While you heal from car accident injuries in North Bergen, our attorneys can start preparing your compensation claim against a negligent driver.
When victims are injured during car accidents, they should call 911 to alert the police. Law enforcement officers can help victims collect important information at crash sites, like a negligent driver’s personal and insurance details. They will also make accident reports, which our lawyers may refer to while building cases. We will also seek out potential video or photographic evidence sources, like surveillance systems near the accident scene. While preparing your claim, our attorneys will confirm that your injuries meet New Jersey’s injury threshold, calculate your losses, and explain what you can expect from settlement negotiations and a possible trial.
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., at (201) 777-1111 to discuss your case for free with our car accident lawyers.
Following Car Accident Police Reporting Procedures in North Bergen, NJ
N.J.S.A. § 39:4-130 requires accident reporting in New Jersey for any crash that causes injury, death, or more than $500 in property damage. In addition to meeting this legal reporting requirement, victims should call 911 to document the accident for future compensation claims.
When you call 911 after a collision, law enforcement officers will arrive at and process the site. They will ask questions about the accident and your injuries and include that information in a report. Though inadmissible in New Jersey car accident claims, police reports may help our attorneys as we solidify certain facts, such as the accident’s date, location, time, and contributing factors. Police reports may also point our car accident lawyers toward eyewitnesses, who we can interview soon after a crash to preserve their statements.
Be candid when speaking with law enforcement, and be careful not to misspeak or accept fault for the accident. New Jersey’s comparative fault laws could lower your recovery if the defendant successfully claims you contributed to the accident under § 2A:15-5.1.
Do not leave the accident scene before speaking with the police, even if the negligent driver does. Victims should report all accidents in North Bergen, even if they do not appear injured immediately afterward. This is common in rear-end accidents, where victims might sustain whiplash injuries and not notice them until several days afterward because of stress or adrenaline. To ensure an accident is documented, victims should call 911 for any collision, no matter how serious it might appear initially.
Obtaining Video and Photographic Evidence After North Bergen, NJ Car Accidents
Images showing an accident happening or its aftermath can help inform accident reconstruction efforts and prove liability for collisions in North Bergen. Because of this, our attorneys will aim to preserve all potential video and photographic evidence of your accident.
Surveillance Footage
This typically begins with contacting business owners or homeowners near the accident site. They might have surveillance systems on their properties that filmed the accident, and contacting them immediately is crucial to ensure the footage is not deleted. In addition to surveillance footage, our lawyers may obtain videos from doorbell cameras or dashboard cameras in the area.
Photos Taken by the Police
When police officers respond to especially catastrophic accidents in North Bergen, they might take numerous pictures of the crash site. In such cases, our lawyers may obtain those pictures when getting the police report and review them for significant details while building your case.
Photos Taken by Eyewitnesses
While interviewing eyewitnesses for their statements, our lawyers may ask if they took any pictures or videos of the accident or its fallout. If so, we can get copies of those photos and see how they relate to your claim.
Photos Taken by Victims
Since surveillance footage of a crash is not guaranteed, victims should take their own pictures at the site. Photograph any damage to their vehicle and any visible injuries. The more detailed the pictures, the better, as that can give accident reconstruction experts the information they need to determine a crash’s cause. For example, if tire marks, glass, or broken pieces of either vehicle are on the road, try to take pictures using your phone or other device. Victims can ask for assistance from eyewitnesses or first responders if they are too hurt to take photos themselves.
Preparing Your North Bergen, NJ Car Accident Claim
When preparing for your case in North Bergen, our attorneys will review your medical records alongside experts, if necessary, to demonstrate your need for economic and non-economic damages.
This is necessary because of New Jersey’s serious injury threshold, which limits when victims with limited right to sue insurance can seek damages from negligent drivers. This same limit is not placed on policies with an unlimited right to sue. With this rule, injuries like dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, and displaced fractures pass the threshold, as do other permanent injuries.
In anticipation of compensation claims, victims should have a figure in mind regarding their likely recovery. Our attorneys will trace and track all recoverable damages incurred from the accident’s date onward, most of which may be your medical damages. Medical treatment leads to medical bills, and our lawyers can help victims make copies of their bills as they incur them so that we can show your exact financial losses.
Other compensable damages include victims’ lost wages and pain and suffering. Emotional damages and pain and suffering are often difficult to quantify and are not available unless you meet the serious injury threshold or have an unlimited right to sue policy. Even so, our lawyers can submit the necessary evidence, such as expert testimony, to prove non-economic damages in court.
In addition to preparing your lawsuit for success, our lawyer can also prepare you for what to expect from the compensation process, especially during settlement negotiations and a potential trial. While negotiating a settlement, our lawyers may reference compelling evidence of the defendant’s negligence or recklessness to convince them to increase their offer. Victims who do not settle their claims out of court may prove negligence during trials in North Bergen.
Call Us About Your Recent Car Accident in North Bergen, NJ
Call the car accident lawyers of Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., at (201) 777-1111 for help with your case.