Navigate the Intricacies of Proving Negligence and Seeking Compensation After a Minor Car Accident on New Jersey Roadways
When you think about the number of people sharing the earth with us, especially in metropolitan areas like any major city in the United States, it is not hard to think that accidents amongst each other can happen every minute of the day. Even less hard is to think about the number of people who drive in any metropolitan area in the United States and the frequency of car accidents that occur every minute of the day. Major accidents are less frequent, which is good because of the significant injury associated with them. However, minor accidents occur much more often and still involve some injury.
Distinctive Characteristics of Minor Accidents in NJ
A minor accident can be characterized as an accident or collision between two vehicles that is low impact, typically at a low speed, that results in both minor damage to your vehicle and sometimes minor damage or injury to the passengers of the vehicles.
Typical Types of Minor Accidents
The most common types of minor car accidents are usually fender benders when one vehicle will make contact with the other vehicle through the fenders of the vehicles. “Fender benders,” as they are commonly called, occur most likely because the guilty driver is distracted. They can be adjusting the radio or GPS navigation system, using their cell phone, eating, drinking, putting on makeup, talking to other passengers, tending to pets, or anything else that could distract them from what is in front of them.
The causes of any minor accident can range from intoxicated driving to texting and driving. People drive distractedly every day, and the consequences are usually severe, but can also lead to minor injuries and damage.
Injuries Resulting From Minor Accidents
The most common injuries amongst drivers involved in minor car accidents include soft tissue injuries such as injury to muscles, ligaments, and/or tendons. This can lead to a stiff or sore neck with pain and limited movement. Drivers can also experience headaches, shoulder pains, and even nerve damage in their arms. Head injuries are extremely serious and are often associated with nausea, vomiting, dizziness, memory loss, blurry vision, fatigue, and sometimes confusion.
Also, it is likely that a driver may suffer bruised or broken bones, small cuts or abrasions, lesions and/or burns as a result of a minor car accident.
Minor Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Harmless
Car accidents are traumatic experiences for all drivers, and it does not matter how serious the accident is. Due to the trauma involved, most drivers involved in accidents experience an adrenaline rush and therefore may not feel any injury at the time medical attention is being offered to them. Not being able to quickly diagnose a head injury can lead to much more serious problems. For example, if you have a concussion and do not realize it, you can suffer severe consequences if it is not diagnosed and treated immediately. The same thing can happen with muscle damage in the neck and body. Injuries that are not attended to often become worse.
Certain injuries can take as long as four weeks before they show up. If a certain organ undergoes trauma, it may take a while for the trauma to manifest into an infection and eventually cause failure of the organ.
After a Minor Accident, Implement These Key Measures
The first thing to do is call the police and make sure that they start a police report on what happened. The next thing to do is to exchange information with the other drive, and then call to make a claim with your insurance company. Retaining whatever evidence from the scene that you can is vital if you plan on suing for damages. For example, taking pictures of the vehicles at the point of impact and whatever surrounding environment is relevant can mean the difference between being justly compensated and not being able to recover.
Afterward, you should seek medical attention in order to get an accurate assessment of what injuries you actually have as a result of the minor accident.
Proving Negligence in a Minor Collision: How Difficult is it?
Proving negligence means that you can prove four things. You can prove that the defendant owed a duty to act reasonably prudent, that the defendant breached this duty, that the defendant’s breach of this duty caused the plaintiff’s injury, and that the plaintiff suffered actual injury.
Getting What You Deserve After a Minor Accident
You are entitled to seek compensation for whatever damage there is to your vehicle or injuries you have suffered as a result of the other party’s negligence. You can recover compensation for medical costs, property damage, wages of any employment lost, as well as any future earnings that would be possible for you to earn but for the accident.
By exchanging information with the other driver and hiring the right attorney, you can file suit against the relevant parties to begin the process of being made whole. The attorneys at our New Jersey personal injury firm will know exactly who to sue and what to sue for. This will include damage to your vehicle. Most likely, however, your insurance company will remedy property damage to your vehicle.
Contact our NJ Injury Lawyers at Cohen & Riechelson for Assistance with Your Minor Accident Claim
Since minor accidents are minor, many people do not believe them to be a significant enough matter to seek legal advice. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even in minor accidents, people should at least consult with an attorney who regularly handles car accidents and other personal injury matters. Due to the delayed nature of the injuries typically suffered in a minor accident, it is vital that a reputable and knowledgeable attorney be consulted immediately. There are many procedural rules that must be adhered to, or else you risk losing the chance to sue for what you are rightfully owed.
These are the types of rules that our experienced personal injury lawyers at Cohen and Riechelson live by in achieving the success our clients expect. We handle a wide range of accidents, some more severe than others, on behalf of clients in Hopewell, West Windsor, Trenton, Lawrence, Robbinsville, Hamilton, Trenton, Princeton, Burlington, and throughout Mercer, Burlington, and Middlesex County. Contact us by calling (609) 528-2596 or reaching us online.
