Common Causes, Injuries, and Legal Rights After an East Brunswick Car Accident
If you were injured in an East Brunswick car accident, you might be facing significant medical bills, lost income, physical pain, and uncertainty about your future. Car accidents occur regularly on Route 18, Route 1, Cranbury Road, Rues Lane, and other busy East Brunswick roadways. Understanding the common causes of East Brunswick car accidents, the injuries they often produce, and your legal rights under New Jersey law can help you make informed decisions after an accident.
Common Causes of East Brunswick Car Accidents
Most East Brunswick car accidents happen because a driver fails to use reasonable care. Distracted driving remains one of the leading causes of collisions. Drivers who text, use navigation systems, interact with vehicle technology, or focus on something other than traffic can fail to react to changing roadway conditions and cause serious crashes.
Speeding is another major factor in East Brunswick car accident claims. Drivers traveling too fast for traffic or roadway conditions have less time to avoid hazards and require longer stopping distances.
Other common causes of East Brunswick car accidents include tailgating, unsafe lane changes, failure to yield the right of way, running red lights, aggressive driving, and impaired driving. Determining exactly how a collision occurred is often essential because compensation generally depends on proving that another driver’s negligence caused the crash.
Common Injuries After a Motor Vehicle Accident
The injuries suffered in an East Brunswick car accident can range from relatively minor to life-changing. Even collisions that initially appear minor can produce injuries requiring substantial medical treatment.
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries following a rear-end collision. Victims often experience neck pain, stiffness, headaches, and reduced mobility. Back injuries are also common and may include herniated discs, spinal injuries, and soft tissue damage that affect daily activities and employment.
Traumatic brain injuries are among the most serious consequences of a motor vehicle collision. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, memory problems, concentration difficulties, confusion, and cognitive impairment.
Broken bones, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, facial injuries, internal injuries, and deep lacerations are also frequently associated with East Brunswick car accidents. Because some injuries do not immediately produce symptoms, seeking a medical evaluation soon after a crash is important.
What to Do After a Car Accident
The steps you take after a car accident can affect both your recovery and your legal claim. Seeking medical treatment should be a priority. Medical records can help establish the connection between your injuries and the collision while ensuring that potentially serious injuries are properly diagnosed.
If possible, preserve evidence by taking photographs of the vehicles, roadway conditions, accident scene, and visible injuries. Witness information, police reports, and medical documentation may become important if fault or damages are disputed.
Insurance companies often begin evaluating claims immediately after an accident. Before accepting a settlement offer, it is important to understand the extent of your injuries and the compensation that may be available.
Legal Rights Available to Motor Vehicle Accident Victims
New Jersey operates under a no-fault automobile insurance system. Under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4, Personal Injury Protection benefits, commonly known as PIP benefits, generally provide coverage for certain medical expenses regardless of who caused the accident.
PIP benefits may help cover medical treatment, but they do not necessarily compensate you for all losses arising from a crash. If another driver’s negligence caused the collision, you may have the right to pursue additional compensation through a personal injury claim.
N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8 may affect whether compensation for pain and suffering is available after a motor vehicle accident. When the Limitation on Lawsuit Option applies, an injured person generally must establish that the injury falls within a certain category before recovering pain and suffering damages. Those categories include death, dismemberment, substantial disfigurement or scarring, loss of a fetus, displaced fracture, or a permanent injury. Medical records and expert opinions often play an important role in showing that an injury satisfies these requirements.
Compensation Available for East Brunswick Car Crash Victims
Depending on the circumstances, compensation may be available for medical expenses, future medical treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering where permitted by New Jersey law. The value of an East Brunswick car accident claim often depends on the severity of the injuries, the treatment required, the length of recovery, and whether permanent limitations exist. More serious injuries generally result in greater damages because of their long-term impact on a victim’s life.
What Happens If You Are Partially at Fault?
Insurance companies sometimes argue that an injured victim shares responsibility for a collision. New Jersey addresses these situations through the Comparative Negligence Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 through N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.3. Under these statutes, an injured person may recover compensation as long as that person’s share of fault is not greater than the combined fault of the parties being sued. Any damages awarded may be reduced according to the injured person’s percentage of fault.
Time Limits for Filing a Lawsuit
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2, personal injury lawsuits generally must be filed within two years. Waiting too long can jeopardize your ability to recover compensation and may make important evidence more difficult to obtain. Witness memories fade, surveillance footage can be lost, and physical evidence may disappear over time. Taking action early helps preserve evidence and protect your legal rights.
East Brunswick New Jersey Car Accident Lawyer
If an East Brunswick car accident left you with serious injuries, mounting medical bills, or lost income because another driver failed to follow the rules of the road, you should understand your legal options before making decisions that could affect your claim. Beninato & Matrafajlo Attorneys at Law, LLC has recovered more than $100 million for injury victims and secured significant motor vehicle results, including a $1.75 million recovery for an injured motorist. The firm is prepared to fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Beninato & Matrafajlo Attorneys at Law, LLC by calling (732) 795-5679 or contacting us online for a free consultation with an East Brunswick car accident attorney.
Dan T. Matrafajlo, Esq. is the Managing Member and Lead Partner at Beninato & Matrafajlo, Attorneys at Law, LLC, a New Jersey-based personal injury law firm with offices in Elizabeth and East Brunswick. With over two decades of experience representing clients in complex matters—including motor vehicle accidents, workers’ compensation, and wrongful death cases—he has recovered over $100 million on behalf of his clients and is known for securing significant results. He has also helped shape New Jersey personal injury law through notable Appellate Division decisions such as Hardison v. King and Frenklakh v. Lojek, with his litigation work featured in the New Jersey Law Journal, underscoring his authority in the field.
Mr. Matrafajlo was recognized as a Super Lawyers® Rising Stars honoree from 2012 to 2017 and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum—an honor reserved for attorneys who have achieved multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Combining deep legal expertise with a client-focused approach, he provides strategic, results-driven representation while guiding clients through every stage of the legal process. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York.
