Hazlet Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers
Car accidents can transform a routine trip to the grocery store into a catastrophic, life-changing event in seconds. Victims often face serious injuries, emotional trauma, and mounting medical bills. If a distracted driver in Hazlet, New Jersey caused your car accident, you may have legal grounds to pursue compensation for any injuries you suffered. Let our Hazlet distracted driving accident lawyers at Mikita & Roccanova walk you through your rights.
What Qualifies as Distracted Driving in Hazlet, New Jersey?
New Jersey law defines “distracted driving” as anything that diverts a driver’s attention from the road, including eating and drinking, adjusting a radio or navigation system, carrying on a conversation with a passenger, applying makeup, and—most notably—using a cell phone.
Safety experts categorize distractions into three main types:
- Manual distractions remove a driver’s hands from the steering wheel.
- Visual distractions pull a driver’s eyes away from the road.
- Cognitive distractions redirect a driver’s mental focus away from driving.
Texting combines all three distraction types and endangers distracted drivers the most. Consequently, New Jersey strictly prohibits handheld electronic device use while driving, with violations resulting in fines of anywhere from $200 to $800 and potential license suspensions.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Distracted Driving Accident?
Always prioritize your health and safety immediately following an accident. If possible, get yourself and your car out of the traffic flow. Call 911 to request a police response and emergency medical attention, even if you do not feel injured. The adrenaline surge after an accident may mask some symptoms from your internal injuries.
Collect both insurance and contact information from the other drivers involved in the accident, and try to see if any witnesses might have seen the collision. If so, ask if you can keep their contact details as well.
Take photos to preserve visual evidence of the scene, vehicles, and injuries, and make sure that they include digital timestamps. Report the accident to your insurance company, but refrain from extended discussions with them, and never speculate about cause or fault.
Additionally, avoid posting about the collision on social media. Insurance companies scour social media for evidence that the victims did not suffer as much harm as they claim, to lower their financial burdens.
Can You File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in New Jersey After a Distracted Driving Accident?
New Jersey operates under a “choice no-fault” insurance system. After an auto accident, your insurance company pays for your medical expenses via your mandatory Personal Injury Protection (PIP) policy.
New Jersey requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP), with a minimum of $15,000 per person per accident. For specific serious injuries such as permanent brain injury or spinal cord damage, PIP may cover up to $250,000.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Distracted Driving Accident?
New Jersey courts have awarded distracted driving accident victims in Hazlet with compensation to cover emergency treatment, hospital stays, surgical procedures, physical therapy, medication, and assistive devices. They also award damages to make up for missed work hours, lost opportunities for advancement, and reduced earning capacity.
Beyond tangible losses with associated dollar values, the courts also try to make up for any intangible injuries victims suffer. These injuries include physical pain and suffering, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and lost enjoyment of daily activities.
How Do You Prove the Other Driver Was Distracted?
If you suffered injuries during an accident and believe that the other driver’s distraction was to blame, you need to build a strong case to prove your theory.
The other driver’s cell phone records might reveal their phone activity before the crash. Traffic or security cameras might have captured their activity before the accident. And right after a collision, some drivers admit their distracted behavior under stress.
You may need to consider hiring a specialist who can export vehicle black box data to record any sudden acceleration or steering inputs that could back up your distracted driving theory.
New Jersey generally allows victims two years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, you may forfeit your right to pursue compensation via legal means.
When you need to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover the costs associated with your accident, a qualified car accident attorney can make all the difference. Victims stand a much greater chance of receiving the payout they need and deserve with competent legal representation, as an attorney can gather and preserve all the necessary evidence, subpoena witnesses and experts, negotiate on your behalf with insurance companies, defend your rights in court, and protect your interests throughout the whole process.
Find Strong Legal Representation With the Hazlet Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers at Mikita & Roccanova
Trust the Hazlet distracted driving accident lawyers at Mikita & Roccanova to build you a dedicated, personalized case, prioritize your interests, and help you demand maximum possible compensation for your accident. Call 732-705-3363 or fill out our online form for a free consultation. With locations in Hazlet and Highland Park, New Jersey, we serve car accident victims throughout Ocean County, Sussex County, Neptune, Middlesex County, and Pennsylvania. Do not go another day without legal guidance; call us today!