New Jersey Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck Accident Attorneys

With so many motorists relying on highways and city streets to get around—all it takes is just one tired, overworked truck driver for your life to change forever. 

In New Jersey, it's common for big rigs and passenger vehicles to share the same roads. And yet, tractor trailers pose a significant risk to others. 

Click here to Enlarge

While you and your loved ones may be familiar with what to do after being involved in a car accident, getting into an accident with a large truck is a different story. 

Large truck accidents are more likely to cause devastating changes to your life. For this reason, if you or a loved one has experienced a serious injury following a trucking accident in New Jersey, contact the Rothenberg Law Firm to speak with a truck accident attorney right away.

With more than five decades of experience representing personal injury victims in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, the legal team at The Rothenberg Law Firm can help you determine whether you can seek compensation and how much compensation you deserve. 

New Jersey Truck Accident Statistics

New Jersey roads and highways are heavily trafficked by long-haul truckers delivering cargo all over the U.S. Unfortunately, large trucks are some of the most dangerous vehicles to share the road with, and New Jersey’s truck crash statistics reflect this.

In 2019, 78 people were killed in large truck crashes in New Jersey. Ongoing analysis from the Institute for Safer Trucking shows safety on the state’s roads is getting worse. Between 2010 and 2019, fatalities in truck accidents increased for New Jersey by 50%.

This coincides with a wider trend that transportation experts attribute to a larger number of big trucks on the road. Between 2011 and 2019, fatal crashes with trucks increased by 33% nationwide, according to the National Safety Council. The National Safety Council's report also shows a steady rise in truck accidents that resulted in injury between these years.

The IST numbers highlight that 64% of fatal truck crashes in New Jersey involved two vehicles or more, meaning the brunt of crash damages, injuries, and fatalities likely fell on the occupants of smaller vehicles.

The Department of Transportation reports that in 2019, 71% of people killed in large truck collisions were occupants of other vehicles. Similarly, 69% of people injured in large truck accidents were occupants of other vehicles.

The DOT data also finds a 5% increase in injuries in large truck accidents between 2018 and 2019. From 2018 to 2019, there was a 17% increase in the number of injured truck occupants in large truck crashes, and a 19% increase in injured non-vehicle occupants. These trends suggest truck accidents are becoming more severe in their damage.

The DOT found that in 2019, 77% of fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred from 6 a.m. Monday to 5:59 p.m. on Friday. A larger number of trucks were likely to be on the road during business hours on weekdays, making accidents more likely to occur.

FAQS After a Truck Accident

What qualifies as a large truck accident?

Most commonly referred to as tractor-trailers, 18 wheelers, semi trucks, commercial trucks or big rigs—a large truck has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds. Only these types of trucks qualify as large trucks. 

Due to their extreme weight and size, large trucks take longer to completely stop and are more difficult to maneuver compared to a car. 

Accidents involving tractor trailers are more likely to result in increased property damage, more serious injuries, much larger medical bills and a greater chance of death than those involving only passenger vehicles. 

What are the Common Causes of Truck Accidents?

Poor equipment, improperly loaded cargo, poorly maintained trucks, and driver fatigue are the most common causes of trucking accidents. 

Truck drivers can also exhibit basic negligence that lead to tractor-trailer accidents. Distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, driver error, lack of truck driving experience, improper lane changes, and a truck driver’s failure to see motorists around them when making turns can lead to crashes that require medical attention.

Trucking Regulations

Both federal and state regulations govern the safety of the trucks’ equipment and truck drivers’ hours. The FMCSA and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission regulate commercial vehicles, including transport trucks. Both regulatory bodies set strict height and weight guidelines to ensure cargo is secure and risk is minimized on highways and city roads. Trucking companies are required to keep records of such information. 

Truck drivers are allowed by federal hours-of-service regulations to drive up to 11 hours at a stretch. However, incentives are often given by trucking companies to truck drivers for arriving earlier. This means they might compromise their safety and others on the road to meet these demands. 

When large trucks are involved in a collision or accident, they usually violate a regulation mandated by either state or federal law. Having an experienced New Jersey truck accident attorney review and investigate the cause(s) of your accident will give you a leg up in recovering maximum compensation in your potential truck accident case.

What to do following a trucking accident? 

After a large truck accident, you or your loved one will likely experience many emotions. The aftermath of the crash can feel confusing, scary, or uncertain. Although it is difficult to prepare for an accident, taking specific steps to prepare in case of an accident or emergency will help you handle an unexpected collision. 

• Keep your cell phone charged, a notepad in your glove compartment, a first aid kit, bottled water, and other items that could help you right away.
• Call 911 and seek medical attention. The most important thing for you to do is get the medical attention you or your loved one need!
• Make sure the police are called to the scene and file an accident report if you are well enough to do so. 
• If at all possible, take note of any damages or injuries. Take pictures with your phone. This is especially important if you are traveling with family or friends as multiple injuries and damages may result from the accident.
• Record (on your phone or notepad) any details that may have played a role in the collision. This includes weather conditions, any witnesses, and other victims impacted by the truck accident. Exchange contact information such as names, phone numbers, email, license plates and any details that may help your case.
• Contact a New Jersey truck accident lawyer. 

You may not have the opportunity to consult with an experienced New Jersey attorney immediately after your accident. However, any details that you’re able to record at the time of the accident will greatly help your case. And make sure to contact an attorney as soon as you are able to do so.

Why Do I Need a Truck Accident Lawyer? 

If you or a loved one are involved in a trucking accident, it's imperative that you reach out to a NJ personal injury attorney as soon as possible. In most cases, insurance adjusters and the trucking company’s attorney will arrive on the site of the accident once it has been reported to the police. They aim to protect the insurance and trucking company’s interests, which means you’ll need legal advice right after the crash.

Because truck drivers are often insured with insurance policies that can extend into the millions, it is important to consult with an experienced attorney to identify all the different lines of insurance that are possibly involved in your particular personal injury case. The legal team at a personal injury law firm can help explain how the facts of your personal injury case might play out in negotiations with the trucking company and the insurance company. 

It is also important to have the help of a semi truck accident lawyer whenever you are hurt in a trucking accident. The impact and consequences of a commercial truck accident can lead to catastrophic injuries including burns, broken bones, spinal cord damage, lacerations, paralysis, and traumatic brain injury.

At times, these accidents are so severe that the accident victim does not survive. Wrongful death claims can be brought by an experienced attorney to help family members recover compensation for the loss of their loved ones.

Many law firms offer free consultations. During your initial consultation, you can learn whether or not filing a lawsuit is necessary for you to receive maximum compensation for your truck accident injury.

In the event that you or your loved one experience a truck accident injury in New Jersey, contact the New Jersey truck accident attorneys at the Rothenberg Law Firm today.

We offer a free consultation to all New Jersey truck accident victims and their families. Discussing a potential case comes with no cost to you as our experienced attorneys handle trucking accident cases on a contingent fee basis. This means, you do not pay anything unless and until we recover money for you. 

We dedicate ourselves to making sure that every call to our firm is answered or returned. Our firm is not a “mill” that takes on a volume of cases to settle whatever we can at minimal effort and expense. If we take on a case, it is because our experienced attorneys believe in it and our firm will invest the necessary effort and expense to seek justice for every injured client.