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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 New Jersey car accident creates two connected claims. One concerns immediate medical benefits through Personal Injury Protection, or PIP. The other concerns fault and the compensation available from the responsible driver or another insurance policy. A mistake on either track can affect the entire case.
The Epstein Law Firm helps injured people identify the correct insurers, preserve crash evidence, document their injuries, and determine whether a liability claim can proceed beyond PIP. Car accidents are one focused part of the firm’s broader Ridgewood personal injury practice.
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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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The scene begins changing as soon as the vehicles move, witnesses leave, and damaged property is repaired. Call 911 when anyone may be injured or the crash creates a safety hazard. Under New Jersey’s crash-reporting law, a driver must promptly notify law enforcement when a collision causes injury, death, or more than $500 in damage to one person’s property.
If you can document the scene safely, preserve:
A police report is an important starting record, but it does not necessarily resolve civil fault. The Ridgewood Police Records Bureau accepts written requests for motor vehicle accident reports. The report should be compared with photographs, witness accounts, vehicle damage, medical records, and any available video.
Under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4, PIP generally pays covered medical expenses without first requiring proof that another driver caused the collision. “No-fault” describes this initial payment system. It does not mean fault is irrelevant or that an injured person can never pursue the other driver.
The declarations page and coverage-selection forms should be reviewed early. They show the PIP limit and deductible, whether health insurance was selected as primary, the policyholder’s lawsuit option, and available uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. If the policyholder selected the health-insurer-for-PIP option, health insurance may pay first and auto PIP may become secondary.
Treatment can also be affected by insurer care paths, decision-point reviews, and precertification requirements. Current New Jersey PIP medical protocols generally exempt emergency care and treatment during the first 10 days after the crash from decision-point review and precertification, although care must still be medically necessary. After that period, missing an authorization request or insurer examination can cause payment disputes even when the treatment itself is legitimate.
PIP addresses covered medical and related benefits. A claim against the at-fault driver may seek losses outside that system, including pain, disability, lost earning capacity, and other harm supported by the evidence. The right to recover noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering may depend on the injured person’s policy election.
Under the limitation-on-lawsuit threshold, noneconomic damages generally require death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury established within a reasonable degree of medical probability. The no-limitation option preserves broader rights, but the claimant must still prove fault, causation, and damages.
This makes consistent medical documentation important. Records should explain when symptoms began, how they changed, what testing showed, what treatment was recommended, and whether the injury is expected to heal fully. An unexplained treatment gap or incomplete history may give an insurer room to dispute whether the crash caused a qualifying injury.
New Jersey uses modified comparative negligence. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1, an injured person’s negligence does not bar recovery when it is not greater than the negligence of the party or combined parties from whom recovery is sought. The award is reduced by the injured person’s percentage of fault.
Insurers may dispute speed, following distance, lane position, visibility, traffic signals, or whether an injury came from the crash. That is why preserving neutral evidence matters even after a rear-end or intersection collision that initially appears straightforward.
Payment may come from more than one source. Depending on the policies and facts, the available layers can include PIP, the responsible driver’s liability coverage, collision coverage for vehicle damage, and the injured person’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. New Jersey’s standard auto policy guidance explains that UM/UIM coverage may apply when the responsible driver has no insurance or less coverage than the injured person purchased.
A strong claim explains the entire sequence from impact through recovery. The Epstein Law Firm can review the available evidence, address conflicting insurer positions, and organize records that show both what happened and how the collision changed the client’s life.
Important records may include:
Preserve damaged property until it has been adequately photographed and inspected. Save original digital files rather than screenshots when possible, and download dashcam footage before the device records over it.
A New Jersey personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. Evidence and insurance rights can be lost much earlier, so the filing period should not be treated as a waiting period.
A claim involving a public entity or employee may require a Tort Claims Act notice within 90 days. This can matter when a government vehicle, public employee, roadway condition, or public property may have contributed to the crash.
The Epstein Law Firm provides car accident information for communities throughout the Bergen County campaign area:
For other accident and negligence matters in the village, visit the firm’s Ridgewood personal injury lawyer page.
The Epstein Law Firm has represented clients throughout New Jersey since 1973 and has more than 120 years of combined legal experience. Managing Partner Michael J. Epstein is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and practices in personal injury litigation.
The firm’s car accident practice addresses PIP benefits, lawsuit thresholds, disputed liability, insurance coverage, settlement negotiations, and litigation when necessary. The process begins by listening to what happened and reviewing the documents that may control the claim—not by forcing the case into a standard formula.
The Epstein Law Firm offers free case evaluations and handles injury cases on a contingency basis, with no legal fee unless compensation is recovered. To discuss a Ridgewood crash, call 201-231-7847 or contact the firm online.
The Epstein Law Firm can review the evidence, insurance issues, and next steps that may matter in your car accident claim.
These answers provide general information. The available insurance, parties, evidence, injuries, and deadlines can change the analysis in an individual case.
Call 911, move away from immediate danger if you can do so safely, and request medical assistance for anyone who may be injured. Exchange identification and insurance information, but avoid arguing about fault. Photograph the vehicles and scene, collect witness information, and make sure law enforcement knows about any pain or suspected injury.
New Jersey requires prompt police notice when a crash causes injury, death, or more than $500 in damage to one person’s property. Preserve your photographs, video, towing paperwork, and damaged personal property. If pain or other symptoms develop after you leave, obtain appropriate medical attention and accurately explain when they began.
Sources: New Jersey crash-reporting requirements under N.J.S.A. 39:4-130; Ridgewood Police Records and accident-report requests; New Jersey NJTR-1 Crash Report Manual.
Request the report from the Ridgewood Police Records Bureau. The bureau accepts motor vehicle accident report requests in writing by mail, fax, email, or in person and provides a dedicated request form. Having the incident number, crash date, location, and involved drivers’ names can help identify the correct record.
Review the report carefully after receiving it. Confirm that the listed drivers, vehicles, insurance companies, witnesses, roadway conditions, and crash description are accurate. A police report provides valuable leads, but it should be evaluated with scene photographs, witness testimony, vehicle evidence, and other records before conclusions about civil fault are drawn.
Sources: Ridgewood OPRA and motor vehicle accident report forms; Ridgewood Police Records Division; New Jersey NJTR-1 Crash Report Manual.
PIP under an applicable auto policy usually pays covered accident-related medical expenses first, regardless of who caused the crash. The correct policy may depend on whether you were a driver, passenger, household member, or pedestrian and whether another policy covers you.
The answer changes if the policyholder selected health insurance as primary for auto injuries. In that situation, the health plan may process bills first and PIP may provide secondary coverage. Review the declarations page, coverage-selection form, deductibles, claim instructions, and insurer correspondence before assuming that a provider billed the proper carrier.
Sources: New Jersey PIP statute, N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4; NJDOBI guidance on selecting a health insurer as primary for PIP; NJDOBI Standard Auto Insurance Policy guide.
A PIP denial is not necessarily the end of the dispute. Depending on the reason, the provider or insured may be able to submit additional medical information, use the insurer’s internal appeal process, or pursue New Jersey’s PIP alternate dispute resolution procedure.
First identify whether the issue involves medical necessity, precertification, a missed examination, policy eligibility, available limits, coding, or which insurer is primary. Save the denial letter and all related envelopes, emails, treatment plans, bills, and medical reports. Appeal requirements can be technical, and continuing treatment without addressing an authorization issue may create additional unpaid bills.
Sources: NJDOBI PIP medical protocols and decision-point review rules; NJDOBI internal PIP appeal requirements; NJDOBI PIP rules and alternate dispute resolution resources.
You may be able to sue, but your auto policy’s lawsuit option can determine whether your injury must meet a statutory threshold. The limitation-on-lawsuit option generally requires death, dismemberment, significant scarring or disfigurement, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury established within a reasonable degree of medical probability.
The no-limitation option preserves a broader ability to seek noneconomic damages. Neither option eliminates the need to prove the other party’s fault, that the collision caused the injury, and the extent of the resulting harm. The declarations page and medical evidence should therefore be reviewed together.
Sources: New Jersey limitation-on-lawsuit and no-limitation options under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8; NJDOBI Standard Auto Insurance Policy guide.
Yes, partial fault does not automatically prevent recovery in New Jersey. You may recover when your negligence was not greater than the negligence of the person—or combined parties—from whom you seek damages. Your compensation is then reduced by your percentage of responsibility.
For example, a finding that you were partly responsible for speed, inattention, or lane position can reduce the award even if another driver bears most of the fault. Insurers may use early statements or incomplete scene evidence to shift blame, making photographs, witness accounts, video, vehicle damage, and traffic-control evidence especially important.
Sources: New Jersey Comparative Negligence Act, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1; NJDOBI uninsured and underinsured motorist claim guidance.
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide compensation if the responsible driver has no applicable insurance or insufficient limits. UM/UIM rights depend on your policy type, selected limits, proof of the other driver’s responsibility, and compliance with your insurer’s claim requirements.
Standard New Jersey policies include UM/UIM protection, subject to the purchased coverage, while basic policies generally do not. Notify your insurer promptly if inadequate coverage may be an issue. Do not settle with the other driver’s carrier without checking whether your insurer requires notice or consent to protect a later underinsured motorist claim.
Sources: NJDOBI Standard Auto Insurance Policy coverage chart; NJDOBI Basic Auto Insurance Policy coverage chart; NJDOBI guidance for uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.
A lawsuit for personal injuries caused by a New Jersey crash generally must be filed within two years after the claim accrues. Filing an insurance claim or negotiating with an adjuster does not necessarily extend the court deadline.
A much shorter notice period may apply if a public entity or employee could be responsible. New Jersey’s Tort Claims Act generally requires notice within 90 days, although a court may permit late notice in limited circumstances. Potential public claims should be examined promptly when a government vehicle, employee, roadway condition, traffic device, or public property may have contributed to the collision.
Sources: New Jersey personal injury limitation period under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; New Jersey P.L. 2013, c.103, section 133 addressing N.J.S.A. 59:8-8; New Jersey late public-claim notice statute, N.J.S.A. 59:8-9.
There is no reliable universal calculator for a New Jersey car accident claim. The analysis depends on fault, comparative negligence, medical causation, the lawsuit threshold, treatment, work loss, permanent limitations, property damage, and the amount and type of available insurance.
A demand should be supported by records rather than an arbitrary multiplier. Important evidence includes medical reports, bills, wage documents, tax records, photographs, repair estimates, policy declarations, and proof of how the injury affected daily activities. An insurer’s early offer may not account for unresolved treatment, disputed coverage, or a lasting impairment that has not yet been fully evaluated.
Sources: New Jersey Comparative Negligence Act; New Jersey automobile lawsuit thresholds; NJDOBI Standard Auto Insurance Policy guide.
The first step is a free case evaluation. You can explain how the crash occurred, describe your injuries and treatment, and provide available reports, photographs, policy declarations, and insurer correspondence. Contacting the firm does not guarantee that it will accept the case. Under New Jersey Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18, however, a lawyer generally may not use or reveal information acquired during a consultation with a prospective client even when no attorney-client relationship follows, subject to the rule’s stated exceptions.
If representation is offered, the firm can explain the proposed responsibilities, fee arrangement, and documents needed to investigate the claim. You may be asked to authorize access to relevant medical and billing records; HIPAA generally gives individuals the right to obtain those records from covered providers and health plans. The Epstein Law Firm states that it handles injury matters on a contingency basis, with no legal fee unless compensation is recovered.
Sources: The Epstein Law Firm contact and free case evaluation page; The Epstein Law Firm’s New Jersey car accident practice; New Jersey Courts Rules of Professional Conduct, including RPC 1.18; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidance on access to medical records.
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The Epstein Law Firm
The Epstein Law Firm