Personal Injury Attorney New Jersey
When you are injured by the acts of another person, Sadaka Law experience in helping you hold the wrongdoer accountable for the pain they caused. Serious personal injuries can devastate a family and our experienced personal injury attorneys are here to help you get the resources you need to get back to the way things were.
Serious personal injuries can result in severe injury and permanent disability from brain damage and broken bones. However, a serious injury does not have to be the end of life and a personal injury lawsuit can start the process of putting your life back together.
Accident victims can recover most, if not all, of their expenses back from a personal injury claim. Many people aren’t aware of their rights when it comes to New Jersey personal injury lawsuits. If you’ve been in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, get in touch with our law firm for a free consultation, and let’s start the road back to getting on your feet together.
New Jersey Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury law refers to injuries caused by many different types of accidents, including:
Personal injury cases serve a higher purpose of helping people get back what they lost and holding people accountable for the damage they caused.
-Mark T. Sadaka
Car Accident - Automobile Accidents
A car accident caused by a texting or drunk driver can destroy a family. There are 1000s of car accidents in New Jersey every month. In New York City, where a lot of New Jersey residents commute, the NYPD estimates that there are over 19,000 car accidents every month in the city alone. There are roughly 550 deaths from car accidents in New Jersey every year. While most automobile accidents are simple fender-benders with no real damage done, others can result in serious injury claims. If you’ve suffered serious injuries after a car accident, you can hold the person accountable and recover money to help you get back what you lost. Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers can help make things right for you.
Truck Accident
A truck accident often results in more severe injury every than an ordinary automobile accident. Trucks are a lot heavier and can do significantly more damage than a standard car. Since a truck collision tends to be a serious accident with devastating physical and emotional injury, insurance companies are more aggressive in avoiding payouts whenever possible. There were 149 deaths from truck accidents in New Jersey in the past 4 years according to the New Jersey State Police. Truck accidents are also a more complex personal injury case in terms of determining who was at fault for the accident. Without an experienced personal injury lawyer like Sadaka Law, accident victims can be overwhelmed with the tactics most insurance companies use when handing personal injury claims.
Suffering severe personal injuries as a result of an overtired or careless truck driver does not have to be the end for you or your family. We have helped injury victims receive full and fair compensation for their injuries. Our NJ personal injury lawyers can provide aggressive legal representation to help guide you through this process of setting things right.
Pedestrian Accident
If you were walking on a public road on a sidewalk or crossing the street and were hit by a vehicle then you were involved in a pedestrian accident. Pedestrian accidents often result in serious injury, including broken bones and brain damage. In New Jersey alone there are 876 deaths of pedestrians over the past 4 years according to the New Jersey State Police. Since pedestrians are injured or killed by the negligence of drivers, bicyclists, or motorcyclists then a personal injury lawsuit would help make things right.
When someone is injured by the acts of another then personal injury law offers a way to make the injured person and their family whole again. Personal injury lawyers, like Sadaka Law, are ready to help guide you through this process and hold the person responsible for the destruction they caused.
Pedestrian accidents are shockingly common, resulting in thousands of deaths and serious injuries every year. While motorcyclists have protective gear and car drivers have all the safety features of their vehicle, pedestrians are often unprotected when they are involved in an accident and will suffer more significant injuries. That is why you need an experienced NJ personal injury lawyer like Sadaka Law to help guide you through a complex personal injury case.
Runners are often the victims of reckless drivers. Many runners are killed every year by distracted drivers throughout New Jersey and the United States. People crossing the road are commonly accident victims. The rise in texting and other distracted driving has led to an increase in serious injuries to runners. If you are a runner and have been injured in an accident, contact our New Jersey personal injury lawyer today to discuss your potential case.
Motorcycle Accident
Motorcycles are one of the most powerful and exciting vehicles you can buy, it is also one that poses additional risks on the road than other more common cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Motorcycle accidents are often traumatic resulting in devastating injuries to both the victim and the family. If the accident was caused by an aggressive or careless driver then personal injury law offers a way to receive compensation for your injuries and hold the driver accountable for their negligence. In New Jersey, there were 369 deaths from motorcycle accidents in the past 4 years according to the New Jersey State Police. Those 369 deaths were overwhelmingly caused by inattentive drivers.
Motorcycle accidents are complicated and determining who was at fault requires proper investigation and expert analysis. An NJ personal injury lawyer from Sadaka Law can help navigate you through this complex process so that you can get the compensation you need to get back to the way you were. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation.
Slip and Fall - Premises Liability
A slip and fall accident is when an individual is injured by slipping on a wet or slippery surface in a commercial or public place. This can happen on a public sidewalk, an apartment building, or in your local grocery store. Property owners are responsible for providing a safe environment and that includes taking care of holes in the sidewalk, water on the floor, or ice in the parking lot especially if the owner knows that the dangerous condition exists. Would it be fair if the owner of a grocery store decided to keep the store open during a snow storm but did nothing to clean up the water on the ground? Of course not, the grocery store owner owes a duty to keep the floors clean and free from danger IF they choose to keep the store open during a snow storm. If a person breaks a leg by slipping and falling on the wet floor in that grocery store then the grocery store owner should be held accountable. If a city knows about the hole in the sidewalk left when a fire hydrant was removed and a person trips and breaks their ankle then the city should be held accountable. These are all examples of slip and fall personal injury cases that Sadaka law has handled.
Under New Jersey law, property owners must provide a safe environment for everybody who enters their property. This responsibility includes taking care to remove any potentially dangerous conditions, like wet floors, and ensuring the proper maintenance of the property. Slip and fall accidents are some of the most common types of accidents that are often due to the dangerous conditions of the property and not due to clumsiness on the part of the injury victim.
Dangerous conditions include inadequate lighting, liquid spills, unsafe railings, and uneven flooring, all of which are preventable through proper maintenance and care of the property owner.
If you were injured while walking on a sidewalk, in a store, or a parking lot then you may be suffering from broken bones or joint damage because of the property owner’s lack of care. Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers at Sadaka Law can we’ll help guide you though the complex process of proving that your slip and fall was due to a lack of proper care to get you the compensation you deserve.
Train Accidents - Railroad Accidents
A train accident is an injury that occurs when a person is injured on a train, or a person or vehicle is hit by a moving train. Many people use trains to commute in New Jersey. New Jersey borders New York City to the north and Philadelphia to the south both are major U.S. cities for train transportation.
Because trains are so important to New Jersey they are the cause of serious injuries. A train accident is often much more severe than an automobile accident and can affect hundreds of people at a time. Railroad workers also frequently suffer work-related injuries while on the job.
A New Jersey railroad accident can be caused by many different factors. The most common causes of train accidents include failure of an engineer to obey traffic signals/warning signs; speeding; faulty brakes or tracks; wrong-side track entries; faulty design or construction of crossings or grade-level railroad track structures; and driving under the influence.
If you were injured by a train the damage can be devastating not only physically but emotionally to both you and your family. If railroad accidents occur due to negligence, such as poor track maintenance, poor train maintenance, or inattentive drivers then you need to hold them accountable. Contact our New Jersey personal injury attorneys at Sadaka Law for a free consultation.
Boat Accident
A boat accident is any accident that occurs in which a boat, such as a motorboat, water craft, vessel or yacht crashes into something or someone. New Jersey personal injury attorneys recommend that anyone involved in an boating accident should seek the help of New Jersey personal injury lawyers to ensure they receive all compensation due them for their injuries and damages.
Recreational boating accidents can involve any watercraft, including jet skis, kayaks, sailboats, and motorboats. While boating rules exist, many people tend to forget about them or ignore them while on the water, which makes proving negligence tricky, especially when both parties are in the wrong to some degree.
New Jersey operates under the principle of comparative fault, where damages are determined as an equivalent percentage of liability. For instance, if you were 10% responsible for an accident, you’ll only be entitled to 90% of the settlement amount. Unlike pure comparative fault states, if you are more than 50% at fault for an accident, you can’t receive any compensation at all.
If you sustained injuries during a boating accident, speak to a lawyer that has the resources to investigate the claim thoroughly. Most personal injury cases rely on evidence to determine fault, so it’s essential to work with a firm that can gather all the evidence they need to secure the result you deserve.
Dog Bite
Most people love dogs. However, some dog owners know that their dog is too dangerous to be free in public yet they let it happen anyway. Dog bites are usually very straightforward cases under New Jersey law. Dog owners are always liable for any injuries inflicted upon another person or animal. If you were at the park and a dog that is known to be aggressive or bite attacks you then the dog owner would be liable for your injury. However, if your dog was attacked by a known aggressive dog New Jersey law views that as property damage and not a personal injury claim. The law around dogs and dog bite cases changes so contact our law firm to see if we can help.
Bicycle Accidents
Bike riding is not only one of the most popular sports, but more and more people are using bicycles for their daily commute. There is a dramatic jump in the number of bicycle accidents in New Jersey each day. In fact, in the last 4 years, there were 18 fatal crashes in New Jersey according to New Jersey State Police. That number does not include the 100s of broken bones and brain damage suffered by injured cyclists hit by cars every month.
You need a lawyer that understands cycling and can present evidence from your perspective, helping the jury understand what happened and who was truly at fault for the accident.
If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, it’s important to contact an experienced New Jersey personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Our personal injury lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries. We understand the unique challenges cyclists face on the road, and we’re here to help make things right.
Spinal Cord Injury
Injury to your spinal cord can not only cause paralysis but chronic pain syndromes, resulting in multiple surgeries. A spinal cord injury can change the entire course of your life and devastate your family. Many spinal cord injury sufferers are unable to return to work after their accident and require the damages paid out to survive. Our compassionate team of New Jersey personal injury attorneys will do everything in our power to make sure you get the highest compensation possible so that you can live the rest of your life to the fullest.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries leave victims with often severe disabilities requiring long-term care. Brain injuries can result from the acts of careless people. For example, a bar hires a violent felon as a bouncer and assaults a patron causing serious brain injury. The owner of the bar needs to be held accountable for the hiring of a violent felon. This is an example of a real case our personal injury attorneys handled in Jersey City. Brain injury victims or their families need a guide who understands personal injury law and the medicine behind the injury. Contact our New Jersey personal injury attorneys for a free consultation.
Wrongful Death
Wrongful death cases are specific types of personal injury claims where the injury is death. These lawsuits are often filed by the deceased’s next of kin or children as a way to recover compensation for the loss of a loved one. For example, if a father of 2 children, ages 8 and 10, was killed by a careless driver then those 2 children would have a wrongful death claim for the lost earnings of the father along with many other types of wrongful death damages.
Construction Accident
A construction accident is any injury that was sustained while someone was working on a construction site. This can include injuries to carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other types of people who work outside. It is no secret that many hazards exist on any construction site from faulty equipment to hazardous materials. New Jersey law requires that worker’s compensation should cover the injuries that occurred during the job on a construction site. However, if you were exposed to defective equipment like ladders, respirators, or forklifts, or dangerous conditions like hidden holes or puddles of water left by the landowner then you may have a claim outside of worker’s compensation. Construction accidents do not always stop at worker’s compensation and identifying them is complex. Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers at Sadaka Law have experience guiding accident victims through this process and helping them hold the wrongdoer accountable for the destruction they caused.
What Makes Up a Personal Injury Claim?
In New Jersey, a personal injury lawsuit is any type of lawsuit that involves an injury caused to one person by another person’s careless actions. New Jersey law allows injured people to seek justice and right their wrongs when they have been harmed through no fault of their own due to somebody else’s carelessness. It’s useful to have an idea of the various legal principles and statutes affecting the claim in New Jersey. Injured clients need to understand what they are getting into when they enter into an attorney-client relationship.
Negligence
In a personal injury case, the basic idea is that someone did not do what they were supposed to do. If you were injured because someone failed to do what they are supposed to do that is called negligence. Negligence leads directly to an injury then the victim of that injury can claim for personal injury.
A good example of negligence is a person running a red light. A reasonable duty of care on the road is to obey all traffic rules. By running a red light, the person fails to exercise their duty to obey the road rules. If this results in an accident and someone gets injured, the person has to pay for the victim’s medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional suffering.
Not all accidents are as clear-cut as the example above. In many cases, both parties have some share of the blame for an accident, which can complicate matters. The legal system deals with this type of situation in several ways. In New Jersey, the state operates under ‘modified comparative negligence.’ Under this principle, negligence and fault are assigned to every person involved in the accident, and the damages you receive are modified by how responsible you are for the accident. If the jury decides that you were 20% at fault for an accident, you can only claim 80% of the total damages.
Unlike other states that operate under pure comparative negligence, in New Jersey, you have to be less than 50% at fault to claim damages. Any party that is more than 50% at fault for an accident isn’t allowed to receive any damages from the claim.
Statute of Limitations
All states have a specific time limit, or statute of limitations, during which you can file a personal injury claim. The statute of limitation in New Jersey is two years after the date of the accident. Two years can go by quickly, so be sure to speak to one of our experienced personal injury attorneys as soon as possible after your accident to start investigating your claim.
Steps to Take if You’ve Been in an Accident in New Jersey
If you suffered a serious injury after an accident then you need to speak to a personal injury lawyer. However, if you’ve been in a small car accident that only resulted in only damage to your car then you probably don’t need a lawyer to handle the insurance claim for you. With serious accidents with severe injuries, having a personal injury lawyer can have a significant impact on your chances of success of your personal injury lawsuit.
When you’ve been in a serious accident, the last thing you want to think about is personal injury lawsuits. By working with an NJ personal injury lawyer, you can focus on your recovery while your legal team takes care of everything else. Having a lawyer on your side means that you have someone who will fight for your rights and can navigate the legal landscape to make sure your rights are protected.
What should I do if I am involved in an auto accident?
Contact the Police and Ambulance Services
If you are involved in a car accident, whether as a driver or passenger, first call 911 for police and an ambulance if anyone is injured.
Secure the Area
The first step should be to secure the scene so that nobody else gets involved in the accident if you are able. If possible, keep the scene intact while placing barriers and warning signs to warn other drivers. If you have to move vehicles off the road, be sure to take a couple of pictures of the initial accident before you do so.
Obtain Medical Care
Injuries can take time to develop after an accident. This is especially true for whiplash and small fractures. Even if you feel fine, you should see a healthcare professional as soon as possible after your accident since the adrenaline rush can mask pain. Getting immediate medical attention can also strengthen any personal injury claims, as it makes it easy to determine which injuries were a result of the accident. If you wait until weeks or months after the accident, the link between injury and the accident becomes weaker, and you may not be able to claim the medical bills incurred.
Contact an Attorney
If you suffered a serious injury as a result of another person’s negligence you should not give any recorded statements to an insurance company. Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers will help you gather all the evidence you need to make a strong case for any potential personal injury cases.
FAQ's
Even if you feel fine, you should see a healthcare professional as soon as possible after your accident. Some injuries can take time to manifest, especially since the adrenaline rush can mask pain and nausea until much later. Getting immediate medical attention can also strengthen your claim, as it makes it easy to determine which injuries were as a result of the accident. If you wait until weeks or months after the accident, this link becomes weaker, and you may not be able to claim medical expenses incurred.
Almost all personal injury attorneys work on a ‘contingency fee’ basis, which means that the attorney receives their compensation as a percentage of the final settlement. If the attorney isn’t able to settle your case, you don’t have to pay them a cent. It also means that you don’t have to worry about paying your attorney up front or hourly.
If you can show that your injuries were due to the negligence of another party, you have a claim. The best way to know whether or not you have a good claim is to speak to an attorney. Many attorneys will offer a free initial consultation where they review the details of your claim and decide whether or not you can pursue it further.
The basis of New Jersey’s personal injury law is proving the negligence that led to the injury. To prove negligence, the plaintiff has to address four elements, namely:
- Duty: was there a duty of care? (what does this mean? Explain “duty of care”)
- Breach of duty: did the defendant’s actions breach the reasonable care required from them?
- Causation: did the breach of duty lead to the plaintiff’s injuries?
- Damages: what are the economic and non-economic implications of the injury to the plaintiff?
Once the plaintiff establishes negligence, the modified comparative negligence rule comes into play. If the plaintiff was under 50% responsible for the accident, they could receive damages commensurate to their injuries and fault.
According to the NJ statute of limitations, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. In the event of a wrongful death suit, the limit is from the date of the person’s death.
The idea of damages is to fully compensate you for your injuries and place you in a position similar to where you’d be if the injury hadn’t happened. Damages are typically calculated by taking two different aspects of the injury into account.
The first aspect is the strictly financial one, which focuses on the economic damage of the injury. These factors include things like medical bills, loss of wages that you incurred while recuperating, loss of income if you are unable to work after the accident, property damage, and even ongoing medical care.
The second aspect is the non-economic one. Non-economic damages are trickier to calculate since it involves assigning a financial cost to something that is usually priceless. Non-economic damages include compensation for physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium.
Finally, in rare instances, the judge will also assign punitive damages. These act as a punishment to deter others from similar, negligent conduct. Punitive damages only happen in cases where it was clear that the defendant acted with malice or wanton disregard for the safety of others.
The more severe your injuries, the more your case will be worth in damages. An attorney can provide you with an estimate when you first discuss your case with him or her.
Many factors can influence the length of a personal injury case. In general, it will take between one to two years from filing to trial. After the case is filed, the discovery process usually takes the longest. This is where both legal parties examine the other’s claims. It includes both parties exchanging questions and documents, as well as getting depositions from all relevant witnesses. The more complex the case, the longer the discovery process can take.
Once the discovery process period ends, both parties will start talking about settlement and damages. While lawyers may try to negotiate between themselves to settle, the more common process is mediation. In mediation, both lawyers and clients meet with a mediator and try to reach an agreement to settle the case. If the defendant feels they have a strong case, they may offer lower settlement figures than the plaintiff feels is fair. The plaintiff can then choose to settle out of court or take the process further.
If mediation fails, the next step is to go to trial. Trials can last anywhere from a day to weeks, depending on the complexity of the case. Most trials only take place for half of the day, which can extend an already lengthy process further.
Once you settle, either through mediation or through the court system, you can expect to get your compensation within 14 – 28 days. Some insurance companies move quicker and can pay within a few days after you’ve agreed upon a settlement amount.
