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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 rollover describes how a vehicle ended up, not everything that caused the crash or the injuries. Another driver’s movement, a wheel or tire problem, the road and the vehicle’s safety systems may need separate examination. The damaged vehicle can hold important evidence, even after an insurer decides it is a total loss.
The Epstein Law Firm helps people injured in New Jersey rollover accidents investigate those questions. Our car accident practice handles collision and insurance claims, while a rollover may require a closer look at repair work, vehicle components and the sequence of impacts. We do not assume that a driver caused the accident simply because only one vehicle overturned.
Tell us where the vehicle is being held, whether anyone has requested permission to dispose of it and what treatment you have received. An early discussion can identify evidence that needs attention while your medical recovery continues. You do not need to know the technical cause before asking for help.
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A total-loss decision addresses the insurer’s valuation of the vehicle. It does not answer whether a wheel was installed correctly, a component failed before impact or a safety system performed as intended. Before authorizing disposal, alert counsel to the vehicle’s location and any towing, storage, inspection or salvage deadlines you have received.
Ask about a practical preservation arrangement rather than simply allowing storage charges to accumulate. Relevant parties may need notice and an opportunity to inspect. Do not dismantle parts, arrange destructive testing or attempt to retrieve electronic data yourself. Preserving evidence requires planning around ownership, access, safety and the interests of everyone involved.
Keep a separate file for:
These materials can connect the condition before the crash with what investigators find afterward. A damaged tire or collapsed roof is a reason to examine the sequence carefully, not proof by itself that a defect existed before the rollover.
The investigation should distinguish the initial loss of control from later impacts. Where was the vehicle traveling? Did another vehicle enter its path? Was there contact with a roadside feature? What changed after recent tire or wheel service? Witness accounts and physical evidence may support or contradict an initial impression.
An event data recorder, when present and usable, may add crash-related information. NHTSA’s event-data-recorder resources describe its role in crash investigation. Available information varies by vehicle and system; it is not a complete video of the incident or an automatic answer to legal fault. Qualified interpretation should consider the other evidence.
The Epstein Law Firm can assess which questions require accident reconstruction or a component examination. A useful investigation starts with the actual vehicle and circumstances. It does not select a cause from a list of supposedly dangerous makes or treat every SUV rollover as the same event.
A repair claim and a claim about the product’s design or manufacture raise different questions. Service records may help identify who worked on a wheel and what work was performed. A suspected product problem requires examination of the component, its condition and the applicable legal standard. The fact that an accident was serious does not make a manufacturer automatically responsible.
New Jersey’s product-liability causation instruction requires a causal connection between a defect and the accident. That is why inspection findings must explain what a suspected problem actually contributed. A concern about the roof, restraint system or another component needs evidence specific to that system and the injuries, rather than a conclusion drawn from the final damage alone.
Keep recall notices and repair records together, but distinguish them. A recall can identify a safety issue worth investigating. It does not establish that the recalled condition caused this crash. Equally, a search showing no open recall does not settle whether a particular vehicle or component had a problem.
NHTSA’s recall lookup is a useful starting point. Have the vehicle identification number, year, make and model available. Save the results and any manufacturer notices for counsel. The VIN tool has limits, including that it does not show recalls already repaired and may not immediately include every vehicle affected by a newly announced recall.
If you suspect a vehicle or tire safety problem, the same official page provides a complaint route. Describe what occurred, identify the vehicle or equipment accurately and retain your submission information. NHTSA uses complaints in its safety oversight process; filing one does not replace an injury claim or stop a court deadline.
A rollover-resistance rating is also different from an investigation of your accident. NHTSA uses a measure of vehicle stability and a driving maneuver in that assessment. A rating provides consumer safety information, not a determination of who was responsible for a particular crash.
Identify the available insurance while the cause is investigated. New Jersey PIP guidance explains how accident-related medical coverage can interact with health insurance. Coverage depends on the policy and circumstances. Do not assume a manufacturer’s possible involvement eliminates the need to report the crash to the applicable insurer.
For the injury claim, organize the records around actual losses: treatment received, medically supported future needs, missed work and documented limitations. Keep denial letters and insurer requests with the policy documents. A vehicle-damage payment and a bodily-injury resolution concern different losses; read the proposed documents before assuming that accepting one payment leaves every other issue open.
Where negligence claims involve disputed responsibility, New Jersey’s comparative-negligence statute can reduce or bar recovery depending on the allocation of fault. Product claims require their own analysis. Describe your actions accurately and let counsel evaluate the relevant rules rather than accepting a blanket statement that a single-vehicle crash cannot support a claim.
An ordinary New Jersey personal-injury lawsuit generally has a two-year filing period under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. Exceptions and different claims require individual review; ongoing treatment or negotiations do not by themselves extend that period.
If a public entity may be involved, New Jersey’s Tort Claims Act notice process generally requires notice within 90 days, subject to applicable exceptions. Identifying the correct entity and claim matters, so raise a road-condition concern promptly instead of waiting for a complete engineering opinion.
The firm’s reported results include a $4.25 million confidential settlement in a wrongful-death and survival action after a wheel came off, the vehicle overturned and caught fire. The result identifies a mechanic operations company’s failure to attach the tire properly. It shows why repair history can matter as much as the final crash scene; it does not predict the result of another case.
Our team can discuss what is known, what remains disputed and which evidence should be secured next. Bring the available accident, treatment and insurance records, including any deadline for moving or disposing of the vehicle. Contact The Epstein Law Firm to discuss a New Jersey rollover injury or a family’s questions after a fatal crash.
Tell our team what happened before the vehicle overturned and where it is being held. Bring available repair, treatment and insurance records so we can discuss the evidence, your injuries and the next steps.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case depends on its own facts, evidence, and applicable law.
These excerpts describe experiences with the firm. They are not identified as cases in this practice area and do not predict another outcome.
“This was a very stressful time for us and Mr. Morton helped alleviate a lot of the stress by making the process so smooth. He was responsive, considerate, and very accommodating of my father’s schedule, injury, and language barriers.”
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These answers provide general information. The vehicle, available evidence, insurance and circumstances of the crash can change the analysis.
Possibly. A single-vehicle rollover does not identify its cause or rule out a claim involving repair work or a defective component. The Epstein Law Firm reports a rollover-related settlement involving improperly performed wheel work. That result illustrates a potential avenue of investigation, not a presumption that the same explanation applies to another crash.
Provide the vehicle’s repair history and explain what happened before it overturned. If a product defect is alleged, the evidence must connect the defect to the accident under the applicable law. Your attorney can assess the available theories without assuming that another vehicle had to make contact or that the vehicle manufacturer must be responsible.
Sources: The Epstein Law Firm: Verdicts and Settlements; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40I: Product-Liability Proximate Cause.
Discuss evidence preservation with counsel before authorizing disposal when the cause of a rollover or a component failure is disputed. The vehicle and available electronic crash information may help investigators assess what occurred. A total-loss valuation does not establish that the physical evidence is no longer useful or resolve questions about the cause of an injury.
Give counsel the storage location, contact information and any written deadline or accumulating charges. Ask about a workable inspection and preservation plan. Do not dismantle the vehicle or attempt a data download yourself. A suspected defect requires evidence of its role in the accident, and losing the component can make that question harder to evaluate.
Sources: NHTSA: Event Data Recorder; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40I: Product-Liability Proximate Cause.
No. A rollover and a product defect are different findings. New Jersey’s product-liability causation instruction requires proof connecting the defect to the accident. Investigators must evaluate what happened, including the condition of the vehicle, any repairs and the sequence of impacts; the final position of the vehicle cannot answer those questions by itself.
NHTSA rollover-resistance ratings can provide background about a vehicle model, but they are consumer safety assessments rather than decisions about an individual crash. Preserve the actual evidence and avoid assuming that a low rating proves liability or that a higher rating eliminates the need for investigation. The specific vehicle and event remain central to the claim.
Sources: New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40I: Product-Liability Proximate Cause; NHTSA: Safety Ratings and Rollover Resistance.
Recent service is relevant information to preserve and investigate, but it does not automatically prove faulty workmanship. Keep invoices, work descriptions, dates and communications with the shop. Identify whether the work involved tires, wheel installation, rotation or another component, and tell counsel whether any parts were replaced or retained after the crash.
NHTSA’s tire guidance explains the importance of condition, inflation and appropriate maintenance. Determining what caused a particular rollover requires more than a general maintenance principle. The Epstein Law Firm’s reported wheel-related rollover result shows why service history can matter, while the cause of your crash still needs its own evidence and assessment.
Sources: NHTSA: Tire Safety Ratings and Awareness; The Epstein Law Firm: Verdicts and Settlements.
No. An open recall identifies a safety issue affecting the listed vehicle or equipment; it does not by itself establish the cause of your crash. Check the vehicle identification number and preserve the result, recall notice and any completed repair documents. Counsel can assess whether the recalled condition is relevant to the evidence.
The opposite assumption is also unsafe: no open recall does not prove there was no defect. NHTSA explains that its VIN tool omits certain information, including already repaired recalls, and recently announced campaigns may not yet include every affected VIN. A product-liability claim still requires evidence connecting the alleged defect with the accident rather than relying solely on a search result.
Sources: NHTSA: Check for Recalls and VIN Lookup Limitations; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40I: Product-Liability Proximate Cause.
In a negligence claim, partial fault does not always bar recovery, but New Jersey’s comparative-negligence rule can reduce the damages or prevent recovery. Recovery is generally permitted when the injured person’s negligence is no greater than the combined negligence of those against whom recovery is sought, with damages reduced by the injured person’s share. The analysis should follow the evidence rather than an insurer’s unsupported percentage estimate.
A rollover involving a suspected product defect can require a separate assessment of the relevant liability and causation rules. Tell your attorney about speed, steering, road conditions and any other disputed facts accurately. Do not assume that an error by the driver automatically excuses a separate contributing defect, or that alleging a defect removes every question about the driver’s conduct.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1: Comparative Negligence; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40I: Product-Liability Proximate Cause.
The available automobile and health coverage should be reviewed while the cause is investigated. New Jersey PIP benefits can cover qualifying accident-related treatment, and policy choices may make health insurance the primary payer. Which coverage applies depends on the policy and circumstances; a disputed liability claim does not answer every medical-billing question.
Give counsel the declarations pages, coverage selections, claim numbers and any denial letters. Keep requests for treatment information separate from offers resolving the injury claim. The right-to-sue options described by New Jersey DOBI concern another part of the analysis, including possible limits on noneconomic recovery. Do not assume that paying one medical bill settles the entire case or that all bills will automatically be covered.
Sources: New Jersey DOBI: PIP Options; New Jersey DOBI: Standard Automobile Insurance Policy.
An ordinary New Jersey personal-injury action generally must be filed within two years, while a potential claim against a public entity can trigger a separate notice requirement generally measured in 90 days. Exceptions may apply, and the proper defendant and type of claim matter. These are different requirements; satisfying one does not necessarily satisfy the other.
Ask counsel to check the actual crash date and circumstances promptly, especially if a roadway condition or public vehicle is involved. Treatment, investigation, insurer discussions and a safety complaint should not be assumed to extend a legal deadline. The review should also identify applicable policy requirements and any special rules affecting a child or another protected claimant.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2: Personal-Injury Limitations; New Jersey Treasury: Tort Claim Notice Process.
No. A NHTSA complaint supplies information for federal vehicle-safety oversight; it does not replace a civil claim for your injuries. The agency uses reports when assessing possible safety defects and investigations. If you submit one, identify the vehicle or equipment accurately, describe the event and save the confirmation for your records.
Your attorney still needs to investigate responsibility, injury evidence and the applicable filing requirements. A complaint does not establish that a defect caused the rollover, and submitting it should not be treated as stopping New Jersey’s personal-injury filing period. The safety-reporting process and a claim for compensation can concern the same event while serving different purposes and requiring separate follow-through.
Sources: NHTSA: Report a Safety Problem and Recall Process; N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2: Personal-Injury Limitations.
Bring the accident information, treatment records, insurance correspondence and the location of the damaged vehicle. Repair invoices, tire records and photographs may be particularly useful when the rollover’s cause is uncertain. The Epstein Law Firm’s reported rollover-related result involved a wheel attachment problem, illustrating why records from before the crash can matter as well as photographs afterward.
Explain what you remember and identify what you do not know. Tell the team if the vehicle may be sold or scrapped, or if a recall or repair notice exists. NHTSA safety information can supply useful background, but your consultation should focus on the actual crash, injuries and evidence rather than assuming that a recall or another client’s recovery determines your case.
Sources: The Epstein Law Firm: Verdicts and Settlements; The Epstein Law Firm: Contact; NHTSA: Check for Recalls.
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