. Seeking the advise of a qualified catastrophic injury lawyer can help you or your loved one get the medical treatment needed for the best possible recovery and help you recoup the costs involved with the treatment. A serious injury lawyer can also help you or your loved one recover damages for the injury sustained, if it's possible.

New York Spinal Cord Injury:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the nerves within the spinal canal are damaged. Most SCI's are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages between the brain and the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI, followed by acts of violence, falls, sports injuries and diseases such as polio, spina bifida, and Friedreich's Ataxia. The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur; it only has to be fractured.

If you or someone you know in Great Neck, or the wider metropolitan area of New York, needs the assistance and skilled legal counsel of an experienced serious injury lawyer, contact Behren & Sobel today at (866) 722-4088, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following information includes frequently asked personal injury questions. The answers stated are general in nature and are not intended to apply to every situation. Each case is different and carries its own set of circumstances which must be taken into consideration by competent legal counsel.

What financial compensation can I recover in a personal injury claim?

Personal injury accident victims are entitled to recover monetary damages for all losses and expenses sustained as the result of an accident. Depending upon the particular circumstances of your case, damages may include recovery for any of the following:

• Medical bills
• Lost income, including overtime wages
• Pain & suffering
• Physical disability
• Disfigurement
• Emotional trauma
• Mental disability
• Property damage

What is the Statute of Limitations?

Every state has certain time limits, called "statutes of limitations" that govern the period during which you must file a personal injury lawsuit. In some states, for example, you may have as little as one year to file a lawsuit from an automobile accident. When the statute of limitations expires on your case, you simply do not have a case anymore.

Statutes of limitations differ not only from state to state, but also in regard to the kinds of lawsuits involved. In some states the statute of limitations, for medical malpractice, suits against governmental agencies and wrongful death actions, is shorter than for other types of personal injury cases. In general however the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is from one to three years, and the time begins from the time of the accident.

How long will it take to settle my claim?

The time it takes to settle a personal injury case depends on the circumstances surrounding the case. The more complex the case, the longer it may take to settle. Many cases can take anywhere from 3 to 18 months to settle depending on their complexity.

What is wrongful death?

Wrongful death occurs when a person's death was caused by the negligent, willful, or wrongful act, neglect, omission, or default of another, such as careless driving or a deliberate murder. In addition to injuring the person who died, people who depended upon the deceased for financial or emotional support may be entitled to compensation for the wrongful death. The State of New York has enacted a statute permitting a lawsuit to be brought by the relatives of a person who died as a result of a wrongful act.

Can a wrongful death action be brought even if the deceased never held a job?

Yes. Even if decedent never held a wage-earning job, he/she may have contributed in some other way to the family, such as a stay-at-home husband or wife who contributed services, guidance and nurturing. These contributions are quantifiable under "pecuniary losses" and can be sought in a wrongful death lawsuit.

What is medical malpractice?

Medical malpractice is negligence committed by a professional health care provider-a doctor, nurse, dentist, technician, hospital, or hospital worker-whose performance of duties deviates from a standard of practice of those with similar training and experience, resulting in harm to a patient or patients. Most medical malpractice cases are based on the concept of negligence, that the patient was harmed because the health care provider failed to meet the required standards of skill and care, in accordance with generally accepted standards. Instances of malpractice might include cutting off the oxygen supply during surgery, misdiagnosing an injury because routine tests and procedures were not followed or prescribing an illegal or unapproved drug for the patient's condition.

What is pharmacist malpractice?

Pharmacist malpractice falls into the same category as medical malpractice, in the respect that if pharmacists and pharmacy technicians fail to treat the patient with a reasonable degree of skill and care, they are guilty of medical malpractice just the same as a doctor, nurse or other health care provider. If you receive the wrong medication for your condition or wrong combination of medications and suffer damage as a result, you may have a claim either against the doctor who prescribed the medication or the pharmacist who filled the prescription.

How do I begin a medical malpractice lawsuit?

If you think you have a valid medical malpractice lawsuit, seek out an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice because it is an extremely complicated area of law that raises many complex and intellectually difficult legal and medical issues. Behren & Sobel is skilled and dedicated to fighting medical malpractice. The Firm also has a number of experienced experts who can determine not only whether a case is viable, but also how difficult the case would be to try before a jury.

How much does the Law Offices of Behren & Sobel charge for personal injury, medical malpractice or wrongful death counsel?

Behren & Sobel has very competitive prices that fall within the range of the industry standard and tailors fee arrangements to each client's needs. Due to the nature of law, each case is unique and the Firm supplies various fee structures to accommodate each client and each client's case based upon:

• Contingency
• Retainer
• Deposits
• Set Fees
• Billable unit rates or any combination of the above

The Firm gives every case individual attention and will work with you to find the best rate plan. There are no hidden costs. You will be informed of the fees for your case during your first meeting.

If you or someone you know in Great Neck, or throughout New York, needs the assistance and skilled legal counsel of an experienced serious injury lawyer, call Behren & Sobel today at (866) 722-4088, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Professional Profile

Behren & Sobel provides a dedicated legal practice with the knowledge, experience and skills to serve New York residents who have been injured as the result of someone else's negligence.

Office Addresses:   Law Offices of Behren & Sobel

111 Great Neck Road, Suite 206
Great Neck, NY 11021
Telephone: (866)722-4088

185 East 83rd Street, Suite 24F
New York, NY  10024
Telephone: (866) 722-4088

Free Initial Consultations
Inquiries accepted 24 hours a day
Creole, French languages spoken

BARTON SOBEL, Attorney

Barton Sobel received his B.S. degree from Brooklyn College, City University of New York in 1985, and graduated from Benjamin N. Cordozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, in 1988.

Professional Affiliations:

• Member Planning Board, Village of Great Neck (alt)
• Candidate, 2006, Great Neck Library Nominating Committee
• Nassau County Bar Association
• Panel Member, New York State Insurance Department

ROD BEHREN, Attorney

Rod Behren received his B.S. degree from Boston University, School of Management in 1985, and graduated from Benjamin N. Cordozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, in 1988.

Professional Affiliations:

• Panel Member, New York State Insurance Department