New Jersey Fatal Car Accidents Lawyer

When a loved one dies in a fatal car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, the victim’s family may file a personal injury wrongful death lawsuit to hold the negligent party accountable for the financial and emotional losses.

Determining liability for a fatal car accident is a complex and difficult process. After an accident, it is important for the parties involved to obtain contact information from any witnesses present at the scene. This can help the police investigation. When recklessness or carelessness was involved in a fatal accident, a claim for negligence exists.

In New Jersey, family members may file a wrongful death lawsuit if the individual who died in the accident was no more than 50 percent at-fault for the accident. That means that any compensation recovered as a result of the accident is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to the deceased driver.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report on Americans’ driving habits from March to September 2020 and found some disturbing trends. Traffic deaths rose, fewer drivers and passengers wore their seat belts and more drivers who were injured in car accidents had drugs or alcohol in their system..

Despite fewer drivers on US roads, a larger share of drivers engaged in risky behaviors such as speeding or driving under the influence. Highway deaths surged as a result. During the first nine months of 2020, over 28,190 people died in car accidents — an increase of 4.6% from the same period in 2019, when 26,941 people died, according to separate NHTSA report.

Risky driving and fatal crashes surged in 2020, even with fewer drivers on the road, a new report finds

Even though fewer people were driving during the first six months of the pandemic, riskier driving surged, leading to a troubling uptick in fatal crashes, preliminary data shows. Read the full story.

Types of car crashes

Every car accident is unique. However, there are a number of common kinds of car accidents that may result in fatalities:

• Single car accidents
• Head-on collisions
• Side impact crashes
• Rear-end crashes
• Rollovers
• Multi-vehicle crashes
• Commercial vehicle crashes
• Reckless driving
• Speeding
• Road rage
• Distracted driving
• DWI/DUI
• Driving while fatigued
• Auto-defects

If negligence was involved in the fatal car accident, the plaintiff may be entitled to compensation for losses and damages that include the following:

• Loss of guidance for children
• Loss of advice/companionship
• Lost wages
• Lost income
• Lost health benefits
• Medical expenses
• Funeral and burial costs
• Loss of future income
• Conscious pain and suffering of victim

The pain of living with the death of a family member is devastating. Our law firm will be with you every step of the way, and will fight to get your family the justice they deserve. If you lost a loved one in a car accident due to the negligence or recklessness of another person or entity, call the experienced New Jersey wrongful death attorneys at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm.