Sarah E. Hansen

Sarah E. Hansen is a partner at Burden & Hansen, LLC. She is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on defending personal injury cases.

Ms. Hansen represents clients in the areas of trucking and automobile accidents, employment law, labor law, municipal law/governmental liability, premises liability, products liability and general negligence. She has been selected for membership in the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA), the only international organization devoted to the defense of the trucking industry in personal injury, property damage, and workers’ compensation claims.

Ms. Hansen is the incoming Vice Chair of the DRI Trucking Committee, has Chaired the 2024 DRI Trucking Seminar, Vice Chaired the 2022 Trucking Seminar, and Co-Chaired the 2019 Trucking Primer.  She is also on the Steering Committee for DRI’s Labor & Employment Committee and publishes in their yearly state compendium  Ms. Hansen speaks and publishes frequently on a variety of topics pertaining to transportation defense, employment law matters, product liability issues, and matters affecting the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries.   She is the recipient of the 2019 Yancy Memorial Award for writing from the International Association of Defense Counsel (“IADC”).   She enjoys reading and writing on subjects of importance to her clients.

Ms. Hansen is a member of Burden & Hansen’s Emergency Response Team, which includes attorneys, field adjusters and accident reconstruction experts. The team is available 24/7 to handle all kinds of catastrophic loss response, including in major trucking, busing and automobile accidents; product failure; falls; and other incidents involving significant injury or loss of life.

Ms. Hansen handles cases throughout New York State.

Professional Affiliations/Activities

• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Incoming Vice Chair of the DRI Trucking Committee
    • Chair of 2024 Seminar, “The Time is Now: Turning the Tide in Trucking Litigation”
    • Vice Chair of 2022 Seminar, “The Future of Trucking Litigation: Smarter, Faster, Better”
    • Co-Chair of 2019 Primer, “Big Rig Meets the Court Room: A Mock Trial Primer”
  • Contributor to Labor & Employment Law Committee’s Annual Legislative Compendium for New York State
• Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)
• Themis Advocates Group
• Defense Trial Lawyers Association of Western New York
• Erie County (N.Y.) Bar Association
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), Upstate New York CLM Chapter
• Participant, Trial Academy, International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)

Publications/Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, “Defending Motor Carrier Claims for Negligent Entrustment,” Strafford (2024 and 2022)
• Presenter, Themis Advocate’s Group Mock Trial (2024)
• Presenter, Themis Advocate’s Group Mock Mediation (2024)
• Author, “Back to the Future: Defending Claims Involving Electric Bicycles, Scooters, Hoverboards and More,” DRI, For the Defense (2023)
• Presenter, “Personal Injury Claims for Uber and Lyft Accidents: Complex Liability and Insurance Coverage Issues,” Strafford (2023)
• Author, “A Shifting of the Winds on Negligent Entrustment Claims and Respondeat Superior Admission,” DRI, For the Defense (2022)
• Speaker, “But What Are They Really Doing?  Effective Strategy for Data Mining Cell Phones and Social Media,” Themis Advocates Group, Themis-On-The-Go (Atlanta) (October 2021).
• Co-Presenter, “When the Unthinkable Happens: Defending Claims from Mass Shootings,” Themis Advocates Group webinar (July 2021).
• Co-Presenter, “Testing the Waters: Use of Mock Trials to Evaluate Claims, Formulate Strategy and Prepare for Trial,” DRI webinar (June 2021).
• Co-Presenter, “Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Heading:  Regulatory Updates in the New Administration,” TIDA webinar (March 2021).
• Author, “’There’s a Shot for That’:  What Employers Need to Know about Mandatory Vaccination Requirements During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Themis Advocates Group Newsletter (Feb. 2021)
• Co-Presenter, “Navigating and Winning in the Virtual Courtroom,” Themis Advocates Group Webinar Series (January 2021)
• Co-Presenter, “Back to the Future:  Routine v. Revolution, EPL Issues in a Pandemic World,”  Themis Advocates Group Webinar Series (August 2020)
• Author, DRI Labor & Employment Compendium, 2020, 2021 & 2022, New York State
• Author, “Regulatory Update: Proposed Rulemaking Gone Missing in the Era of Trump Deregulation,” In Transit (November 2018).
• Co-author, “Wearable Woes: An Emerging Issue in Product Liability Litigation,” NAMWOLF Newsletter (June 2018).
• Author, “What to Look For: Emerging Regulatory Developments Under the Trump Administration,” TIDA Newsletter (Spring 2018).
• Co-Presenter, “Is the Plaintiff Faking a TBI?,” Turning the Tables on Plaintiffs in Trucking Litigation, DRI Trucking Law Committee (April 2018).
• Co-author, “Are you Ready for a Wallaby at the Water Cooler? What Employers Need to Know Regarding Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace,” For the Defense (March 2018).
• Co-Presenter, “Transportation Law in the Trump Era,” Themis Advocates Group Annual Meeting (January 2018).
• Presenter, “Auto and Truck Claims, Accidents & Litigation,” New York State Bar Association (April 2017)
• Author, “Avoiding Cat-astrophe While Defending Employers: Expanded Cat’s Paw Liability Hits the Second Circuit,” The Job Description (Dec. 2016)
• Speaker, “Developments in the Use of Social Media in Litigation and Ethical Considerations,” Erie County Bar Association 2016
• Co-author, “Motions in Limine,” IADC Defense Counsel Training Manual (Third Edition, 2016), with Donna L. Burden
• Author, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: Social Media and Attorney Competence,” The Voice (July 2016)
• Author, “Avoiding Problems and Pitfalls with Social Media Evidence: New York and the ‘Factual Predicate’ Test,” The Whisper (June 2016)
• Author, “Electronic Log Books, Driver Logs in the 21st Century,” In Transit (March 2015)
• Co-author, “Diversity of Citizenship Removal: What Transportation Attorneys Should Know About ‘Bad Faith’ and the One Year Time Limitation,” IADC Transportation newsletter (January 2015)
• Author, “Removing Jurisdictional Gamesmanship from Diversity of Citizenship Removal,” The Whisper (May 2014)
• Author, “Not Just a Pretty Picture: The Continuing Viability of the Logo Liability Doctrine,” In Transit (November 2013)
• Co-author, “Is New York Moving away from Frye?” IADC Toxic and Hazardous Substances Litigation newsletter (April 2012)
• Author, “No Time to Snooze when Dealing With Punitive Damages,” In Transit (April 2012)
• Co-author, “WARNING: Warnings for Seatbelts May Not Be Necessary,” IADC Product Liability newsletter (January 2012)