Personal Injury

Most car accidents get caused by a failure on the part of one of the drivers. Someone suffers from a moment of inattention or a lapse in judgment, and a collision results.  Yet sometimes there’s a invisible third party in the accident: the automaker or or the auto parts manufacturer. There have even been auto…

As gas prices go up more and more New Jersey residents are turning to public transportation to get around. While public transportation is statistically safer than riding in your own car, it does carry risks. You can get injured on a public bus or train just as easily as you can get injured in a…

Did you know that New Jersey has the second highest rate of fatal crashes due to distraction in the nation? Most of these, of course, are the result of cell phone use while driving. Here are some other statistics about distracted driving. Nationwide, distracted driving is one of the 5 leading causes of motor vehicle…

Hit and run crashes are sadly common in New Jersey. They happen for a variety of reasons. Uninsured drivers panic. Criminal drivers have warrants for their arrest. Intoxicated drivers don’t want to get caught. Whatever the reason, it’s understandable that being injured in a hit and run leaves you wondering who is going to pay…

Many people go their entire lives without dealing with lawyers at all. If an injury case is the first time you’ve ever dealt with one, you are hardly alone.  To prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, we’ve put together this short list of what you should expect to talk about when you meet with a personal…

Here at Smith-Doran we pursue auto-accident related personal injury claims that meet the threshold for a lawsuit. Yet we know that our clients are often caught off-guard by insurance limits. They’ve heard the headlines on personal injury claims, and are surprised to find out that insurance companies are only going to pay up to the…

Did you know about 24% of drivers admit to having driven while so tired they could barely keep their eyes open? Probably by the time they’re that exhausted they’re already impaired, but driving while tired is as dangerous as driving while drunk. Some studies say that it’s even more dangerous. Either way, drowsy drivers cause…

New Jersey is a hotbed of activity for those who love to play in the water. Boating, water skiing, surfing, parasailing. You name it, and you can probably do it in our great state. But that means sometimes people get injured in boating accidents, and sometimes those accidents are caused by one or more negligent…

Usually when people think of personal injury cases they think of accidents. Yet it is also possible to bring forth a personal injury case where someone has caused an injury on purpose.  We see these in harassment, abuse, and assault cases. Examples of Intentional Torts  A nursing home employee sexually harasses your elderly grandmother, causing…

It takes up to 18 months to finish out a personal injury case. If you can’t work during that time then you’re going to need to find some other source of income. For many, this will mean reaching for government disability benefits or for benefits from a private disability insurance company. Here’s what you need…

You may already be aware that New Jersey has a “no-fault” system of car accident laws. What you might not know is what that means when you actually get into a car accident. Here’s the basics. Under the no-fault system, drivers are both assumed to be a little bit at-fault for most accidents. Thus, instead…

According to Business Insider, the advent of Uber and Lyft has increased the number of motor vehicle fatalities and fatal accidents by 3%. Correlation is not, of course, causation, but it may serve as a stark reminder that people do get into accidents with Uber and Lyft drivers. Fortunately, you do have the right to…

E-Scooters create a relatively new vista in personal injury law. As they grow more ubiquitous, we expect to see more injury cases. Unfortunately they’ve already caused many injuries nationwide, and sometimes recovering compensation from these accidents is complicated. When an E-Scooter Collides with a Pedestrian One of the most difficult challenges posed by e-scooters is…

Personal injury cases are wildly misunderstood. In part that’s because large corporations and insurance companies have engaged in some pretty expensive public relations campaigns to discourage people from engaging in personal injury suits. As New Jersey personal injury lawyers we encounter many of these myths every day. We’d like to take a moment to debunk…

Are you an Uber or Lyft driver? Then it’s important to know what happens if you get into an auto accident with a negligent driver.  Be aware that getting an attorney early can be very important for rideshare drivers. More and more, drivers are being stigmatized and accidents are assumed to be a result of…

In New Jersey, motorcyclists are required by law to wear a DOT-approved helmet. Motorcyclists are also required to wear eye protection including glasses, goggles or a shield, a sturdy, long-sleeved, abrasion-resistant jacket, sturdy, over the ankle boots, well-fitting and abrasion-resistant pants, and gloves. Riding without a helmet increases your risk of death by a significant…

While you have to report your accident to your own insurance company, you may not realize that you don’t have to speak to the negligent driver’s insurance company. They will inevitably try to contact you, but you’re under no real obligation to help the insurance adjuster work against you. You certainly don’t have to give…

Believe it or not, even a personal injury attorney won’t try to tell you that you need a personal injury lawyer for every single car accident you could possibly get into.  There are simply some instances where you can quietly file the insurance claim and be done with it. Here are some times when you…

Early in your personal injury case the defense might file a motion to dismiss. If the judge dismisses your case, that’s it: it’s over. The defense has won and you won’t get any compensation for your injuries other than what your own insurance company will provide for you.  Here are a few reasons why the…

Every year, defective products cause 29.4 million injuries across the United States. A defective product injury occurs when you are using the product normally, are following that product’s safety guidelines, and due to shoddy workmanship, poor materials quality, or some other defect the product malfunctions and causes a major injury. These injuries can include burns,…