East Orange Red Light Accident Lawyers
Being injured by a driver who ran a red light is frustrating enough without having to fight an insurance company over who was at fault. When the other driver disputes what happened, getting fair compensation for your injuries can become even more difficult.
Proving who had the right of way often requires more than conflicting driver statements. Traffic signal records, nearby surveillance footage, and vehicle data can help establish what happened.
At Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP, our East Orange red light accident lawyers investigate collisions, gather evidence, and pursue compensation for injured clients. We handle disputes with insurance companies so you can focus on your recovery.
Contact our firm for a free consultation to discuss your accident and legal options. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Trust Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP With an East Orange Red Light Case?
Since 1997, Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP has represented injured people throughout East Orange and Essex County. Our father-and-son firm provides personal attention and experienced legal representation, particularly when drivers dispute who had the right of way.
Experienced Attorneys Who Handle Your Case Personally
Partners Richard Goldstein and Michael J. Goldstein bring more than five decades of combined legal experience, and Michael is a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney.
We work directly with our clients, investigate conflicting accounts of the collision, and prepare cases for trial when necessary.
No Upfront Costs to Pursue Your Claim
Under our No Recovery, No Fee arrangement, we advance the costs of investigating your accident, including obtaining traffic signal records, surveillance footage, and accident reconstruction when needed.
We can also connect you with our established network of treating doctors to help you access medical care.
Accessible Support Throughout Your Case
Our team is available 24/7 to take calls in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We handle red light accident claims as part of our broader East Orange personal injury practice, helping injured clients pursue compensation while they focus on recovery.
What Do Signal Timing Records Actually Show?
Signal timing records are often the single most useful evidence in a red light case. They do not capture the crash, but they record what each signal was set to display and when.
Phase Sequences and Durations
Every intersection cycles through phases, including green, yellow, all-red clearance intervals, and any turn arrows. The records list how long each phase lasted.
A reconstruction specialist uses them to work out which direction had the green at a given moment, and whether any timing changes were in effect that day.
Who Keeps the Records
In East Orange, the city, Essex County, or the State may run a given signal, based on which roads meet there. The request has to go to the right agency, and if a lawsuit is filed, the records can also be obtained by subpoena.
Matching the Records to the Moment of Impact
Timing records only help if we know the exact time of the crash. We pin that down with 911 call logs, event data recorder timestamps, phone records, and time-stamped video from nearby cameras.
The state’s information on the former red light camera program explains why camera footage is no longer part of the picture at most intersections.
What Video Might Exist Around an East Orange Intersection?
Without enforcement cameras, video usually comes from private and commercial sources. Each one keeps footage for a different length of time, so we send requests out early.
| Possible video source | Where it is found | How quickly it may be lost |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront and security cameras | Businesses along Central Avenue, Main Street, and Park Avenue | Often recorded over within days |
| Home doorbell cameras | Residential corners and side streets | Depends on the owner’s settings, often a few days to a few weeks |
| Bus cameras | Transit buses that passed through or stopped near the intersection | Retention varies by operator and may be short |
| Dashcams | Other drivers, rideshare vehicles, and commercial fleets | Rolling storage that records over quickly |
A few seconds of footage from an angle that catches the signal head can settle a dispute that would otherwise come down to one driver’s word against another’s. We move fast for that reason.
What Does New Jersey Require at Yellow and Red Lights?
New Jersey drivers must obey traffic signals, and what each color means is well settled. Red means stop, and green lets a driver go while still yielding to anyone lawfully in the intersection. Yellow warns that red is coming and that drivers should stop if they can do so safely.
Entering on a Late Yellow
Entering on yellow does not automatically make a driver at fault, but speeding up to beat a changing light is a real risk. When timing records show the light turned red before the driver reached the stop line, the yellow-light defense usually falls apart.
Turning Right on Red
A right turn on red is generally allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, and the turning driver must yield to cross traffic and pedestrians. A driver who treats a red light as a rolling yield can be responsible for the crash that follows.
Turn Arrows and Flashing Yellow Arrows
Many intersections use green arrows for protected turns and flashing yellow arrows for permitted turns. A flashing yellow arrow allows a turn only after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Drivers who treat it like a protected green arrow cause many red light disputes.
Dark Signals
When a signal is not working, N.J.S.A. 39:4-81 requires drivers to treat the intersection as a stop intersection. A driver who rolls through a dark signal at speed is treated much like one who ran a red.
What Happens if Both Drivers Say They Had the Green?
When both drivers swear the light was green, the dispute is usually settled by evidence neither driver controls. If that evidence is mixed, a jury may decide both share some blame.
Under New Jersey’s comparative negligence law, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. You generally cannot recover damages if you are more than 50% responsible for the accident.
For example, if your claim is valued at $200,000 and you are found 10% at fault for entering on a late yellow, your recovery would be $180,000.
Independent Witnesses
Drivers stopped at the same light as the runner, and people waiting to cross, often make the most persuasive witnesses.
They were watching the signal, and they have no stake in the outcome. Get their names if you can.
Vehicle Data From Both Cars
Event data recorders capture speed, braking, and throttle in the seconds before a crash. A driver who claims to have slowed for a yellow may turn out to have been speeding up.
When both drivers dispute the light, the data helps place each car at the stop line against the signal phases.
How Does a Traffic Ticket Affect Your Injury Claim?
A ticket for failing to obey a signal is handled in municipal court, separate from your injury claim. How that ticket turns out can matter, but it rarely decides the civil case alone.
Guilty Pleas and Civil Reservations
A driver who pleads guilty to a traffic violation in New Jersey municipal court may ask for a civil reservation. When the court grants one, the guilty plea generally cannot be used as evidence in a related civil case, so your injury claim still has to be proven with other evidence.
Being Called as a Witness
If the other driver fights the ticket, you may be asked to testify in municipal court. What you say there can be used later in the civil case, so review the facts with your injury lawyer first. Being prepared also makes the hearing far less stressful.
When No Ticket Was Issued
Officers often arrive after the crash and may not write a ticket when the drivers’ stories conflict. No ticket does not mean the other driver was not at fault. Signal records and video can establish what the officer could not, and that gap is common and fixable.
Reading the Police Report Critically
A report that leads with the other driver’s version, or assigns no fault at all, is not the end of the story. We compare the report against the signal records, the damage, and any video, and we challenge statements that do not match the physical evidence.
Why Are Red Light Crashes So Often Serious?
A driver who runs a red is usually trying to beat the light, so the impact often happens at full speed. The car is typically hit on the side, where there is far less protection than in the front or rear, and a pedestrian in the crosswalk has none at all.
New Jersey requires drivers to stop and stay stopped for pedestrians in crosswalks, as the state’s summary of driver and pedestrian duties explains.
Speed and impairment are common factors in these crashes, and some cases overlap with our East Orange speeding accident and drunk driving accident work.
Buses and Trucks That Run the Light
Large vehicles need more room to stop, and a bus or truck driver who misjudges a yellow can end up in the intersection after the light changes. The operator may keep onboard video and GPS data, and a claim against a public transit operator can trigger a 90-day written notice requirement.
When Punitive Damages May Apply
If the driver who ran the light was highly intoxicated, racing, or driving with extreme recklessness, punitive damages may be available.
New Jersey’s Punitive Damages Act requires clear and convincing proof of actual malice or wanton and willful disregard for others’ safety, so most red light claims focus on compensatory damages.
FAQs About Red Light Accidents in East Orange
Can I request the signal timing records myself?
You can sometimes request public records about a New Jersey traffic signal yourself, but knowing which agency runs the signal and exactly what to ask for makes a big difference. Once a lawsuit is filed, the records can also be obtained by subpoena.
What if there were no witnesses to the crash?
A New Jersey red light crash with no witnesses can still be proven through signal timing records, nearby video, and vehicle data. Those sources are often more reliable than eyewitnesses, but they need to be requested quickly.
What if I was a passenger in the car that ran the light?
A passenger in a New Jersey car that ran a red light can generally make a claim against that driver’s insurer, and possibly the other driver’s insurer if both contributed. Passengers are rarely found at fault for how the car was driven.
What if the other driver says the signal was malfunctioning?
A claim that the signal malfunctioned is a factual claim, and maintenance and outage records can confirm or disprove it. Even when a New Jersey signal was dark, drivers were required to treat the intersection as a stop intersection.
How long does a red light case usually take?
A New Jersey red light claim with clear video or signal evidence may resolve within months after treatment ends. Cases where both drivers dispute the light, or where the injuries are serious, often take longer and may require a lawsuit to obtain records.
Prove the Light Was Red With an East Orange Red Light Accident Lawyer
Richard Goldstein, East Orange Red Light Accident Lawyer
When another driver runs a red light and causes a crash, you should not have to fight an insurance company to prove what happened.
Even when the other driver denies responsibility, traffic signal records, surveillance footage, and vehicle data may help establish fault and support your injury claim.
At Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP, we investigate red light accidents, obtain traffic signal records and surveillance footage, and build claims supported by the facts. Our attorneys handle negotiations with insurance companies and prepare cases for trial when necessary.
You do not need to gather evidence or prove fault before contacting us. Reach out to Goldstein & Goldstein, LLP for a free consultation. We can review your accident, explain your options, and discuss how we can help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
With our No Recovery, No Fee arrangement, you pay no attorney fees unless we recover money for you.
