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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's important to determine the number of parties who may be liable for the injuries or losses you or a loved one has endured. It is not uncommon for the parties involved to deny fault or liability for an accident.
We know that truck companies and their insurance providers will do everything in their power to minimize their payout after an accident. It can be tempting to think that the insurance company will take care of you.
Unfortunately, it is not in any insurance company's best interest to pay you a lot of money. Remember—the insurance adjusters present on-site of your trucking accident aim to protect their interests first. This means you’ll need legal advice right after the crash to recover maximum compensation for all losses and damages incurred from the trucking accident.
In most instances, the following parties may be liable:
An experienced NJ truck accident lawyer can help you determine who, in addition to the above, is liable in your potential truck accident case.
It is important to be aware of the fact that a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a Statute of Limitations. Therefore, please contact our experienced New Jersey truck accident attorneys right away so that you do not lose your rights to money and other benefits.
When determining how much a case is worth, especially with commercial trucks, the law considers both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages account for actual financial losses caused by the accident. These include hospital bills, treatments, and lost wages from missed days at work.
It is impossible to make generalizations about the value of any personal injury case and potential payout with commercial vehicle insurance without knowing the details of the injuries and the manner in which the accident took place. This is why it's important to have an experienced truck accident attorney assess what damages you incurred from your large truck accident.
The law allows recovery for a wide range of situations, many of which may not be readily apparent to you and your loved ones. This includes past medical bills, future medical and rehabilitation costs, therapy, lost past wages, lost future income, pain and suffering, and more. An experienced personal injury attorney will fight to obtain maximum compensation for all of your damages—past, and future.
Serious injury cases are not just business for us – they’re personal. When we take on a new client, we adopt them as part of our family, and we fight for them in every way possible.
That has been our motivating force in capturing hundreds of millions of dollars for clients we have represented during the past 50-plus years. It is also the reason we aspire to be the best personal injury firm in the country.
If you or a loved one has suffered an NJ truck accident injury or wrongful death as a result of a trucking accident, call The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP at 1-800-624-8888 or submit a free online case evaluation to speak with a personal injury lawyer. The initial consultation is FREE.
If we agree to handle your personal injury claim, there is no legal fee unless we are successful in getting you money. You don’t pay anything unless we win.
Serious injury cases are not just business for us – they’re personal.
When we take on a new client, we adopt them as part of our family, and we fight for them in every way possible. That has been our motivating force in capturing billions of dollars for clients we have represented for over 50 years. It is also the reason we aspire to be one of the best personal injury law firms in the country.
There is absolutely no fee to contact our office. Your initial consultation with our NJ truck accident lawyers is always FREE and we do not get paid unless and until we are successful in winning you money.
“After our auto accident we had no idea what to do. The Rothenberg Law Firm held our hands the entire way explaining every step in the process and getting us the best settlement in an extremely timely fashion. The process was seamless and we were so pleased with how everything turned out. We hope to never need such services again but would definitely recommend the Rothenberg Law Firm for all personal injury lawyer needs!”
"I highly recommend this very qualified law firm. I am so appreciative to The Rothenberg Law Firm for helping me win a settlement beyond what I expecting in my accident case. They took the time to explain the process and constantly kept me informed. They encouraged me to maintain ongoing contact and took all my calls immediately. They were always understanding, supportive and concerned about my recovery. The Rothenberg Law Firm is very experienced, and with all that, I can honestly say I always felt like I was their only client. I highly recommend them should you ever find yourself needing a very qualified attorney.”