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Knowledge, experience, and dedication have brought the lawyers of The Epstein Law Firm to the forefront of their profession. From personal injury to civil litigation, they have built a strong record of success in achieving justice for their clients.
Our practice is diverse and well-established. Recognizing that every case is unique, we always begin by listening to you.
The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has been successfully representing clients throughout New Jersey since 1973
A car crash can leave you managing pain, medical appointments, vehicle repairs, missed work, and calls from multiple insurance companies. If you were injured in Hackensack NJ, understanding New Jersey’s insurance rules and preserving important evidence can help you protect your options.
A Hackensack NJ car accident lawyer at The Epstein Law Firm can investigate how the collision happened, identify available insurance coverage, coordinate injury-related claims, and pursue compensation from any responsible parties. The firm has represented clients throughout New Jersey since 1973 and has more than 120 years of combined legal experience.
For information about injury claims beyond motor-vehicle collisions, visit the firm’s Hackensack personal injury lawyers page. The firm’s New Jersey car accident practice provides additional statewide information.
Injured in a Hackensack NJ car accident? Call The Epstein Law Firm at 201-231-7847 or request a free case evaluation.
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The Epstein Law Firm can review your car accident claim and explain the evidence, deadlines, and next steps that may apply.
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Your health and immediate safety come first. Call 911 when anyone may be injured, vehicles are creating a roadway hazard, or emergency assistance is needed. Then, if your condition allows:
For crashes investigated by local officers, the City provides access to Hackensack Police Department crash reports. The department’s Records & Evidence Management Unit also maintains police and motor-vehicle crash records.
Personal Injury Protection, commonly called PIP or no-fault coverage, often pays an injured person’s initial accident-related medical expenses regardless of who caused the crash. Coverage limits, deductibles, copayments, treatment requirements, and covered economic benefits depend on the policy.
A policyholder may have selected a health-insurer-primary option. In that situation, eligible health coverage pays first and PIP generally becomes secondary. Reviewing the declarations page and coverage-selection form is important because the order of coverage cannot be determined from the crash report alone.
PIP does not prevent every liability claim. An injured person may still pursue an at-fault driver for losses not paid through no-fault benefits. However, the right to recover pain-and-suffering damages may depend on the lawsuit option that applies.
Under New Jersey’s limitation-on-lawsuit option, a person generally must prove an injury involving death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury supported by appropriate medical evidence. The no-limitation option preserves broader rights to seek noneconomic damages. Coverage and threshold questions are fact-specific.
More than one person can share responsibility for a collision. Under New Jersey’s comparative-negligence law, an injured person may recover when their fault is not greater than the fault of the person—or combined fault of the people—from whom damages are sought. The recovery is reduced by the injured person’s percentage of responsibility.
Questions about PIP, the lawsuit threshold, or disputed fault? The Epstein Law Firm can review the applicable policies and evidence. Call 201-231-7847 for a free consultation.
Responsibility is not always limited to the person behind the wheel. Depending on the evidence, potentially responsible parties may include:
A police citation or government finding may be useful evidence, but it does not automatically establish civil liability.
The most useful evidence often includes:
A lawyer may also seek electronic vehicle data, commercial-driver records, maintenance information, additional insurance policies, or surveillance footage. Because some evidence can be overwritten or lost, early investigation may be important.
Depending on the injuries, insurance elections, and available evidence, a car accident claim may seek compensation for:
Not every category applies to every claim. The value of a case depends on liability, insurance coverage, the medical evidence, the effect of the injuries, and other individual circumstances.
New Jersey generally requires a personal injury lawsuit to be filed within two years after the claim accrues. Exceptions may alter that period. If a public entity or public employee could be responsible—for example, because of a government vehicle or an actionable public-property condition—the New Jersey Tort Claims Act generally requires a notice of claim within 90 days. Prompt review is important because investigating a claim and negotiating with an insurer do not necessarily extend a filing deadline.
The firm can obtain reports and available recordings, inspect the insurance policies, investigate fault, identify additional responsible parties, document medical and financial losses, and handle communications with insurers. It can also evaluate whether the limitation-on-lawsuit threshold applies and whether uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide another source of recovery.
If the evidence supports a claim, the lawyers can negotiate for a resolution and file a lawsuit when appropriate. The firm handles car accident cases on a contingency-fee basis, meaning attorney fees are not owed unless compensation is recovered.
Evidence and insurance issues can become harder to resolve with time. Call The Epstein Law Firm at 201-231-7847 or contact the firm online to discuss a Hackensack NJ crash.
The Epstein Law Firm can review the evidence, insurance issues, and next steps that may matter in your car accident claim.
If you were injured in a Hackensack NJ collision, The Epstein Law Firm can review the crash, insurance coverage, medical evidence, and deadlines that may affect your claim. Call 201-231-7847 or schedule a free consultation. There is no obligation to hire the firm, and attorney fees are not owed unless compensation is recovered.
These answers provide general information. The applicable law, insurance coverage, evidence, and deadlines can change based on the facts of a particular collision.
Call 911 when anyone may be injured or the crash creates an immediate danger. Move to a safe place if you can do so without risking further injury, exchange identifying and insurance information, and avoid arguing about who caused the collision. Photograph the vehicles and surrounding area if it is safe.
Obtain appropriate medical attention and report the loss promptly to your insurer. New Jersey generally requires police notification when a crash causes injury, death, or more than $500 in property damage to any one person. If police do not file a report, a written report generally must be submitted to the MVC within 10 days.
Sources: New Jersey Driver Manual; Police Department — City of Hackensack; CDC Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion.
Use the crash-report link provided on the Hackensack Police Department website or contact its Records & Evidence Management Unit. The City’s police page directs users to an online crash-report service. The records unit also maintains motor-vehicle crash records and provides contact information for report requests.
A report may contain driver, vehicle, insurance, witness, roadway, and investigating-officer information. It can be important evidence, but an officer’s report or citation does not automatically determine civil liability. If another agency investigated the crash, the report may need to be requested from that agency instead.
Sources: Police Department — City of Hackensack; Records & Evidence Management Unit — City of Hackensack; New Jersey Driver Manual.
PIP usually pays first unless the applicable auto policy designates eligible health coverage as primary. PIP is no-fault coverage, so it can pay covered accident-related medical expenses regardless of who caused the collision. Limits, deductibles, copayments, precertification requirements, and available nonmedical benefits depend on the policy.
If a health-insurer-primary option was selected, the health plan generally pays first and PIP becomes secondary. Not every health plan qualifies, and Medicare or Medicaid cannot be selected as the primary health insurer for this option. The declarations page, coverage-selection form, and health-plan documents should be reviewed promptly.
Sources: Selecting Your Health Insurer for PIP Option; Standard Auto Insurance Policy; NJ MVC Insurance Requirements.
You may be able to, but the lawsuit option and medical evidence matter. A person subject to New Jersey’s limitation-on-lawsuit option generally must prove death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury meeting the statutory standard.
A person covered by the no-limitation option has broader rights to pursue noneconomic damages. The lawsuit option generally concerns pain and suffering rather than whether PIP will pay covered medical expenses. Establishing a qualifying injury may require objective medical evidence and proof that the collision caused or aggravated the condition.
Sources: Standard Auto Insurance Policy; P.L. 1998 c. 21 — Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act; New Jersey Appellate Division Opinion A-2101-22.
Yes, partial fault does not automatically prevent recovery in New Jersey. An injured person may generally recover when their negligence was not greater than the negligence of the defendant—or the combined negligence of the defendants—from whom recovery is sought.
The compensation awarded is reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault. For example, a person found 20% responsible would generally receive 80% of the proven damages. Statements, photographs, witness accounts, vehicle evidence, traffic controls, and electronic data may all affect how responsibility is allocated.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 Comparative Negligence; NJ Courts Comparative Negligence — Auto — All Issues.
New Jersey generally provides two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, but important exceptions can shorten or alter the deadline. The period ordinarily runs from the date the claim accrues. Insurance negotiations and an open claim file do not necessarily stop the limitations period.
A claim involving a public entity or public employee may require a notice of claim within 90 days under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act. Different rules may also apply to minors, wrongful-death claims, unidentified defendants, and insurance-contract disputes. Prompt legal review is safer than assuming the general two-year period controls every issue.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 Actions for Injury Caused by Wrongful Act; NJ Courts Statute of Limitations FAQ; NJ Courts Notice of Tort Claim Form FAQ.
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply, depending on the policy and circumstances. Uninsured motorist coverage may address a crash caused by a driver without insurance or an unidentified hit-and-run driver. Underinsured motorist coverage may apply when the responsible driver’s liability limits are insufficient.
Report a hit-and-run to police promptly and notify your insurer as soon as possible. Preserve photographs, witness information, video locations, debris, and any details about the fleeing vehicle. Before accepting the other insurer’s policy limits, obtain any consent required by your own policy so that potential underinsured motorist rights are not impaired.
Sources: Filing an Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claim; NJ MVC Insurance Requirements; Standard Auto Insurance Policy.
Save the crash report, photographs, witness information, medical paperwork, repair documents, and insurance communications. Keep the original electronic files when possible because they may contain dates and other useful information. Also preserve receipts and employment records showing accident-related financial losses.
Do not repair or dispose of the vehicle before the insurer has a reasonable opportunity to inspect it. A lawyer may seek additional material such as surveillance video, 911 recordings, body-camera footage, electronic vehicle data, maintenance records, or commercial-driver documents. Avoid entering private property or putting yourself in danger to collect evidence.
Sources: Filing an Auto Damage Claim with Your Own Insurer; Records & Evidence Management Unit — City of Hackensack; NJ Courts Comparative Negligence — Auto — All Issues.
Yes, symptoms that appear later do not automatically prevent a claim, but medical evaluation and proof of causation remain important. The CDC explains that some mild traumatic brain injury and concussion symptoms may develop hours or days after an injury. Neck pain and stiffness associated with whiplash may also become noticeable after a crash.
Seek appropriate medical advice rather than attempting to diagnose the condition yourself. Call 911 or obtain emergency care for warning signs such as worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, slurred speech, increasing confusion, weakness, or difficulty waking. Tell the provider when the crash occurred and describe how the symptoms developed.
Sources: CDC Symptoms of Mild TBI and Concussion; MedlinePlus Neck Injuries and Disorders; NINDS Traumatic Brain Injury Information.
The initial consultation is an opportunity to explain the crash, injuries, treatment, insurance coverage, and communications you have received. The firm can review available reports and policies, identify immediate evidence or deadline concerns, and discuss whether further investigation may be appropriate. There is no obligation to hire the firm after the consultation.
If the firm accepts the case, it can communicate with insurers, investigate liability, gather records, document losses, negotiate the claim, and file suit when warranted. Car accident cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis, so attorney fees are not owed unless compensation is recovered. No lawyer can guarantee a particular result.
Sources: The Epstein Law Firm Contact Page; New Jersey Car Accident Attorney — The Epstein Law Firm; NJ Courts Statute of Limitations FAQ.
Tell The Epstein Law Firm what happened and get clear guidance about your injury claim and legal options.
We want to express our deepest gratitude for the exceptional work you did to insure that our father’s unfortunate accident did not go unrecognized; my dear dad would have appreciated your professionalism, unstoppable work ethic and most of all your compassion every step of the way. Please know we have the highest regard and the utmost respect for you.
Thank you again for all of your help, support and advice. You’ve made a trying and difficult time much easier to deal with for my family and myself. You will never have any idea how much your efforts were, and will forever be appreciated.
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The Epstein Law Firm
The Epstein Law Firm