New Jersey Car Accident Lawyer

Over 30,000 motor vehicle fatalities occur each year in the United States. Severe and fatal personal injury occurs when motor vehicles collide with other passenger vehicles causing, bus accidents, truck accidents, tractor trailer accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents. There are many causes of car accidents, most of which are preventable and due to the reckless or careless actions of another. If you have suffered one of these injuries due to another’s negligence, it is important you consult with a New Jersey car accident lawyer to discuss filing an injury claim. An experienced South Jersey personal injury lawyer can help guide you through the legal process and ensure that your rights are protected at each step.
En Español.

How Can The New Jersey Car Accident Lawyers at Grungo Law Help?

The car accident attorneys at Grungo Law have decades of experience navigating car accident claims in New Jersey, with a strong history of notable results, including a recent $981,000 settlement to a client with car accident injuries. Our attorneys offer the following qualifications:

• We’ve obtained over $135 million for our clients, putting a strong voice behind your claim
• We have a results-oriented strategy that works by combining timeless legal advocacy methods with the latest in cutting-edge technology
• Working class roots put us in the empathetic position to make the most compelling case possible for the maximum compensation available to each client
• We have a policy of open communication and honesty so you are always fully apprised of the progress of your case

We offer free consultations and never charge injured clients or their family members upfront fees. Instead, you pay nothing until after we win or settle your claim.

Concerning Car Accident Statistics

New Jersey’s Department of Law and Public Safety keeps up-to-date information on the number of car accidents and crash fatalities in the state, including the following statistics:

• There were 585 fatal car accidents in New Jersey in 2023
• Middlesex County had the highest number of traffic fatalities with 64 car accident deaths in 2023
• Crash numbers increased 27% between 2023 and 2024
• New Jersey officials note a steady increase in car accidents in the last five years and site distracted driving, intoxicated driving, and aggressive driving as behaviors that continue to increase the risks
• New Jersey car accidents hit a 15-year high in 2023, but car accident deaths decreased by 9.4%
• New Jersey residents experience 7.4 car accident deaths per every 100,000 population in 2022

Elderly and youth drivers are the most common at-fault parties in New Jersey car accidents, but car accident injuries happen to those of all ages and often occur to motorists in other vehicles involved in two-car collisions.

Car Accident Injuries Result From

• Reckless driving
• Distracted driving
• Excessive speeding
• Aggressive driving and road rage
• Drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs
• Drowsy driving
• Multi-vehicle accidents
• Defectively designed or manufactured motor vehicles
• Poorly maintained or defectively designed roads
• Poor weather conditions
• Roll-over accidents
• Intersection collisions
• Rear-end collisions

Most car accidents result from driver error. For instance, even during inclement weather, a driver may be accountable for injuries if they didn’t appropriately slow their speed to accommodate a slippery road or poor visibility.

What If an Accident Wasn’t Caused by Driver Error?

Less commonly, a car accident investigation reveals that driver error wasn’t the cause—or sole cause—of an accident. In some cases, a car accident results from other adverse circumstances, such as road hazards or construction debris left in the roadway by a negligent road maintenance crew, or due to a confusing road design by a city planning agency. Some accidents are caused by defective mechanical or electrical auto parts. If your attorney’s investigation uncovers evidence of one or more liable parties in a car accident, you may be able to recover compensation through a lawsuit.

Car Accident Injuries and Damages

Physical injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents range from mild cuts and scrapes to significant bodily harm. Motor vehicle accident victims commonly suffer from broken or fractured bones, muscle sprains and strains, nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, eye injuries, concussions, loss of limbs, internal bleeding, and other traumatic brain injuries. If you suffered a head injury due to your accident, reach out to a South Jersey brain injury lawyer today.

Car accident victims may be faced with high medical bills including the costs of past and future medical treatment, prescriptions, rehabilitation and physical therapy, as well as lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and costs related to physical damage to their vehicle.

Medical treatment for car accident injuries may be necessary for years following the accident. Car accident victims, with the help of a South Jersey car accident attorney, may also recover for their emotional distress and pain and suffering under certain circumstances.  In wrongful death cases, the surviving family members may also be entitled to compensation for the costs of funeral expenses.

Obtaining Car Accident Injury Compensation in New Jersey

New Jersey’s no-fault car accident laws require accident victims to file claims against their own automobile insurance except under specific circumstances, such as when their car insurance options allow for lawsuits in cases of negligence or when their damages far exceed the limits of their personal injury protection (PIP) policy.

Car accident victims seeking to obtain compensation for their injuries may file personal injury lawsuits against several potentially responsible parties including the driver, auto manufacturers and designers, road designers, road maintenance companies, and even government entities. When the carelessness or recklessness of any of these parties leads to a motor vehicle accident, a claim for negligence exists.

Car accident victims should always consult an experienced car accident lawyer in New Jersey prior to resolving any claim with insurance companies or other drivers.  Insurance companies have legal teams working on their behalf and so should you.

Important Time Limits for Your New Jersey Car Accident Claim

Time is of the essence in dealing with automobile accident claims. New Jersey law requires that injured individuals file their claims against responsible parties within a certain period of time.  This is known as the statute of limitations.  Failure to do so may result in an injured person’s forfeiture of their rights.

New Jersey’s time limit for car accident claims falls under the state’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims. The time limit is two years from the date of the car accident. Under New Jersey §52:48-18. The law says the following:

No order for the payment of compensation shall be made … unless the application has been made within two years after the date of the personal injury or death or after that date upon determination by the board that good cause exists for the delayed filing…”

The New Jersey courts perceive some exceptions to this time limit as “good cause.” For example, if a car accident victim is incapacitated after an accident, the statute of limitations begins on the date they recover cognitive ability. The court may also delay the time limit if the at-fault party flees the scene of the accident. In this case, it begins on the date the authorities identify and apprehend the driver. If an accident victim’s injury isn’t diagnosed until some time later, the statute of limitations begins on the date of the discovery. Finally, underage car accident victims have up to two years after their 18th birthday to file their case.

Most car accident claims are resolved with a settlement from the insurance company, but if a case requires a lawsuit in court, the injury victim must file the lawsuit petition within the statute of limitations.

What Types of Car Accidents Are Common In New Jersey?

Car accidents can occur anywhere in New Jersey, including on the turnpike, within busy urban communities, on congested highways, and even on rural roadways. Common types of car accidents in New Jersey include the following:

• Rear-end collisions
• T-bone accidents (angle collisions or broadside accidents)
• Head-on collisions
• Sideswipes
• Roadway departures
• Rollover accidents
• Multi-car pileups

Two-car collisions are the most common type of car accident in New Jersey, typically resulting from one driver’s failure to yield the right of way, distraction, or other error.

What to Do After a New Jersey Car Accident

Pictures from the automobile accident scene, witness information, and police reports are other important forms of evidence in motor vehicle accident lawsuits.  It is also important for injured individuals to keep detailed records of all medical treatment received as a result of the accident and a log of all conversations held with insurance companies and other potentially responsible parties. This information is critical to the success of your car accident lawsuit.

Gathering evidence begins at the scene of the accident for those who are conscious and able to safely use a cell phone. After an accident, taking the following steps helps to protect physical safety and a car accident victim’s financial future:

• Call 911 to report the accident. New Jersey requires drivers to report all car accidents with injuries or fatalities or any accident with over $500 in property damage
• Use your cell phone camera to snap photos of the damaged vehicles
• Photograph the car accident scene before emergency services move the cars out of their positions
• Photograph anything relevant to the causes of the accident such as a traffic light or road hazard
• Take the contact information of the other driver(s) and any eyewitnesses—eyewitnesses are often the key component in an accident claim when there are no nearby security cameras or traffic cameras

Always go directly to the hospital and ask for a full medical examination as well as treatment for obvious injuries.

What If My Loved One Died in a Car Accident In New Jersey?

If a close family member dies in a car accident through no fault of their own but due to another driver’s negligence or recklessness, a spouse, adult child, or parent may be able to recover compensation through a New Jersey wrongful death claim. A successful claim cannot bring the lost loved one back, but it helps relieve the family’s financial burdens associated with the fatality, such as their emergency medical costs from before the death, funeral expenses, and lost income and benefits for the remaining working years they would have had if they hadn’t perished from their injuries.

Consulting With An Attorney

Motor vehicle accidents often result in overwhelming financial and emotional stress to injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. At Grungo Law, our experienced legal team of lawyers understands that the pain of living with serious physical injuries can be devastating to injured individuals and their families.

Our New Jersey car accident attorneys have navigated the complexities of automobile insurance law including those rules and regulations related to underinsured and uninsured drivers. Grungo Law has aggressively represented countless car accident victims in New Jersey obtaining large settlements and awards for our clients. Contact our team today.