Practical Legal Advice for Victims of Auto Accidents

The car accident lawyers at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., have been helping vehicle accident victims since 1981. We have handled thousands of accident injury claims, obtaining excellent results for our clients in many instances. Each case and the results vary, so we invite you to contact an auto accident lawyer at our New Jersey or New York offices to confidentially and at no cost discuss the specifics of your situation. If we take your case, you can be assured we will use all the resources of our law firm to develop a strong argument for money damages and other compensation for you.

To speak with a personal injury lawyer with many years of experience, contact our New Jersey or New York offices at 1-800-LAW-2000. We do not charge attorney’s fees unless we are successful in your case and our initial consultations are free.

If you are unable to contact our vehicle accident attorneys right away, read through our practical advice for auto accident victims listed below. Following these steps will put you in a stronger position for dealing with the insurance companies.

• Make sure the police report is accurate and reflects your version of the auto accident. If it’s not, visit the police station immediately and demand to add your statement to the official police report.
• Your medical bills will be paid by your own auto insurance carrier (No-Fault Insurance). Therefore, you need to put those automobile insurance carriers on notice immediately in order to complete an application for Personal Injury Protection benefits (PIP). The insurance carrier responsible for your medical bills will be either your car insurance company or the automobile insurance carrier of any immediate family member that lives with you.
• You need to take or have pictures taken of the external and internal property damage to your automobile and the other automobiles involved in the car wreck.
• If the careless driver who caused the accident was uninsured you will need to put your own insurance carrier on notice for potential uninsured or underinsured motorist claims.
• If the defendant automobile or driver is associated with a public entity such as the state, a county or municipality, including a board of education; you need to put them on notice by filing special forms within 90 days of the accident event.
• You need to examine your automobile insurance policy to determine your “threshold.” If you have either a lawsuit threshold or a verbal threshold, you will need to prove that the accident caused at least one permanent injury which can be diagnosed by an objective test such as an MRI, CT scan, or EMG Study.
• If the auto accident involved a commercial automobile or a truck, you need to make sure certain evidence is preserved immediately.
• The law recognizes that many people have had prior accidents or medical conditions made worse by an auto accident. You may still bring a claim. In fact, under certain circumstances the defendant will be responsible for the full extent of your injuries and losses. However, it will be your responsibility to make sure that you tell your treating doctors about these prior accidents and any symptoms you experiences before this accident.
• You need to know that in New Jersey there is a two year statute of limitations to bring a lawsuit for your personal injuries. If an auto accident lawsuit is not properly filed, you will be forever barred from making a claim. For a child injured under the age of 18 they will have until age 20 to bring their claim.
• You need to be honest in all of your dealings with your doctors and other medical providers, insurance companies, and law enforcement personnel. People not knowing and understanding the pitfalls within our system can unknowingly commit insurance fraud. For that reason alone, it is best to hire an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. If the accident unfortunately involved a fatality immediate steps needs to be taken to preserve valuable evidence and to act as a liaison with the county prosecutor’s office.