At Cohen & Riechelson, our team of car accident attorneys has the expertise to provide professional help to injured clients in Somerset County, NJ, including cities and towns like Bound Brook, Branchburg, Montgomery, Warren, and Somerville.
Contact us by phone at (609) 528-2596 or fill out our online form to book a consultation to discuss your legal options for getting compensation for your accident.
The top cause for accidents today is still the cell phone. However, other kinds of driver distractions contribute to the rising number of accidents throughout the nation, not only in Somerset County. 8.5% of all fatalities happen due to distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Transportation Administration. Despite New Jersey’s laws requiring hands-free cell phone use in vehicles and its prohibition against young drivers and cellphones, drivers still pay far too much attention to their phones and not enough to the road conditions while driving. Other distractions are passengers, especially small children, eating, grooming, texting; talking on the phone; daydreaming; admiring the scenery, and using navigation tools. Teen drivers are distracted most, and car accidents rank second as a cause of all teen deaths.
The second most common vehicle collision in New Jersey is the car vs. pedestrian. When cars do not yield to the pedestrian’s right away, pedestrians illegally crossing streets, and poor visibility due to weather or location of the pedestrian in relation to the vehicle. But weather itself plays a part in accidents. Rain, snow, ice, fog, and bright sunshine can cause drivers to lose sight and control over their vehicles and animals to dart out into the roadways. And speeding also causes fatalities on the roads. Combined with not wearing seatbelts, it is no wonder speeding is third on the list of most common car accidents in New Jersey.
To no one’s surprise, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs causes road collisions and fatalities, despite New Jersey’s strict DUI laws. Though the number of drunk driving accidents has decreased with the onset of rideshare apps and smartphones, still the number of car accidents due to drunk driving is high. Close to 11,000 people die annually in the state due to drunk drivers hitting stationary objects or other cars head-on. A drunk driver who causes a fatality likely faces manslaughter charges, a second-degree crime. If convicted, a driver can spend up to ten years in prison with huge fines and a criminal record.
Car accident casualties cost millions to the state, over $9 million in medical bills, and hundreds of millions in lost wages, not counting the lost lives and life-long injuries. Car accidents cause traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. They may result in burns, amputations, lacerations, scrapes, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many rear-enders cause whiplash, soft tissue damage, soft tissue damage, and sprained ankles, wrists, and knees. Facial cuts, scarring, and internal injuries are also common injuries from crashes. And both drivers and passengers suffer injuries when cars, trucks, SUVs, or motorcycles collide or veer off the road into objects or pedestrians.
In that case, an insurance company would assign a percentage of fault to each driver, and the claimant may only get that percentage of their damages covered. However, traffic laws, police reports, and witness statements all contribute to piecing together fault for an accident when insurance companies determine liability. And if the responsible driver was not insured, the victim may have to file suit against the uninsured driver and make a claim against their own insurance company for an uninsured motorist accident if the victim carried that feature in their policy. Even if the responsible driver carries insurance, a lawsuit may be necessary if the insurance company is unwilling to accept the demands of the victim’s settlement bid to cover what would make them whole. An accident victim hopes to recover what would bring them back as nearly as possible to pre-accident condition.
Insurance companies often do not take an accident victim’s demand for damages recovery seriously. They take the claim more seriously once an attorney intervenes on their client’s behalf. Bring your reports and bills to our Somerset County car accident attorneys at Cohen & Riechelson for review if you suffered an injury accident. We can tell you what you can expect in attempting to settle the accident claim or taking it to a trial. Our skilled and experienced personal injury lawyers understand how to prove an accident claim and present it to a jury if necessary.
We will aggressively negotiate a settlement on your behalf and no matter what the best approach may be, our legal team is committed to securing you maximum damages for injuries from an auto accident in Somerset County towns such as Bernardsville, Hillsborough, Bridgewater, North Plainfield, and nearby places. Be sure to contact a Somerset County personal injury lawyer at (609) 528-2596 or through our online form as soon as possible after the accident, so we can offer legal support and guide you toward obtaining the financial resources you need.