Personal injury lawyer help in Orange County, New York

Orange County, New York includes 50 named communities, the largest being Newburgh, Middletown, New Windsor. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same New York rules apply: a 3-year filing deadline for most injury claims, pure comparative negligence, and lawsuits filed in the Orange County Supreme Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

Ask Legal Matters is a personal injury lead-generation service that collects free case review requests from injured people in the United States and shares them with independent attorneys and law firms. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Requests from Orange County may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in New York. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone.

From 2020 through 2024, federal crash records list 159 fatal crashes in Orange County, in which 168 people died. The roads with the most were US-6 with 16 fatal crashes, I-84 with 16 and State Route 17 with 10.

The yearly count was 27 in 2020, 30 in 2021, 37 in 2022, 27 in 2023 and 38 in 2024; 41% of the crashes happened after dark. 23 involved a pedestrian, cyclist or other person outside a vehicle, and 26 happened at or near an intersection.

Fatal crashes are the most serious outcome on these roads; many more crashes cause injuries without a death. Whatever the severity, the police crash report, photos of the scene and prompt medical records are the starting evidence for a claim.

Communities in the county with the most fatal crashes coded to them:

• Newburgh, NY30 fatal crashes · 30 deaths, 2020-2024
• Goshen, NY9 fatal crashes · 9 deaths, 2020-2024
• Highland Falls, NY9 fatal crashes · 9 deaths, 2020-2024
• Highland Mills, NY8 fatal crashes · 10 deaths, 2020-2024
• Montgomery, NY8 fatal crashes · 9 deaths, 2020-2024

In New York, every driver in a crash that kills or injures anyone, or damages any one person's property (including their own) by more than $1,000, must file a Report of Motor Vehicle Crash (MV-104) with the DMV within 10 days (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605). If anyone is injured or killed, the DMV says the driver must also notify the police immediately.

Who must report

Every driver in a crash in New York that kills or injures anyone or damages any one person's property, including their own, by more than $1,000

Report to

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (online or by mail)

Deadline

Within 10 days after the crash

At the scene

If anyone is injured or killed, notify the police immediately; if no officer is nearby, report it as soon as you are physically able to the nearest police station or judicial officer (VTL § 600)

Driver's form

Report of Motor Vehicle Crash (MV-104)

Copy of the crash report

NY DMV: order and access motor vehicle crash reports

Step by step

How do I get a car accident report in New York?

Sources: N.Y. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605; N.Y. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600; NY DMV: file a motorist crash report; NY DMV: order crash reports. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Newburgh, NYpop. 28,290
• Middletown, NYpop. 27,812
• New Windsor, NYpop. 8,922
• Monroe, NYpop. 8,632
• Port Jervis, NYpop. 8,609
• Walden, NYpop. 6,839
• Warwick, NYpop. 6,823
• West Point, NYpop. 6,763
• Washingtonville, NYpop. 5,788
• Goshen, NYpop. 5,397
• Montgomery, NYpop. 4,609
• Highland Mills, NYpop. 3,957
• Chester, NYpop. 3,918
• Highland Falls, NYpop. 3,841
• Vails Gate, NYpop. 3,369
• Maybrook, NYpop. 3,286
• Greenwood Lake, NYpop. 3,113
• Cornwall, NYpop. 2,966
• Florida, NYpop. 2,899
• Harriman, NYpop. 2,476
• Central Valley, NYpop. 1,810
• Pine Bush, NYpop. 1,780
• Fort Montgomery, NYpop. 1,571
• Otisville, NYpop. 1,046

Smaller communities in Orange County include Arden, Bellvale, Blooming Grove, Bullville, Campbell Hall, Circleville, Cornwall On Hudson, Cuddebackville, Howells, Huguenot, Johnson, Mountainville, New Hampton, New Milford, Pine Island, Rock Tavern, Salisbury Mills, Slate Hill, Southfields, Sparrow Bush, Sterling Forest, Sugar Loaf, Thompson Ridge, Tuxedo Park, Unionville, Westtown. Residents of these areas follow the same New York rules, use the same Orange County Supreme Court, and can request a free case review from anywhere in the county.

New York generally gives an injured person three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5)); medical malpractice is different (two and a half years). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against New York municipalities require a notice of claim within 90 days (Gen. Mun. Law § 50-e). Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Orange County Supreme Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Orange County is to get legal advice early.

New York follows pure comparative negligence. In plain terms, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Orange County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a car accident in Orange County, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays initial medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is available only when injuries meet New York's serious-injury threshold or costs exceed PIP limits. Minimum required coverage in New York is 25/50/10.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Orange County are typically filed in the Orange County Supreme Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Orange County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Orange County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Orange County are generally covered by New York workers' compensation, administered through the New York Workers' Compensation Board. Report the injury to your employer within 30 days — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within two years. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

After a crash in Orange County, most people ask the same questions first. These guides answer them in plain English; the New York rules that change the answers are explained on this page.

• What should you do after a car accident?
• How do you file a car accident insurance claim?
• What is the average car accident settlement?
• How should you deal with the insurance adjuster after a car accident?
• What happens if an uninsured driver hits you?
• Who pays your medical bills after a car accident?

• Rockland County, NY
• Putnam County, NY
• Ulster County, NY
• Westchester County, NY

See the New York personal injury guide for every county in the state.