If someone else’s negligence left you injured in Syracuse, two questions matter more than any others right now: whether you actually have a case, and whether you can afford to find out. You have a case in New York if another person or entity’s carelessness caused your injury and you suffered real losses as a result, and finding out costs you nothing because we work on a contingency basis.
The Syracuse personal injury lawyers at Passalacqua & Associates, LLC handle the full range of injury claims across Onondaga County with a trial-ready team on every file.
Call (315) 500-6425 for a free case review. We answer 24/7.
You have a Syracuse personal injury case when someone else’s negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct caused you a real injury and real losses. Those three elements are the framework, and every claim we handle turns on them.
The elements a New York personal injury plaintiff has to prove:
If any of those four elements is weak or missing, the case has a problem. The free consultation is diagnostic. We will tell you honestly whether the claim is worth pursuing.
You pay nothing up front to hire a Syracuse personal injury lawyer at Passalacqua & Associates. We handle every personal injury case on contingency, meaning our fee is a percentage of the recovery, only if we win or settle your case. If we don’t recover for you, you owe us nothing.
What the contingency model means in practice:
The financial risk is the biggest reason people wait, and waiting almost always makes the case harder.
Our Syracuse personal injury practice covers the full range of injury and wrongful death claims across Onondaga County. Each of the sub-practices below has its own dedicated page with more depth on the law, the process, and the local court practice.
If your case type isn’t listed, call anyway. The consultation is free and we will tell you honestly whether it’s a fit for our practice or whether you’d be better served elsewhere.
Three New York rules apply to almost every personal injury case in Syracuse regardless of how the injury happened, and understanding them up front changes the strategy from day one.
The general statute of limitations for personal injury in New York is three years from the date of injury under CPLR § 214(5). That is the outer deadline. Shorter deadlines apply where the defendant is a government entity (90 days for a Notice of Claim), where injury resulted in death (two years), and in medical malpractice (typically 2.5 years). The next section lays these out in a table.
New York is a pure comparative fault state. You can recover damages even if you were partly, or even mostly, at fault for what happened, with recovery reduced by your percentage of fault. Being told “you share some blame” is not a reason to walk away from a claim. The insurance company will almost always argue you share blame, which is one reason the defense needs its own advocate at the table.
New York personal injury damages fall into two buckets, and undervaluing either one leaves money on the table:
Documenting both categories fully is the difference between fair recovery and short recovery.
The wrong deadline ends the strongest case. Below are the deadlines that most commonly apply to Syracuse personal injury claims. Where more than one deadline could apply, the shortest one controls.
| Claim type | Deadline | Statute |
| General personal injury | 3 years from date of injury | CPLR § 214(5) |
| Municipal defendant (Notice of Claim) | 90 days from the incident | Gen. Mun. Law § 50-e |
| Suit against a municipality (after Notice of Claim) | 1 year and 90 days | Gen. Mun. Law § 50-i |
| Wrongful death | 2 years from date of death | EPTL § 5-4.1 |
| Medical malpractice | 2.5 years from date of malpractice | CPLR § 214-a |
| Foreign object left in body (med mal discovery) | 1 year from discovery | CPLR § 214-a |
If a City of Syracuse, Onondaga County, Centro bus, or NY State DOT vehicle or contractor is involved in your case, the 90-day Notice of Claim window is not something you can miss and fix later. Call today.
Most Syracuse personal injury lawsuits are filed in Onondaga County Supreme Court, and where a case is venued matters as much to case outcome as the facts of the injury itself. The Fifth Judicial District has its own procedural culture, and we work these courts every week.
The venue basics you should know:
Knowing the sitting justices, the defense bar, and the local practice on motion timing is not decoration. It shapes real outcomes.
Passalacqua & Associates represents injury victims across the entire Syracuse metro, not just downtown. When injuries make travel impractical, we meet clients at home or in the hospital.
Areas we regularly serve include:
If your injury happened elsewhere but ties back to an Onondaga County defendant, insurer, or venue, we can still handle the case.
Choosing an injury firm is a decision about who you want in the room negotiating with the insurance carrier and, if the case goes that far, in front of the jury. Ask about trial experience specifically.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
There is no cost to find out where you stand, and there is no obligation to hire us after the call. What there is, is a running clock. The sooner counsel is involved, the more of the case we can protect.
Call Passalacqua & Associates, LLC at (315) 500-6425 any time, day or night, or visit our Syracuse office at 499 S. Warren St, Suite 220, Syracuse, NY 13202. Consultations are free and confidential.
Passalacqua & Associates, LLC provides legal representation for individuals facing personal injuries and criminal charges. Our attorneys offer compassionate guidance and aggressive strategies, and we’re committed to achieving the best possible outcomes. We’ll protect your rights and navigate legal complexities on your behalf.
Passalacqua & Associates, LLC proudly serves clients in Utica, Syracuse, and the surrounding upstate New York communities. We are dedicated to providing accessible and effective legal services to those in need of experienced personal injury and criminal defense representation within these regions.