A car crash could happen at any moment, seriously injuring you and requiring you to seek compensatory damages against a negligent driver.
Car accidents often happen on particularly busy roads, during rush hours, and when visibility is low or weather conditions are poor. Though there might be contributing factors to a crash, like bad road conditions, accidents typically happen because of one driver’s negligence. Common acts of negligence include speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving. Your immediate first step after a collision should be to call 911. This will alert the police to the scene, and they can help you get the at-fault driver’s insurance details and record other relevant information. Then, go to the hospital so that you can begin documenting your injuries, which is necessary to prove you pass New Jersey’s serious injury threshold and can sue for the car accident.
For a free case review from Agrapidis & Maroules, call our car accident lawyers today at (201) 656-7828.
Where, When, and Why Car Accidents Happen in East Orange
Car accidents happen throughout East Orange, on crowded highways and residential roads. Low visibility at night and poor weather could increase the risk of collisions, though the root cause of these accidents is typically another driver’s negligence.
Where They Happen
Intersections are common locations for rear-end, T-bone, and head-on collisions. T-bone accidents happen frequently at intersections when negligent drivers run stoplights or ignore stop signs and another driver’s right of way. T-bone accidents are some of the most devastating, causing spinal cord damage, head injuries, and broken bones for many victims.
Car crashes also occur frequently on highways such as I-280 and sections of the Garden State Parkway in East Orange, which are common routes for commercial trucks. These vehicles cause considerable damage to passenger cars and their occupants during collisions, sometimes involving multiple vehicles in an accident caused by one truck driver’s negligence.
When They Happen
Car accidents are more likely to occur at night, especially on poorly lit roads. Low visibility might make it harder for drivers to see others sharing the road, particularly if they fail to use their headlights. Weather is sometimes a contributing factor to auto accidents, and drivers should slow down when driving on icy roads and proceed cautiously when caught in serious rainstorms. Otherwise, they could lose steering control and hit a victim, seriously injuring them.
Accidents on major commuter roads in East Orange, like I-280, often happen during rush hours, when drivers might be traveling to or from work. Congested roads could increase the risk of rear-end accidents caused by negligent drivers who are aggressive or follow another car too closely.
Why They Happen
Most accidents happen because one driver breaches their duty of care, hitting another driver and injuring them. There are many ways negligent drivers breach their duty to uphold traffic laws and drive safely, such as speeding, making illegal turns, recklessly merging, following too closely, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and ignoring another person’s right of way, whether they are a driver, pedestrian, motorcyclist, or bicyclist. If you did not see a negligent driver’s actions before hitting you, accident reconstruction and eyewitness statements can help us determine exactly what happened. Such evidence is particularly useful when victims sustain traumatic brain injuries and suffer memory loss after a collision.
To prove another driver’s liability for your injuries, we must show how they breached their duty of care, which we can achieve using compelling evidence like eyewitness statements. Accident reconstruction experts can also aid victims’ recoveries by reviewing physical evidence from the scene to determine a collision’s cause.
Your Next Steps After a Car Accident Happens in East Orange
Immediately after a collision, call local law enforcement at the scene. They can help you get the at-fault driver’s insurance information and the appropriate care from paramedics. Your top priorities after the accident should be documenting your injuries and building medical evidence, particularly since you must pass New Jersey’s serious injury threshold to sue for all damages, including pain and suffering.
Report the Crash
You must exchange information with a negligent driver after a crash, and police officers can facilitate this exchange, especially if you are seriously injured. Do not hesitate to call the police, especially since they can document the collision in an accident report, which we can help you obtain and review once it becomes available. If you do not call 911, it can be difficult to establish that the accident involving the at-fault driver ever took place, potentially complicating your financial recovery.
Document Your Serious Injury
Under N.J.S.A. § 39:6A-8(a), you can file a lawsuit instead of relying on your personal injury protection insurance to cover your damages if you sustain a serious injury. Dismemberment, like limb loss, is a serious injury, as is significant disfigurement or scarring, such as from lacerations or burns. Other permanent injuries also pass New Jersey’s serious injury threshold, and our car accident lawyers can review your medical records and physicians’ statements to determine if yours do. If a victim loses a fetus, they may file a lawsuit, and if a victim dies, their personal representatives may sue for wrongful death.
Because this threshold exists, you must document your injuries immediately after a crash. Take pictures of them at the scene for our lawyers to use as evidence, and go straight to a hospital emergency room. Let the doctors there run the appropriate tests to diagnose your injuries and prescribe treatment, and follow their advice closely after you leave the hospital. Deviating from doctors’ orders during your physical recovery and missing follow-up visits or scheduled treatments could hurt your lawsuit because of a lack of medical evidence.
Call Our East Orange Lawyers for Help with Your Car Accident Case
Get a free assessment of your case from the car accident lawyers of Agrapidis & Maroules by calling (201) 656-7828.