New Jersey Injury Attorney Blog

A 16-year-old girl was killed in a New Jersey car accident that may have involved a driver exceeding the speed limit. According to a news report in The Jersey Journal, the fatal car crash occurred on West Side Avenue near 75th Street in North Bergen. The victim was the passenger in a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu that veered out of control, hit a utility pole, and struck a tree. Authorities believe that excessive speed may have been a factor in this fatal crash. The 16-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The 20-year-old driver from Union City sustained non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear if he will face any charges in connection with this fatal crash.

Speed is a common factor in motor vehicle collisions. Speeding drivers are more likely to lose control of their vehicle, and also have less time to react to traffic conditions around them. New Jersey Statute 39:4-98 requires all motorists to obey the posted speed limits. Drivers who violate NJS 39:4-96 by driving recklessly may be held criminally and civilly liable for their actions.

The family of a deceased car accident victim would be well advised to seek the counsel of an experienced wrongful death attorney. Compensation may be available for damages including medical bills, funeral expenses, and loss of any future income.

The law firm of Lependorf & Silverstein handles all types of auto accident cases in New Jersey. Our skilled Princeton wrongful death car accident attorneys know how to hold negligent drivers accountable for their actions. If you have lost a loved one in a New Jersey car accident, please contact us at 609-240-0040 for a no-cost consultation.

A 30-year-old mother and her 7-year-old son were injured in a New Jersey car accident involving a driver who made an unsafe U-turn. According to a news report in The Star-Ledger, the serious injury accident occurred near Route 9 and the 516 in Old Bridge. The report states that a 68-year-old man driving a Subaru made a U-turn in front of a garbage truck. To avoid a collision, the garbage truck driver swerved into oncoming traffic before crashing head-on into a Honda Accord. The driver of the Subaru has been listed in serious condition, while the female driver of the Accord is in critical condition with several broken bones and internal injuries. Her son also sustained multiple broken bones.

New Jersey drivers are required to exercise care and caution before making a U-turn. According to New Jersey Statute 39:4-125: "The driver of a vehicle shall not turn such vehicle around so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any curve or upon the approach to or near the crest of a grade or at any place upon a highway as defined in R.S. 39:1-1 where the view of such vehicle is obstructed within a distance of five hundred feet along the highway in either direction; and no such vehicle shall be turned around so as to proceed in the opposite direction on a highway which shall be conspicuously marked with signs stating 'no U-turn.'"

Victims of negligent drivers may pursue financial compensation for their suffering by filing a personal injury claim. Damages that may be covered through such a claim include all medical expenses, loss of earnings, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.

An experienced Princeton head-on car crash attorney at Lependorf & Silverstein helps victims of New Jersey car accidents get the compensation they need and rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, please call our offices at 609-240-0040 for a free and comprehensive consultation.

Children who are left in cars during hot weather can suffer a devastating injury or even death. Even though summer is winding down, the potential dangers of vehicular heat stroke still exist and children may still be at risk. It is important to practice and encourage safety measures in order to help prevent these tragic incidents.

Children who are left in hot vehicles can suffer hyperthermia. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that hyperthermia is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle death for youths under the age of 14. NHTSA recently cited a study by the San Francisco State University's Department of Geosciences, which shows that 49 children in the United States died from hyperthermia in the year 2010. In fact, 22 children have died this year alone as a result of hyperthermia.

Children should never be left unattended nor allowed to play in an unattended vehicle. Parents should know that cracking the windows is not an adequate way to prevent heat stroke and it is best to make sure all children are removed from the car each time they park. On a hot day, a vehicle can reach dangerous temperatures after only 10 minutes in the sun. Young children and infants are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke injuries. If a child shows signs of distress, nausea, confusion or strange behavior, it may be in the parent's best interest to seek medical attention as these may be symptoms of heat stroke.

The skilled New Jersey child injury attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein are here to serve your family. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, please contact us at 609-240-0040 for a free, comprehensive and confidential consultation.

Burn injuries can be not only extremely devastating and painful, but also costly to treat. Victims of New Jersey burn accidents often have to endure expensive surgeries and procedures. Depending on the cause and circumstances of the accident, victims may seek financial compensation for the injuries, damages and losses they have suffered.

The first step in pursuing burn injury compensation is determining who was responsible for the accident. If the burn injury involved an apartment fire, did the property owner's negligence contribute to the incident? If the burn injury resulted from a car accident, was another motorist or a defective product responsible for the collision? In such cases, at-fault parties may be held liable for the injuries they cause through civil litigation.

Victims of burn injuries may seek financial compensation for their losses by filing a personal injury claim. At-fault parties may be held liable for losses such as medical bills, past and future suffering, lost wages and continuing treatment costs. Many burn injuries require future return visits to the hospital and complex and costly procedures such as skin grafts. Victims who rush into a settlement may not receive fair and full compensation for all their losses. Burn injury victims can also seek compensation for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering and emotional distress.

The reputed New Jersey burn injury lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein have a long and successful track record getting burn injury victims just compensation. To discuss your legal rights and options at absolutely no cost, please contact us at 609-240-0040.

A 6-month-old boy and a 23-year-old female live-in domestic assistant were killed in a New Jersey car accident involving a Pontiac Sunbird and a 2007 Jeep Cherokee on September 6. According to a news report in The Star Ledger, the fatal car crash occurred on Church Street in Aberdeen. Investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the two vehicles to collide. In addition to the two fatally injured victims, a 3-year-old boy was injured as well. The three occupants of the Jeep, a 30-year-old man and his twin 3-year-old sons, were not injured in the accident.

According to The New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles, there were 4,483 total injury crashes in Monmouth County in the year 2010. During that same year there were 66,790 injury crashes throughout New Jersey.

Anytime there is a fatal New Jersey collision, it is crucial that investigators correctly determine who was responsible for the crash. At-fault motorists may be held liable for losses including medical bills, funeral expenses and lost future income if the victim's family chooses to file a wrongful death claim. It is unfortunately common for at-fault drivers to deny responsibility for a serious injury car crash and for insurance companies to deny adequate coverage for victims' families. In such cases, civil litigation may be the only way for the family to get the support they need.

The experienced Princeton wrongful death attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein offer their condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one in a fatal crash. Please contact one of our skilled New Jersey auto accident attorneys at 609-240-0040 to better understand your legal rights and options.

Several people suffered injuries in a New Jersey car accident involving five vehicles on September 8, according to a news report in The Bergen County Record. The five-car pileup occurred on westbound Route 80 just past the Market Street exit in Paterson. It is not clear exactly what caused the crash or how many people were hurt. According to the report, the injuries suffered were not life-threatening.

There are many questions that must be asked following a multiple vehicle crash. Did one of the motorists violate New Jersey Statute 39:4-89 by following too closely behind another vehicle? Were any of the drivers reckless, careless or speeding? Did one of the motorists cause the crash by making a dangerous or improper lane change? Did distracted driving play a part in the crash? Negligent drivers can be held liable for the injuries and damages they cause.

It is important that anyone involved in a crash seek auto accident legal guidance from a skilled personal injury attorney. In cases where several victims are involved, there is the potential for insurance companies to pass the blame and for negligent drivers to deny responsibility. Drivers involved in such collisions should not accept a settlement from an insurance company without first discussing their claim with an attorney. By rushing to settle, injured victims will lose the opportunity to get fair and full compensation.

The experienced Princeton personal injury attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein have a long history of handling car accident cases involving multiple vehicles. We make sure that our clients get the compensation they need to cover losses such as medical expenses and lost wages. If you or a loved one has been injured in a New Jersey car accident, please contact us today at 609-240-0040 for a free and comprehensive consultation.

An 85-year-old man was injured in a New Jersey gas explosion on Thursday, September 8. According to a news report in The Star Ledger, the natural gas explosion occurred at the Cypress Gardens apartment complex on Route 22 in North Plainfield. The man was adjusting his apartment's heater and thermostat when it exploded, delivering burns to his arms, chest and face. The explosion was so strong that it blew out several windows in his apartment. The building did not sustain any structural damage and no one else was hurt.

Property owners have many legal obligations to tenants and visitors, many of which concern overall safety. All property owners must make sure that their buildings are constructed to code and properly maintained. They are also required to provide fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems that are in working order. Broken steps and cracked floors must be repaired. Defective and dangerous appliances such as stoves and heaters need to be replaced. Property owners who fail to protect their tenants may be held liable for any injuries that result from their negligence.

Proving that a property owner was responsible for an injury accident is not as simple as it sounds. A skilled liability attorney will examine all aspects of the incident and help determine fault and premises liability. In some cases, serious accidents can also occur as a result of defective products. In such cases, the manufacturer of the defective product can also be held liable.

The knowledgeable New Jersey explosion injury attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein have a long history of holding property owners liable for their negligence. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious personal injury due to someone else's negligence or wrongdoing, please contact our law offices at 609-240-0040 for a free consultation and comprehensive case evaluation.

It is common for teenage drivers to become distracted. To help prevent dangerous situations that could arise from such distractions, New Jersey's young drivers law prevents young drivers from having more than one passenger in their car. The way this law is enforced has come into focus following a tragic New Jersey car accident involving several teenagers.

Four teenagers were killed in a New Jersey traffic accident involving a driver on a restricted license. According to The Associated Press, the fatal crash occurred when a 17-year-old driver of an SUV was unable to slow down for stopped vehicles. The driver and three out of seven passengers were killed in the crash. Under the young drivers law, the motorist should have only had one passenger in the vehicle. We are left to speculate if this crash would have occurred had the driver not had the distraction of seven teenage passengers in the vehicle.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group.” Approximately eight teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were killed every day in a car crash. About 3,000 teens were killed in United States car accidents and more than 350,000 were treated for car accident related injuries in the year 2009.

The experienced Princeton distracted driver accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein help young victims and their families pursue financial compensation for the losses they have suffered in New Jersey car accidents. To discuss your legal rights and options at no cost, call our offices at 609-240-0040 right away.

Seventeen people were injured in a New Jersey bus accident involving two trucks that had slowed in traffic. According to a news report in The Star-Ledger, the serious injury bus accident occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike between Exits 9 and 8a in South Brunswick. The collision involved a DC Trails bus carrying 55 passengers from Brooklyn to Washington, D.C. Traffic had slowed down and the tour bus driver was unable to stop in time. The bus driver and two passengers were critically injured in the collision. Injuries suffered by the 14 other victims include broken bones, cuts, bruises and bumps. The 52-year-old bus driver involved in this truck accident had a good safety record, officials say.

According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1,001 buses were involved in non-fatal New Jersey accidents in the year 2010. Over half of those accidents – 563 crashes -- resulted in injuries.

Any time a passenger is injured in a New Jersey bus accident it is important that the victim gets his or her name in on the police report. Additionally, it is in the best interest of the victim to get all possible information about the bus, the bus company, the bus driver and the bus driver's insurance company. Remember, both private and public bus companies owe their passengers the utmost duty of care. That includes hiring drivers with good safety records and maintaining their vehicles properly.

The experienced bus accident attorneys in Princeton at Lependorf & Silverstein have years of experience handling New Jersey bus accident cases on behalf of injured victims. We know how to protect the rights of our clients and hold the at-fault party liable for the injuries, damages and losses suffered. Call our offices at 609-240-0040 for a free and comprehensive consultation.

A worker, who was sucked down a drainpipe while working at a flooded business, was discovered dead hours after the accident by rescuers. According to The Times of Trenton, the fatal work injury accident occurred on Bakers Basin Road in Lawrence the afternoon of August 30, 2011. The man was working with a landscaping and nursery company to help clear water from a business that had become flooded. His co-workers opened a manhole cover and he was sucked in. He was discovered by rescuers several hours later.

Many jobs are potentially more dangerous following a flood. Individuals working in such conditions must use the utmost of care when working with power lines, electrical devices, cable lines, manholes and carbon monoxide producing generators. It is important that all employers notify their employees of the potential dangers they might face. It is also crucial that all employers properly train their employees to work in adverse conditions.

The family of a worker who has been seriously injured or killed in a job-related accident in New Jersey can seek compensation for their irreparable loss by filing for workers’ compensation benefits. Losses that may be taken into consideration include medical bills, funeral expenses and lost future wages.

The knowledgeable New Jersey workers’ compensation attorneys at Lependorf & Silverstein help victims and their families get the support they need. If you have suffered a loss in a New Jersey accident, call our offices at 609-240-0040 right away to discuss your legal rights and options. We are here to help you.

The potential dangers of Hurricane Irene still exist even though the storm has passed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the United States Fire Administration (USFA) have stated that consumers need to be especially careful during power outages because the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire increase during such times. One of the many potential dangers in the aftermath of hurricane Irene is the use of portable generators. Generators that are in garages, sheds, basements and homes may have exhausts that contain high levels of carbon monoxide, which could cause lethal poisoning.

While portable generators can be extremely useful following a deadly storm, it is crucial that New Jersey residents use them safely and in an open space. CPSC reports that between 1999 and 2010, almost 600 people have been killed as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning due to these generators. Individuals without power may also try to use charcoal grills or camp stoves. These devices also release carbon monoxide. There were at least seven carbon monoxide-related deaths from use of charcoal or charcoal grills in 2007.

Other potential dangers in the aftermath of a hurricane involve downed power wires, damaged cable TV feeds, standing water and candle use. If you are in water of any kind, make sure you are not handling any electrical devices. Circuit breakers and wires in the wall that have become wet should not be powered. When using candles instead of a flashlight, make sure they are not placed near something that may catch fire.

When using any emergency equipment, it is necessary to follow all instructions and practice proper safety, but that may not be enough. If emergency equipment, such as a gas generator, is defectively manufactured or designed, it can cause serious injury, even if being used properly. The experienced product liability attorneys in New Jersey at Lependorf & Silverstein hope you and your family have remain safe during this difficult time. If you have any questions or concerns about any injuries you may have suffered due to defective emergency equipment, please contact our offices at 609-240-0040 to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.

Every holiday weekend comes with a potential increase in New Jersey drunk driving accidents. Many people on the roadways over this last Labor Day weekend would be well advised to keep their distance from drivers behaving erratically and to limit the amount of travelling they have to especially after it gets dark. Drunk driving is often the cause of serious injury or fatality crashes in New Jersey during the summer months.

After last year's Labor Day weekend, The Gloucester County Times chronicled deadly traffic accidents that had occurred throughout New Jersey in the summer months. In the year 2010, five people were killed in a total of five crashes on Garden State roads between the start of the holiday weekend, Friday at 6 p.m., and its conclusion, Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. These fatalities involved three car accidents, one motorcycle crash and the death of a 16-year-old boy who was riding a bicycle. The fatal bicycle accident involved a reckless driver who left the scene of the crash.

Prior to the 2010 Labor Day weekend traffic fatalities, six people were killed over Memorial Day weekend that year. Five people were also killed during the 2009 Labor Day holiday. Victims of those fatal accidents included a pedestrian and four motorcyclists.

As the fall and winter holidays approach, the Princeton drunk driving accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein would like to remind you to drive safely, and to encourage your family and friends to do so as well. If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident caused by a drunk or negligent driver, do not hesitate to call our office at 609-240-0040 to discuss your legal rights and options. You can also follow Gabriel Lependorf on Twitter for more news, helpful information and other topics of interest.

A 62-year-old woman from Toms River, New Jersey, was killed in a car accident recently after her car was struck by a broken truck tire. According to NJ.com, the fatal crash occurred on Interstate 95 in Westchester County, New York. The accident was caused after a truck lost its entire rear axle, and the axle compartment flew into the air and into the victim's vehicle, causing her fatal injuries. The woman’s 84-year-old mother suffered minor injuries in the accident. It is unclear what caused the axle to fall off the truck or if anyone will be cited for this tragic accident.

There are a number of causes of truck accidents in New Jersey. Negligent truck drivers are responsible for most serious injury truck accidents but there are a number of other potentially liable parties. There are cases where poor truck maintenance or a defective part can be a factor. In some cases, a mechanic may have failed to properly install a part. Trucking companies are also required to inspect their vehicles diligently so that their vehicles do not pose a hazard to other motorists. In addition, trucking firms and truck drivers are also required to make sure that loads are properly secured and trailers are properly hitched so that loose trailers or loads do not jeopardize others on the roadway.

Determining liability for a New Jersey truck accident can be a complicated process. Anyone who has been seriously injured or who has lost a loved one in a truck collision would be well-advised to speak with a knowledgeable attorney to find out more about the legal options available to them. Truck drivers and their companies often dispute the charges made against them, and injured victims often have to fight for the compensation they need and rightfully deserve.

The experienced Princeton truck accident lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein know how to help injured victims and the families of deceased victims receive fair compensation for their losses. Call our law offices today at 609-240-0040 if you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a truck crash in New Jersey.

A driver was injured in a car accident recently that resulted in the vehicle overturning. According to a news report in The Star-Ledger, the accident occurred at the intersection of Hooper and Oak avenues in Toms River. The report does not specify if a second vehicle was involved or the cause of the crash. The victim was taken by helicopter to the Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune. An investigation into the New Jersey rollover accident is ongoing.

There are a number of traffic violations that are often linked to serious accidents. Drivers violating New Jersey Statute 39:4-50 by driving while intoxicated have a greater chance or running a red light or failing to yield the right-of-way. Drivers violating 39:4-125 by making an illegal U-turn can cause catastrophic car accidents by turning into oncoming traffic. Drivers who run a red light or stop sign at an intersection may be cited by the authorities for violating New Jersey Statute 39:4-120.9. Such violations can also result in car accidents that can cause victims to suffer catastrophic injuries or even death.

Negligent drivers may be held criminally and civilly liable for their actions. Victims of rollover accidents in New Jersey would be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced lawyer who will not only look into whether there were negligent drivers involved, but also whether a defective auto or defectively designed vehicle caused or contributed to the accident and/or injuries.

The rollover accident attorneys in New Jersey at Lependorf & Silverstein handle all types of vehicle accident cases. We help our clients pursue compensation for losses such as medical bills, lost wages, and hospitalization. To discuss what your potential claim may be worth, call our law offices today at 609-240-0040. Consultations are always free.