Car driving

What Kind of Car Accident Compensation Can You Expect in New Jersey?

By Greg Kohn
Partner

If you get hurt in a car accident in New Jersey, you probably have questions about what will happen next. What kind of car accident compensation can you expect in New Jersey? These things tend to vary from one state to another, so even if you had a previous collision in a different state, things could be different here.

A New Jersey car accident attorney can help you explore your legal options and pursue compensation from the at-fault driver. You will want to get legal advice right away because there are time limits that can take away your right to go after money damages for your losses. 

Who Can Be Liable for Car Accidents in New Jersey

We have some unique automobile liability insurance laws in New Jersey, so you will want to talk to a personal injury lawyer to clarify who the defendant can be in your car accident injury claim. Usually, the person who caused the car accident through negligence or carelessness can be liable to people who get hurt in the collision.

How Much Compensation You Get After a New Jersey Collision

No one can say with any truth or accuracy how much money a person can get for their personal injury claim after getting hurt in a car crash in New Jersey before talking to the individual and investigating the accident. There is no automatic or flat rate amount that gets awarded in these cases. 

The amount of compensation you might be able to pursue will depend on the unique facts of your situation. Your claim could include things like your medical bills, lost wages, disfigurement, pain and suffering, and property damage or loss.

Economic Losses in Car Accidents

Some things get called “economic losses” in personal injury claims because there is a paper trail of things like receipts and statements that fix a dollar value to the item. For example, medical expenses for the treatment of your wounds are an economic loss because they can easily get measured through the bills from your healthcare providers.

If you lost time from work because of your injuries and you did not get paid for that time, you can include your lost wages in your personal injury claim. We will use your employer’s payroll records to establish the amount of this category.

Intangible Damages After a Crash

Other losses can be just as valid even though they do not tend to have a similar paper trail. These are “intangible losses.” 

For example, a person might have a claim for pain and suffering damages to compensate them for the physical discomfort, inconvenience, and emotional distress they experienced because of the car accident. People who have significant scars from crash injuries or medical treatment of their wounds might qualify for money damages for disfigurement. Also, if a close relative lost their life in a car accident, a New Jersey personal injury attorney could help the family go after compensation from the at-fault party in the form of a wrongful death claim or a lawsuit. These cases have additional types of compensation available to the legal beneficiaries. Contact our office today for help with your case, we offer a free consultation.

About the Author
Greg Kohn is a partner at Nagel Rice and specializes in complex civil litigation cases, including professional malpractice, personal injury, class actions, wrongful death, products liability, and commercial litigation.  He has extensive experience representing clients in both state and federal court. Greg has tried many jury trials to verdict and has recovered over $50 million in settlements and verdicts in all types of personal injury matters including automobile accidents, wrongful death cases, slip and falls, and other catastrophic injury cases. Greg also handles medical malpractice cases, involving misdiagnoses, wrongful birth, and delayed cancer diagnosis. If you have questions regarding this article, you can contact Greg here.