Do You Have Grounds for a Personal Injury Claim?
Our attorneys have over seven
decades combined experience.
One reason many of our clients initially hesitate to contact us is they don’t know if they have grounds for a personal injury claim. They also aren’t sure if their case is strong enough to proceed.
This reticence can hurt, as it can mean you spend way too much time dealing with insurance companies directly. Insurance companies often take advantage of this fear. They ask leading questions which prompt you to say things you shouldn’t. Or they ask you to sign documentation you definitely shouldn’t sign. Or they make you jump through hoops until New Jersey’s 2-year statute of limitations runs out.
While it’s impossible to advise you on your specific case without setting an appointment and looking at the facts, there are a few things you can consider when considering whether to contact an attorney.
Your actions at the time of the accident.
It’s absolutely worth considering what you were doing at the time of the accident. The New Jersey Comparative Negligence Act ensures that a percentage of fault will be assigned to both parties.
This percentage could be 50% and 50%, or 90% and 10%, or 99% and 1%. Whatever your percentage is, your eventual award can be reduced by the same amount. However, if the defendant is found to be 60% or more at fault you can recover the full amount.
Insurance companies may try to inflate your percentage of fault of course.
So ask yourself: what were you doing at the time of the accident? Did you ignore warning signs? Disobey traffic laws? Were you driving distracted?
If you know the other party’s actions were negligent and yours were not, then you could have a strong personal injury case.
The severity of your injuries.
Minor injuries aren’t always worth a case. Sometimes the defendant’s insurance company will cover them without complaint.
They tend to save the fights for massive injuries that they know could cost them millions of dollars.
If you have no injuries at all and the only damage that happened was damage to your car then you may find the process relatively easy.
Still, “severity” is a moving target, and if you aren’t absolutely sure the initial offer from the insurance company will cover all of your expenses then it’s worth it to have a lawyer evaluate the offer.
You may also have trouble if it took some time for the injuries to show up after your accident.
Still not sure?
You never have to engage in guesswork. Our attorneys will tell you whether you have a case worth pursuing or not, and will do so at no cost to you.
We work on contingency, which means we only get paid if your case is successful. That means you can schedule a free case evaluation without having to worry about getting stuck with an enormous bill.
Think you might have a case? Contact our offices to get started today.
See also:
How Are Pain and Suffering Damages Calculated in New Jersey?
How Does a New Jersey Premises Liability Case Work?
3 Factors that Impact the Value of a New Jersey Personal Injury Claim
Practice Areas
Practice Areas
One reason many of our clients initially hesitate to contact us is they don’t know if they have grounds for a personal injury claim. They also aren’t sure if their case is strong enough to proceed.
This reticence can hurt, as it can mean you spend way too much time dealing with insurance companies directly. Insurance companies often take advantage of this fear. They ask leading questions which prompt you to say things you shouldn’t. Or they ask you to sign documentation you definitely shouldn’t sign. Or they make you jump through hoops until New Jersey’s 2-year statute of limitations runs out.
While it’s impossible to advise you on your specific case without setting an appointment and looking at the facts, there are a few things you can consider when considering whether to contact an attorney.
Your actions at the time of the accident.
It’s absolutely worth considering what you were doing at the time of the accident. The New Jersey Comparative Negligence Act ensures that a percentage of fault will be assigned to both parties.
This percentage could be 50% and 50%, or 90% and 10%, or 99% and 1%. Whatever your percentage is, your eventual award can be reduced by the same amount. However, if the defendant is found to be 60% or more at fault you can recover the full amount.
Insurance companies may try to inflate your percentage of fault of course.
So ask yourself: what were you doing at the time of the accident? Did you ignore warning signs? Disobey traffic laws? Were you driving distracted?
If you know the other party’s actions were negligent and yours were not, then you could have a strong personal injury case.
The severity of your injuries.
Minor injuries aren’t always worth a case. Sometimes the defendant’s insurance company will cover them without complaint.
They tend to save the fights for massive injuries that they know could cost them millions of dollars.
If you have no injuries at all and the only damage that happened was damage to your car then you may find the process relatively easy.
Still, “severity” is a moving target, and if you aren’t absolutely sure the initial offer from the insurance company will cover all of your expenses then it’s worth it to have a lawyer evaluate the offer.
You may also have trouble if it took some time for the injuries to show up after your accident.
Still not sure?
You never have to engage in guesswork. Our attorneys will tell you whether you have a case worth pursuing or not, and will do so at no cost to you.
We work on contingency, which means we only get paid if your case is successful. That means you can schedule a free case evaluation without having to worry about getting stuck with an enormous bill.
Think you might have a case? Contact our offices to get started today.
See also:
How Are Pain and Suffering Damages Calculated in New Jersey?
How Does a New Jersey Premises Liability Case Work?
3 Factors that Impact the Value of a New Jersey Personal Injury Claim