New Brunswick Car Accident Lawyer

Car accidents happen with regular frequency around the country — to the point where they’re almost accepted as part of day-to-day life. If you haven’t been involved in one before, you’re lucky. And if you’re looking for help due to a recent one, you’re in the right place.

If you have been injured in a car accident in New Brunswick, NJ, the best thing you can do for yourself is turn to dependable and trustworthy personal injury lawyers at Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq. A New Brunswick car accident lawyer is here to guide you through the challenges of recovery, and we’ll fight to secure the compensation you’ll need.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Many factors can combine to create an environment where a car accident can happen, but human error is the problem most of the time. From distracted driving to driving under the influence, drivers make choices every day that put others at risk. Learn more about the main causes of car accidents in New Brunswick.

Having a smartphone with you at all times is convenient, but it’s also dangerous. Taking your eyes off the road even for a few seconds puts you and other drivers at risk. Distracted driving claims an average of 3,522 lives each year across the country.

Although texting and being on social media are a common cause of distracted driving, anything that causes you to take your attention away from the road is a distraction, including:

  • Eating/drinking
  • Changing radio stations
  • Using the GPS
  • Applying makeup and other grooming activities
  • Speaking with someone in the back seat

Distracted driving is a serious concern for people of all ages, but it is especially concerning for teenagers. Among fatal crashes each year, an average of 9% of teen drivers were doing something that distracted them from driving at the time of the accident.

Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol exponentially increases your chances of being in a car accident. Drunk driving is a concern throughout the country, with 30% of all fatal crashes that occur on weekends involving alcohol.

Alcohol impairs your senses, including your vision and hearing. It affects your reaction times and coordination. Having a single drink makes you a more distracted driver.

The legal limit of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08, but even if your BAC is lower than this, you can still be a danger to yourself and others if you get behind the wheel. A recent study states that 1.5% of New Jersey drivers report getting in the driver’s seat after having too much to drink at least once in the past month.

Being under the influence of drugs is also dangerous, whether the drugs are legal or illegal. Using marijuana and then driving makes your reaction times slower and impairs your judgment, while certain prescription medications can make you drowsy.

In the United States, 56% of all drivers involved in serious or fatal crashes tested positive for drugs or alcohol.

Speeding is another cause of a large number of accidents in the New Brunswick area. Exceeding the legal speed limit not only results in breaking the law but also makes you more likely to have a serious car accident.

When you speed, you have less time to react to changes on the road, and if you are involved in a collision, your body will be under a much higher force at the moment of impact.

Even if you go over the speed limit by only a few miles per hour, you are putting yourself and others at risk. The World Health Organization found that an increase in your average speed of just 0.6 mph results in a 3% higher risk of experiencing a crash that results in injury.

Reckless driving is not careless or improper driving, which are civil traffic violations. Reckless driving is a criminal offense. It refers to driving a vehicle with no regard for the safety or property of others. Many actions can be seen as reckless driving, including:

  • Texting while driving
  • Running a red light
  • Running a stop sign
  • Excessive speeding
  • Driving under the influence
  • Racing other vehicles
  • Intentionally failing to yield the right-of-way
  • Tailgating
  • Driving without headlights

Although some of these actions are not considered reckless driving on their own, aggravating circumstances like pedestrian traffic or poor road conditions can lead to being charged with it.

Another common cause of car accidents in New Brunswick is road rage. When there’s traffic congestion, impatience can lead to road rage issues. This puts everyone on the road at risk.

Road rage leads you to feel extreme anger or aggression, and it makes you participatein driving that is extreme and deliberate, posing an immediate danger to others.

Road rage can involve:

  • Forcing another car off the road
  • Profanity
  • Inflammatory or rude gestures
  • Tailgating

Although men are more likely to engage in road rage, women do as well. People who have frequent road rage are more likely to experience near-accidents and get more tickets for speeding, too.

Driving when you’re tired and drowsy also puts you in danger on the road. Drowsy drivers can’t react to changes on the road as quickly as they need to, and they may even be distracted.

Being tired makes it more difficult to perceive and react to information. For example, someone engaging in drowsy driving might not realize they’ve gone into the other lane until it’s too late.

Some of the signs of drowsy driving include:

  • Boredom
  • Tired eyes
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Restlessness
  • Yawning
  • Inability to remember directions

Drowsy drivers account for 2.4% of fatal crashes in the U.S. These crashes tend to occur late at night or early in the morning and involve drivers who are alone in their vehicles.

Roads can deteriorate enough to become dangerous, with potholes particularly concerning. Potholes can cause damage to the car’s shock absorbers and suspension, with large ones being severe enough to make you lose control of the car.
Poor road conditions make tire blowouts more likely as well. Even at a moderate speed, blowing out a tire may cause you to lose control and damage your car.

In a location like New Brunswick, which sees significant amounts of snow every year, having the right tires and paying attention to the rules of the road during adverse weather conditions is vital. Ice and snow reduce vehicle maneuverability and pavement friction, increasing the risk of getting into a car accident.

Each year around the country, 24% of weather-related accidents occur on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement. Wind is also a concern, especially on highways, since it reduces vehicle control, decreases visibility, and puts you in danger of being hit by flying debris.

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What To Do After a Car Accident

The first thing you want to do is assess yourself for injuries. If you have trouble feeling any parts of your body, try not to move.

Contact the emergency services and let them know of your injuries or if anyone else you can see requires medical attention.

If the accident involves an injury, death, or property damage of $500 or higher, New Jersey law states that you must report it. If the police are not called to the scene of the accident, but there was property damage, you will have to send aletter to your local Motor Vehicle Commissions Agency within 10 days.

You will also need to exchange information with the other person involved in the accident. Get their personal information, license number, and vehicle registration number, but make sure not to speak about the accident or mention who was at fault.

The next step is to start documenting the car accident. Take pictures of the cars involved, any road markings, injuries you have, and property damage. It can also help to write down what you remember about the accident while it’s still fresh.

If there were witnesses, you may want to ask them for their contact information, too.

Contact your insurer and let them know what happened. Don’t delay doing this since it can affect your claim. To ensure you get the best guidance throughout the entire process, it’s crucial that you turn to car accident lawyers in New Brunswick.

Common Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents can result in injuries, with milder injuries like bruises being a possibility, as well as more serious issues like traumatic brain injuries. The severity of the injury and the way it can impact your quality of life can all factor into any claims you make.

Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries people experience during a car accident. It more frequently occurs when the car is rear-ended, causing your head to jerk forward and then backward in a movement similar to cracking a whip. Whiplash can damage tendons, ligaments, discs, muscles in the neck, and more.

Manytimes, whiplash resolves on its own. In some instances, however, it can lead to severe headaches and chronic pain that impacts your quality of life.

Bruises

Bruises, scrapes, and cuts are also common. When you come into contact with any car surface with enough force, it can cause damage to small capillaries and lead to bleeding under your skin.

Most of the time, bruises heal on their own, but in some cases, bruises can appearas a result of internal bleeding. This is a much more serious condition and requires urgent medical attention. It’s important for medical professionals to fully check you.

Broken Bones

Car accidents often result in broken bones. Although most types of broken bones will be obvious, others may not be until the shock of the accident has passed.

The sudden trauma of a car accident can dislocate and break hips, ribs, and limbs. The bones in your hands and feet are often at risk because of how they’re positioned when you drive.

If you have broken bones, you’ll likely feel severe pain, mobility issues, as well as swelling in the area. It’s more common to experience broken bones if you are involved in a high-speed crash.

Back and Spinal Cord Injuries

Some of the injuries that can be the most complex to treat and which can put the most strain on your everyday life are those that involve your back and spinal cord. These injuries can include disc slips, spinal fractures, back sprains, and back strains Back and spinal cord injuries are more likely in roll-over accidents and high-speed collisions.

Spinal cord injuries may lead to paralysis, either temporary or permanent. They can be complete, meaning you have no feeling below the injury, or partial, which is when you have some feeling left below the injured site.

It’s not always possible to notice a spinal cord injury after the accident, so paying attention to any changes in mobility or any numbness or tingling is vital in the days and weeks that follow.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

If you hit your head with enough force, it jolts your brain, leading to brain injuries. It often happens if your neck snaps forward or if your head hits anything.

Although some traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can be treated at home, the majority of them will need medical attention. A concussion is a type of TBI. It always requires help from professionals.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Most people concern themselves with the physical injuries they receive after a car accident without realizing there can also be psychological damage after living through a traumatic event like a car crash. Although you can’t see these injuries, they may severely impact your life.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that leads you to re-experience the trauma by having flashbacks or nightmares, makes you avoid anything related to the traumatic event, and creates feelings of anxiety. Someone who received injuries after a car accident that left them with chronic pain is more likely to struggle with PTSD.

An attorney in New Brunswick can account for all injuries in a car accident claim.

How Much Is Your Case Worth?

Every car accident is unique. With all the factors that impact the kind of compensation you may receive, speaking with New Brunswick car accident lawyers is the right thing to do.

The type of injuries you receive, as well as their severity, is a significant factor in what your case is worth. Your lawyer will consider this while also noting whether you will need ongoing treatments, may experience permanent damage, or may face other health challenges because of the accident.

Property damage is also considered. Most of the time, this means the value of your car, but it can involve anything in your possession that was damaged during the accident. Your team will also consider whether the car crash was the result of driver negligence.

Most of the time, if your injuries are visibly severe or your life has been significantly altered by the accident, your case will be worth more than someone who received a few scrapes and bruises.

Although there is no accurate number your lawyer can give you for what you can expect from your car accident case in New Brunswick, having people on your side who are experienced makes you more likely to get higher compensation.

Potential Damages in a Car Accident Case

After being in a car accident in the New Brunswick area, you may be entitled to financial assistance to cover everything from medical bills to car repair bills. You may be able to make a number of damage claims to get the compensation you deserve.

The most common type of damages are those related to medical bills. They can cover costs including:

  • Pharmacy bills
  • Hospital bills
  • Cost of medical equipment
  • Physical therapy fees

There are many different types of medical expenses, so your lawyer can advise you on what to pursue. If necessary, the damages should also include future medical expenses at future values.

Many people assume that pain and suffering damages are included in the medical expenses, but that’s not true. Pain and suffering refer to physical and mental pain you have felt because of a car accident.

Because the amount of money you receive from pain and suffering claims depends greatly on how your lawyer presents the research they did, turning to experienced New Brunswick car accident lawyers makes a difference.

If you had to miss work because of the injuries you received, or if you had to get a new job because you can no longer perform the work you did before, you can claim lost wages. Your lawyer can help you prove that the accident made you lose money you would otherwise have had.

A spouse or other family member can claim loss of consortium damages if a love done died or was severely injured because of a car accident. They may be able to claim that they lost the affection and support they would have had if the accident hadn’t taken place.

If you had to be transported to medical treatments, pay parking fees, and more, you may be able to get compensation for these out-of-pocket expenses. These damages are also separate from medical expenses.

You may also be able to get compensation for property damage. Although this usually means the car, it can also include anything else damaged during the accident. Damages associated with a wrongful death case, including funeral expenses, also fit under this category.

Is New Jersey a Fault or No-Fault State?

New Jersey is a no-fault state. In no-fault states, everyone involved in the accident will file claims and get compensation from their own insurers. What makes New Jersey law even more complex is that you can choose between limited right to sue and unlimited right to sue policies.

A limited right-to-sue policy allows you to sue the person at fault beyond what your insurance pays out, but you can only do so if you’ve had severe injuries. With an unlimited right-to-sue policy, you can sue no matter what kind of injury you have.

Why Hire GGL?

Being involved in a car accident can leave you physically, psychologically, and financially struggling. To be better able to focus on the difficulties of healing from injuries, you need to know your rights are protected and that you have people in your corner fighting for you.

With more than 30 years of experience and our determination, we can guide you through the intricacies of filing a claim. Our New Brunswick car accident lawyers are here to answer questions, so reach out to 1-800-923-3456Contact us today to get the kind of representation you need.