Car and truck accident lawyer in New Jersey
Route 70, Route 38, the Turnpike, Smith Street. We have handled crashes on all of them since 1973 — from both offices, in English and Spanish.
What to do after a car accident in New Jersey
Get medical attention the same day, even if you feel alright — adrenaline hides soft-tissue and head injuries, and a gap between the crash and your first visit is the first thing an adjuster will use against you. Report the crash to your own insurer to open your PIP claim. Photograph the vehicles, the scene and your injuries. Do not give the other driver's carrier a recorded statement.
How New Jersey's no-fault rules work
New Jersey pays your medical bills through your own Personal Injury Protection coverage no matter who caused the crash. Fault still matters for everything else: lost wages beyond PIP, pain and suffering, and property damage. Two choices you made when you bought the policy control much of what you can recover — your PIP limit, and whether you selected the limitation on lawsuit threshold.
Crashes we handle
- Rear-end and intersection collisions
- Tractor-trailer and box-truck crashes, including claims against the trucking company and its insurer
- Hit and run, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
- Motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian collisions
- Rideshare and commercial vehicle crashes
- Crashes involving NJ Transit or a municipal vehicle — the 90-day notice rule applies
Truck cases are not just big car cases
A tractor-trailer carries federal record-keeping obligations: driver logs, inspection records, electronic control module data. Those records are overwritten on a schedule, so a preservation letter needs to go out early. This is one of the few situations where calling a lawyer in the first week genuinely changes the outcome.
What your case is worth
Honestly: nobody knows on day one. Value tracks the treatment you actually need, whether a doctor will say the injury is permanent, the wages you lost, and how much coverage exists. We give you a realistic range once records are in, and we do not pressure you to settle before your doctors know where you will end up.
Frequently asked questions
Whose insurance pays my medical bills after a NJ crash?
Yours does, first. New Jersey is a no-fault PIP state, so your own policy pays medical bills up to your PIP limit regardless of who caused the crash. Open a PIP claim even when the other driver was clearly at fault.
What is the verbal threshold?
If you chose the “limitation on lawsuit” option on your auto policy, you can only recover for pain and suffering if your injury fits one of six categories — such as a displaced fracture, a permanent injury, or loss of a body part. Whether your injury qualifies is a medical question we work through with your doctors.
What if the other driver had no insurance?
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may pay. These claims have their own notice requirements and are frequently underpaid, so do not settle one without advice.
Should I give the other insurer a recorded statement?
No. You are not required to give the other driver's carrier a statement, and those statements are used later to argue you were not badly hurt. Call us first — it costs nothing.
What if I was a passenger, or riding in an Uber?
You almost always have a claim, and often more than one policy to look to. Passenger claims are among the most straightforward injury cases there are.
Tell us what happened. We'll tell you what we would do.
A real conversation, not a call center. If we are not the right firm for your case, we will say so.
Or email info@starkmanfirm.com. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney–client relationship, and information sent before we agree to represent you is not confidential.