Clifton Car Accident Lawyers 

After a car accident, you must deal with immediate safety concerns and may have to consider your long-term recovery from the incident. In these challenging situations, you need the right support to answer all your pressing and important questions. Thankfully, the Clifton car accident lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein are here to provide the experience necessary to guide you through the process. Let us be your anchor in these turbulent times.

What Should You Do Immediately After a Car Accident in Clifton?

Prioritize your safety and the safety of your loved ones above all else after a car accident. Ensure you get out of the vehicle and to the side of the road, away from the traffic flow. Then, if necessary, assist other parties involved in the crash. 

Check yourself and others for any visible injuries, and call 911 to report the accident and request immediate medical attention. Even if you do not see apparent injuries, it is crucial to request medical aid. Some injuries, like concussions, can take a while to manifest symptoms, and the resulting medical report will be vital if you choose to file a claim afterward.  

Additionally, New Jersey law mandates that you report the collision to the police in case of injury, death, or at least $500 worth of property damage. This, too, will help you regardless of its necessity. The police report helps establish an official evaluation of the accident scene for your insurance claim or personal injury suit. 

If possible and safe to do so, take pictures of the accident scene, any visible injuries, and whatever damage the vehicles might have sustained. Then, contact and insurance information will be exchanged with the other driver.

Reporting the accident to the applicable insurance companies immediately might help expedite your claim; however, be careful. If you speak with an insurance adjuster without legal counsel, they might pressure you to admit fault, twist your words against you, or offer you a settlement that will not adequately cover your costs. 

What Compensation Can You Receive for a Car Accident?

In most cases, car accident victims can recover economic damages for injuries and property damage, which will help pay for medical bills, long-term rehabilitation expenses, and lost income from an inability to work. You might also receive compensation for non-economic damages, which can help make up for your emotional and physical suffering.

Because every car accident is different, you will not find a one-size-fits-all payout online; you need to work with a seasoned Clifton car accident lawyer who can calculate every possible avenue of compensation for your claim. 

How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Claim in Clifton?

Under New Jersey law, you have two years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover damages in court. This statute of limitations helps ensure that evidence and memories remain fresh. However, some exceptions can extend this time period. For example, New Jersey has a “discovery rule”. If you sustain an internal injury that neither you nor the medical personnel noticed initially and that only showed symptoms down the road, and if you connect those symptoms to your car accident, the statute of limitations will start the timer at the date you first noticed your symptoms. Additionally, if your injuries require extensive and prolonged rehabilitative care, New Jersey law might give you more time to file your personal injury lawsuit. 

What If the Other Driver Was Uninsured or Underinsured?

Usually, in New Jersey, you will need to work with the other party’s insurance company to file your compensation claim. However, even though the state requires all drivers to purchase car insurance before driving, some negligent drivers fail. And if you get involved in a car crash with one of these drivers, receiving the payout you are owed can feel a bit more complicated. 

If you purchased your insurance policy and opted into uninsured or underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage, this provision can help cover the cost of the accident. Unfortunately, because New Jersey does not mandate UM/UIM insurance, you might not have this option available. You could consider suing the at-fault driver to recover your costs in these cases. 

How Can Clifton Car Accident Lawyers Help You?

Even when you get off the road and back to normal life, the headaches from a car accident do not stop there. Recurrent injury symptoms, insurance claims, and possible emotional trauma can all stick with you for a long time, and you may feel understandably overwhelmed by it all. A seasoned and compassionate Clifton car accident lawyer can help. They will help you build your best case by collecting all the necessary evidence, handling the paperwork, and negotiating with the insurance companies on your behalf. They know how to navigate the legal post-accident labyrinth and can take that burden off your shoulders so you can focus solely on healing.  

Choose the Clifton Car Accident Lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein 

When dealing with the legal fallout from a collision, you need someone with experience in your corner. Let the Clifton car accident lawyers at Goldstein & Goldstein help you, as we have helped many clients in your position claim their maximum possible compensation. Call our East Orange, New Jersey office at 973-675-8277 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation. You do not need to go through this alone. Located in East Orange, New Jersey, we serve clients in the surrounding areas.