If you have been injured in a car accident in New Jersey, you may face challenges in determining the damages. In such a situation, an experienced New Jersey car accident lawyer at Omni Injury & Accident Law helps people injured in car crashes fight for the compensation they deserve. We’ve seen the impact these injuries can have on people’s lives, and we are dedicated to fighting for justice.
If you need help with your personal injury claim, contact us now for a free consultation at 646-736-4184. We can help you get started on your insurance claim. Our lawyers represent auto accident victims in Jersey City and throughout New Jersey.
Car crash victims can find themselves trapped under hefty medical bills, including emergency room visits and physical therapy, and auto repair costs, all while being unable to work. Seeking damages in these scenarios can be critical to rebuilding your life and quality of life. A lawyer will provide crucial traffic accident legal advice, insights, and guidance on managing insurance claims with insurance companies and insurance adjusters.
How Can A Jersey City Car Accident Lawyer Help You?
Our car accident lawyer may help you understand your legal options and take you step-by-step through your claim. Contact Jersey City auto accident lawyers for assistance with:
- Free Case Evaluation: Every consultation comes absolutely free along with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers who will analyze your case and walk you through your legal steps towards seeking compensation.
- Claim Management: We take care of lodging your claim and all communication with the insurance companies. This also covers answering questions for supporting documents such as medical records, police reports, and any other requests that may need answering.
- Evidence Gathering: We as a legal team will collect all necessary evidence and other information concerning the accident scene and your wounds. This is important for filing claims as well as receiving considerable compensation.
- Negotiations: Well-experienced negotiators are important in increasing your compensation, understanding your claim, the losses involved such as permanent disability or scarring, and how to use their negotiation skills to help you pursue a fair car accident settlement Process.
- Filing a Lawsuit: In cases where no agreement is reached, our litigation team is ready to step in and take over the work on your behalf to file a personal injury lawsuit.
- Pre-Trial and Trial Representation: For all the pre-trial proceedings and during the trial, we can represent you. Our attorneys will ensure your case details, including expert testimony and accident reconstruction expert reports, are put across to the judge and jury in the most compelling way.
If you need assistance with your car accident claim, contact us for your free case evaluation. We can help identify your needs and create a plan to recover just compensation.
Common Causes of Car Accidents In New Jersey
While often referred to as “accidents,” the fact is that recklessness, aggressive driving, and negligence are some of the more common reasons car crashes occur. Different behaviors and environmental factors such as weather conditions, road conditions, and malfunctioning traffic signals can contribute to these incidents.
Inexperienced drivers and negligent drivers are among the top causes of New Jersey accidents. Some other common causes include:
- Reckless driving: Actions like speeding, unsafe lane changes, tailgating, running stop signs, or failing to yield right of way can lead to devastating crashes involving motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, bus accidents, or passenger vehicles. A skilled motorcycle crash attorney or car accident lawyer can help pursue compensation for injuries caused by these reckless acts.
- Distracted driving: Texting, using GPS, changing the radio, or eating while driving can all take a driver’s attention off the road. Personal injury attorneys often see motorcycle crash victims injured by distracted drivers who fail to see smaller vehicles in time to prevent a collision.
- Drunk driving: Operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs continues to be a leading cause of fatal and serious injuries. Motorcycle accident lawyers and accident attorneys work hard to hold impaired drivers accountable, especially when their recklessness leaves victims permanently unable to work or suffering spinal cord injury.
- Bad weather: Ice, snow, rain, and fog significantly reduce visibility and traction, increasing the chance of an accident. If a motorcycle crash that is not your fault occurred during poor weather, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney can help build a strong case history and testify on your behalf.
- Speeding: Excessive speed reduces a driver’s reaction time and increases the severity of injuries in a crash. Trial motorcycle accident attorneys often deal with speeding-related accidents, where victims need help navigating insurance claims and recovering damages for medical costs and lost wages.
A Jersey City car accident lawyer will help you in the investigation of the cause of your crash and determine fault, if necessary, including in cases of comparative negligence or premises liability. Understanding how an accident happened and if another party is to blame, including commercial vehicle accidents, can help you recover full and fair damages.
Common Injuries After A Car Accident In Jersey City
Car crashes are traumatic events. These collisions can cause physical, emotional, and mental trauma to vehicle occupants. Depending on the severity of these accidents, victims may suffer for weeks, months, or years after.
Some common car accident injuries are:
- Broken bones: Fractures can result from the impact and trauma of a crash.
- Soft tissue injuries: Sprains and strains to ligaments, tendons, and muscles throughout the body may result from a car accident.
- Whiplash: The impact of a car accident can cause the head to move back and forth in a whip-like motion, causing strain to the ligaments and tendons in the neck and back.
- Traumatic brain injury: A TBI is caused by the brain bouncing inside of the skull causing issues with cognition, memory, and motor skills.
- Spinal cord injury: Fractures, severing, and damage to the bones, muscles, and nerves can lead to muscle weakness or paralysis.
- Loss of Limb: Amputations may result from the crash or become medically necessary if the injury is severe or there is an infection, leading to disfigurement.
- PTSD, Anxiety, or Depression: Mental health conditions such as psychological trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress can commonly occur from the trauma and distress of an accident. The duration of symptoms can vary.
A car accident attorney can assist with a personal injury or wrongful death claim. They can evaluate the impact of your injury on your life, secure evidence and expert witnesses to attest to the extent of your injury, and fight for the compensation you are owed, including compensation for burial costs or loss of consortium.
Common Types of Car Accidents in New Jersey
A car accident occurs whenever a car collides with an object. These motor vehicle accidents may involve one or more other vehicles or crashing into an object, animal, pedestrian, or bicyclist. Some common types of car accidents include:
- Head-On Collisions: A head-on crash occurs when the front of two vehicles collide with each other. This may occur when one vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction.
- Rear-End Collisions: A rear-end accident occurs when the front of one vehicle hits the back of another. Following too closely or sudden stopping may cause these accidents.
- Side-Impact Accidents: Also called a T-bone accident, these crashes occur when the front of a vehicle hits the side of another creating a “T.” These types of collisions often occur at intersections.
- Sideswipe Accidents: A sideswipe happens when the sides of two vehicles hit along each other. Failing to check blind spots or driving too closely to a parked vehicle may cause a sideswipe.
- Rollover Accidents: If a vehicle flips onto its top, this is known as a rollover. SUVs and pickup trucks are more prone to rolling over.
- Single-Vehicle Accidents: If only one vehicle is involved this is known as a single car accident. This may occur if a vehicle runs off the road or collides with an animal or object.
- Multi-Vehicle Collisions: A multi-car collision or pileup occurs when a chain reaction accident causes multiple vehicles to be involved in a crash. These multi-vehicle accidents are more likely to occur in heavily trafficked areas like interstates and highways.
An experienced auto accident attorney can help you navigate to the decision and compensation you deserve.
What To Do After A Car Crash In New Jersey?
After being involved in a car accident, you may be wondering what steps need to be taken. If you need help, these steps can guide you:
- Seek medical help: As with any accident, the first step is to identify any possible injuries. If there are any, make sure to call 911 for emergency room assistance.
- Move to a safe place: In the event that there are no visible signs of injuries for everyone involved, especially for the passengers, then make sure to shift the vehicle defect off the road so that it does not hinder traffic.
- Exchange information: At this stage, you have to make sure to collect personal details of the other driver, such as name, phone number, insurance company, and number plate, so that it is easy to handle and manage all details later.
- Call the police: It is critical to call the police and make sure that an official accident report has been issued, even in cases where there are minor damages to the vehicle.
- Take Pictures: Make sure to take pictures of the entire accident scene, focusing on the damaged vehicles and the injuries that any passengers might have sustained as well.
- Speak to eyewitnesses: If there are any independent eyewitnesses to the entire incident, make sure that you get their details so that they can contact either the police or your insurance company.
- Contact an attorney: There are many reasons for hiring an experienced car accident lawyer or automobile accident attorney in Jersey City, and one of them is that they will walk you through the entire personal injury claim process.
After you contact a New Jersey personal injury lawyer, they can get to work on your claim. Car wreck lawyers may review the evidence and documentation and gather necessary information to file a comprehensive insurance claim.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Car Accident in New Jersey
After a motor vehicle crash, drivers may pursue several different types of damages. Categorically these are referred to as economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Your car accident attorneys can help you understand each of the following types.
Economic Damages
These are the costs you have paid or will pay as a direct consequence of your traffic accidents. It is money that is meant to pay for your financial losses. For instance, economic damages cover the following:
- Medical expenses: Costs for medical treatment, which include payment for hospital stays, doctor consultations, rehabilitation sessions, diagnostic testing, physical therapy, buying medicine, and any required medical appliances, as well as disability-enduring injuries. Your attorneys can help you determine if there is any medical malpractice involved with your recovery, too.
- Lost income: If you cannot work because of your injuries, you may also claim lost income and even future income if your injury has a long-term impact on your capacity to work, such as with a spinal injury.
- Property damage: It includes car repair or replacement costs as well as other property damages. These damages are easier to prove because their supporting documents are receipts, bills, and pay stubs.
Your Jersey City accident attorney will help you assess how these costs are recovered.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages assess the impact of an accident on one’s life as a whole, focusing on the psychological effects and pain it has caused. Unlike economic damages, there’s no specific dollar amount tied to them. These damages are more about how the accident affected your mental and emotional well-being, including psychological trauma, emotional distress, and mental anguish. In New Jersey, the amount of damages possible may depend on your policy. Recovery may be limited to claiming such damages if a person has a more serious injury.
Punitive Damages
Unlike compensatory damages, which aim to reimburse you for losses incurred, punitive damages are awarded to punish the other driver for acting recklessly and dangerously and to set an example for others who might consider doing the same. This is rare and done when there are extreme circumstances such as alleged intoxication, street racing, or some form of explicit or intentional harm.
How Do You Prove Negligence In A Car Crash Injury Claim?
To prove negligence in a car crash injury claim, you must establish four key elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. Evidence such as police reports, witness statements, traffic camera footage, and expert testimony helps demonstrate that the other driver acted carelessly — such as tailgating, texting, or speeding.
Car accident lawyers and motorcycle accident attorneys play a vital role in gathering this evidence and building a strong case. If you’re a motorcycle rider injured by a negligent driver, an experienced motorcycle crash lawyer can fight to recover the compensation you deserve. Your attorney may also check into whether product liability played a role among the vehicles involved.
How Much Is My New Jersey Car Accident Claim Worth?
The value of your claim will depend on the extent of your injuries and whether you can pursue the at-fault party for damages. When considering the type of compensation you can pursue and the amount you can recover, it is critical to understand how New Jersey car insurance policies work.
New Jersey is a choice no-fault state, this means drivers can choose between fault and no-fault insurance.
- If a driver has a limited tort policy, they can seek compensation for their losses through their own insurance policy.
- Personal injury protection, or PIP benefits are included in all auto insurance policies. PIP typically covers damages like medical expenses and lost wages. Property damage, however, may not be covered.
- Liability insurance is required for all New Jersey drivers. It includes bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage in the event the driver is found legally responsible for an accident.
- Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage are encouraged in the event you sustain damages that exceed liability limits or the responsible driver does not have coverage.
- With full-tort coverage, drivers have the right to seek damages from the responsible party. In some cases, drivers with limited tort coverage may have the right to sue for pain and suffering, depending on whether their injuries are significant enough to exceed the “verbal threshold.”
Identifying your damages and paths to recovery is crucial. A New Jersey car accident lawyer may explain your insurance policy and options for recovering fair compensation.
Car Insurance Policies in New Jersey
New Jersey follows a no-fault car insurance system, meaning your own insurance policy pays for your medical expenses after an accident, regardless of who caused it. Drivers must carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP), liability coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
However, these policies may not fully cover serious injuries, especially in motorcycle crashes involving passenger vehicles. If you’re injured and the costs exceed your coverage, a car accident lawyer or personal injury attorney can help you pursue additional compensation. Understanding your policy limits and legal options is essential — especially when you’re dealing with complex claims or injuries caused by negligent drivers or manufacturer defects.
Statute Of Limitations For Car Accident Victims In New Jersey
The New Jersey statute of limitations for personal injury cases is just two years from the date of the accident. Failing to file a lawsuit before this deadline may mean forfeiting the right to seek damages.
There are limited exceptions to the statute of limitations. Jersey City accident lawyers may review your claim and the facts to determine the deadline to sue for a car accident and whether any exceptions apply. Moreover, they can assist with making a timely filing and securing your right to recovery.
Car Accident Statistics in New Jersey
In 2024, New Jersey saw 652 fatal crashes resulting in 689 fatalities according to preliminary data from the New Jersey State Police. This number increased significantly from 2023, up from 574 crashes and 606 fatalities.
In 2022, the New Jersey Department of Transportation reported 52,240 injury crashes across New Jersey, up from 48,962 in 2021 and 42,791 in 2020. Pre-COVID, numbers of injury crashes were over 60,000 annually. Furthermore, over 1,000 car accidents involved handheld devices, and 365 involved hands-free. These numbers appear to remain greatly unchanged from year to year.
Contact A Jersey City Car Accident Attorney For Legal Help Today
A Jersey City car accident attorney at Omni Injury and Accident Law, is ready to assist you to get the jury verdict that gets you the right compensation. Whether you are just getting started on your claim or are in the midst of insurance company negotiations, we can step in to help. We will guide you throughout your legal journey from start to end. As this will be a difficult time for you, you can be assured of legal representation.
Our lawyer works on a contingency fee basis, which means we won’t charge you legal fees unless we win. Call us now to schedule a free consultation by calling 646-736-4184.
