Trenton Car Accident Lawyer

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Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, is home to nearly 100,000 people. This means crowded roadways are a daily issue that residents and visitors must deal with. Ingreater Mercer County, there are close to 8,300 car crashes every year. Of these, about 35 are fatal.

Being involved in a car accident is always a traumatic and stressful experience, potentially leaving you with physical and psychological injuries that affect many aspects of your life. Reach out to a Trenton car accident lawyer to discuss filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Although human error is what usually leads to car accidents, everything from road conditions to weather issues can impact your safety on the road. Distracted driving, drunk driving, and drowsy driving are all concerns in cities the size of Trenton. Below are some of the most common causes of car accidents in the Trenton area.

One of the biggest issues leading to traffic accidents in the Trenton area is alcohol. Intoxicated drivers are the leading cause of fatal car crashes in New Jersey, with 12.9% of the people involved in fatal crashes being under the influence.

Drinking alcohol slows down your reaction times, decreases your coordination, and impacts your vision and hearing. The legal blood alcohol concentration limit in New Jersey, as in the rest of the country, is 0.08%, but you can be well below that and still be a danger on the road. Just one drink makes you a more distracted driver.

Drugs are also a factor when it comes to accidents in the Trenton area. With the decriminalization of marijuana in the state of New Jersey that was set into law in 2021, there have been more car accidents involving people who were under the influence of the drug. Marijuana, as well as other drugs, impairs your senses and makes you less likely to respond as you need to if there are sudden changes on the road.

A huge amount of focus goes into the use of smartphones to text, send emails, or even record videos while driving, but these are not the only distractions that can put you and others at risk.

Anything that takes your eyes away from the road, even if just for a second, distracts you and makes you more likely to get into a car accident.

Common distractions while driving include:

  • Talking to passengers
  • Changing music stations
  • Adjusting climate control
  • Using GPS
  • Drinking
  • Eating
  • Applying makeup/grooming

Distractions can be manual — which means they take your hands away from the wheel; visual — which means they take your eyes off the road; or cognitive — which means they take your mind off driving. Teenagers are the demographic most likely to engagein distracted driving, but it happens to drivers of all ages.

Reckless driving is a major moving violation related to aggressive driving. Drivers who engage in reckless driving engage in the willful disregard of the rules of the road, potentially leading to car accidents. It’s important to note that, unlike careless driving, reckless driving is a criminal offense.

Some examples of reckless driving include:

  • Running red lights
  • Running stop signs
  • Excessive speeding
  • Texting while driving
  • Driving under the influence
  • Passing a stopped school bus

Although many of these traffic violations are not considered reckless driving on their own, when combined with aggravating circumstances, like high pedestrian traffic, they can become reckless driving.

Aggressive driving tends to fall under this umbrella as well. It involves actions like tailgating, refusing to yield, cutting off traffic, and more.

If you’re sleepy or tired as you get behind the wheel, you endanger yourself and others. Drowsy driving usually occurs when drivers don’t get enough sleep, but it can also occur in people who have shift work changes or who have untreated sleep disorders. In some cases, medications might also cause drowsiness.

Drowsiness makes you less able to focus on the road while also slowing down your reaction times. It affects your ability to make good decisions as well. Each year, over 6,000 fatal crashes may involve a drowsy driver.

If you find yourself falling a sleep as you drive, the best thing you can do is pull over where it’s safe so that you don’t endanger anyone, including yourself. Most major roadways have locations where you can stop.

Speeding is another serious issue that makes car accidents more likely. Driving too fast decreases the time you have to react to the actions of other drivers or changes on the road. Speeding also decreases the control the driver has over the car, making it more likely to leave the road or experience a collision.

Even if speeding does not cause an accident, high speeds add significant force to the collision, potentially causing serious injuries. Speeding doesn’t only refer to driving over the speed limit. It also includes driving too fast for the current road and weather conditions and driving too fast in high pedestrian traffic areas.

Speeding makes rollover accidents more likely, too. If a driver tries to take a curve while speeding, they face the loss of control of their car.

Throughout the country, 21% of all motor vehicle accidents occur because of weather conditions. In the Trenton area, snow and ice are a concern each winter. Slush, snow, and sleet cause visibility issues while also increasing the chances of driving over black ice. Rain also causes visibility issues.

The condition of the roads also impacts the chances of getting into a car accident. Anything that puts strain on your car or impacts its function makes driving more dangerous.

Potholes are a concern all over New Jersey, including Trenton. They can be large enough to cause you to lose control of the car. Roads that are generally in bad condition also impact your tires. A tire blowout is an extremely dangerous occurrence that can also make you lose control of your car.

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What To Do After a Car Accident

If you’ve been in a car accident, you need to first take stock of your injuries. Do you feel extreme pain anywhere? Do you see a lot of blood? Keep in mind that you will likely still be in shock, so it can take time to start noticing the various aches and pains the accident caused.

If it’s safe for you to move, get out of the car and call for help. Let paramedics know if anyone was injured. If there are injuries, deaths, or property damage over $500, you are required to report the accident.

Next, you should begin exchanging information with the other driver or drivers. Get their personal information, license number, and vehicle registration number. Remember not to talk about the accident at all, admit fault, or blame anyone else.

Start taking pictures of the damage. Get as many as you can, documenting any road markings, property damage, and injuries. It can also help to write down a description of the accident while it is still fresh in your mind.

Let your insurer know as soon as possible. You don’t want to wait too long because it can affect your claims later on.

It’s important to turn to Trenton car accident attorneys to know you have the guidance you need. They can advise you about all of the steps you need to take so that you have the best chance of getting the compensation you deserve.

Common Car Accident Injuries

The speed at which you or the other driver were traveling, the kind of accident you went through, and many other factors impact the type of injuries you receive. Some may be mild, like bruises, while others, like traumatic brain injuries, can be more severe.

Bruising

If you hit part of your body against the car, someone else, or any other surface, you can damage the blood vessels under your skin, forming bruises.

Most of the time, bruises resolve on their own, but in some instances, they may point to bigger issues, including internal bleeding. Before leaving the scene of the accident, have the paramedics check your condition.

Whiplash

Many drivers involved in car accidents experience whiplash, especially during rear-ended collisions. When hit with that kind of force from the back, your neck goes quickly and violently forward and backward, like a whip, putting strain on your ligaments, tendons, muscles, and more.

It can take some people weeks to recover from whiplash. Others may continue experiencing chronic pain. If your airbag fails to deploy, you are also more likely to get whiplash.

Sprains and Strains

These are two similar types of injuries. A strain occurs within the muscle or tissue that joins bone to muscle, while a sprain occurs between two bones in one joint.

Although sprains and strains are less severe than other injuries, you still need to get them checked out by medical professionals before leaving the scene.

Fractures and Dislocations

Broken bones are also common in car accidents, especially in the hands and feet. Many times, however, it’s not apparent right after the accident because the adrenaline and shock of the event mask the pain and other symptoms.

A dislocation occurs when two bones that meet at a joint pull apart. If you experience pain in a joint, it can point to a dislocation, even if the joint looks normal. Getting medical attention from the paramedics after the accident helps with knowing if you have a fracture or a dislocation.

Penetrating Injuries

Penetrating injuries occur when a foreign object penetrates the body. They can occur if there is debris like glass flying during a car accident.

It’s important not to remove the object if it’s still in your body, but instead, wait for the paramedics to arrive. Because not all penetrating injuries can be evaluated at the site of the accident, paramedics may take you to the hospital.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal injuries can be complete, which means you don’t have any feeling below the site of the injury, or incomplete, which means you have some feeling left. In some instances, paralysis may occur right away, but it can also be a progressive issue. These injuries are some of the most complex and dangerous, and they require immediate medical attention.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury is an injury that occurs to brain cells when the brainis jolted. This can happen if you hit your head against another surface during the accident or if your neck snapped forward on impact. Traumatic brain injuries can sometimes be treated at home, but most of the time, they require medical help.

Psychological Injuries

Although you can’t see psychological damage, it can impact your life significantly. If you’ve been in a car accident and get flashbacks or find yourself wanting to avoid the location where it happened, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People who live through those types of traumatic experiences are also more likely to develop anxiety and depression. All of these conditions require professional treatment and should be accounted for by a Trenton lawyer in a car crash claim.

How Much Is Your Case Worth?

Determining how much your car accident case in Trenton is worth means considering all factors, including the kind of injuries you received, their severity, and how they impact your life. It also means considering the amount of property damage involved and any aggravating circumstances.

Each car accident is unique, as are the injuries they can cause. Because of this, you need to turn to an experienced Trenton car accident attorney for help. They will be able to guide you in the kind of claims you can file while helping you put together the documentation you need.

Keep in mind that insurers will always try to undervalue your case, so having people fighting for your rights offers the chance to get the compensation you deserve.

Potential Damages in a Car Accident Case

If you received injuries that required medical treatment or if you suffered property loss, you may be able to claim damages. Car accident lawyers in Trenton can help you decide on the right claims to file while giving you the best chance of securing compensation.

The majority of the damages people claim after a car accident are medical expenses. These expenses relate to all the ongoing and future treatments you will need if you are injured. Some of the expenses you may be able to get damages for include:

  • Hospital bills
  • Pharmacy bills
  • Physical therapy fees
  • Transportation fees
  • In-home services
  • Medical equipment

To decide on the amount you should be reimbursed for, your lawyer will consider the severity of the injuries and add the value of future treatments you willneed using future values. In some cases, your lawyer will work with a health professional to decide on all of this.

Pain and suffering damages refer to the distress — whether emotional or physical — that you suffered after the accident. It includes your physical discomfort and limitations.

The amount of damages you receive for pain and suffering depends greatly on how effectively your lawyer shares your experience. That’s why getting the right lawyer makes a huge difference.

Getting medical attention often means taking time off work. Some medical treatments have long recovery processes that make it impossible to get back to your daily life. All of this results in lost wages. Trenton car accident lawyers can fight for compensation by claiming lost wages as damages.

If you have to switch jobs, decrease your work hours, or are dealing with disability issues, you may be able to get compensation for your missed pay. The goal is to get you financially where you would have been if you hadn’t been in the accident.

Not everyone realizes you can be entitled to compensation for out-of-pocket expenses above medical expenses. You can include transportation fees to travel to medical procedures, parking fees, childcare fees, and home and car modifications.

Family members of loved ones who died or received severe injuries in a car accident may also be able to claim loss of consortium damages. They will have lost companionship, support, and more, which they would not have under gone if the accident hadn’t happened.

Unlike compensatory damages, which reimburse the accident victims, punitive damages punish the person at fault. These damages are only applicable if the defendant’s behavior was reckless.

You may also be able to claim damages that refer to disfigurement or loss of enjoyment of life. Family members can also make wrongful death claims to receive compensation for funeral fees and loss of support if their loved one passes away.

Is New Jersey a Fault or No-Fault State?

New Jersey is one of only 12 states that is no-fault. Keep in mind that no-fault laws don’t mean there wasn’t anyone at fault in relation to the car accident. Instead, it means the various parties should receive compensation from their own insurers.

In New Jersey, you must have three types of insurance:

  • Liability insurance
  • Personal injury protection
  • Uninsured motorist insurance

Those are the standard policies you must have, but you can also have others. Something to remember is that New Jersey also has the choice of limited right to sue and unlimited right to sue.

Limited right to sue means you can sue the person at fault beyond what personal injury protection offers, but only if you’ve sustained serious injuries. An unlimited right to sue gives you the chance to sue the person no matter what kind of injuries you receive.

Why Hire Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq?

Being in a car accident is traumatic, potentially leaving you with serious injuries and medical bills you can’t afford. When you turn to Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, you’re getting experienced lawyers on your side. With over 30 years working in the field of personal injury law, we provide the guidance that makes a difference with complex cases in New Jersey.

Our no-nonsense attitude serves us well when dealing with insurers, helping us secure the kind of compensation you deserve. You’ve already suffered the accident itself. You shouldn’t also have to suffer financially because of someone else’s negligence.

By calling 800-923-3456, you can speak with an experienced Trenton car accident lawyer about the details of your case, or you can reach out online. Contact Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq today.