A serious injury can leave you facing medical treatment, missed work, and calls from insurance companies before you fully understand what happened. The first priorities are protecting your health, preserving evidence, and identifying every person or organization that may be responsible.

The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. represents injured people and families in Summit NJ and throughout Union County. Summit is a commuter city with an upscale downtown on Springfield Avenue, major corporate offices, and residential neighborhoods served by two NJ Transit rail lines.

We handle the investigation, the paperwork, and the insurance companies so you can focus on getting better.

Tell us what happened. We will review the circumstances, explain the New Jersey laws that may apply, and help you decide what to do next. Call (201) 231-7847 for a free case evaluation.

The Epstein Law Firm

Injured in Summit?

Summit personal injury legal help

AI-generated injured construction worker helped by a colleague — workplace injury legal help from The Epstein Law Firm

Our Summit personal injury lawyers can review your claim and explain the evidence, deadlines, and next steps that may apply to your accident.

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(201) 231-7847
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Why Injured People Contact The Epstein Law Firm

Since 1973, The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has represented New Jersey injury victims and their families. Our attorneys prepare every serious case as if it will be tried, which changes how insurance companies evaluate a claim.

When you contact us about a Summit NJ injury, you can expect:

  • A free, no-pressure case evaluation with an experienced personal injury attorney
  • A thorough investigation: police and incident reports, medical records, witness statements, photos, video, and expert review when needed
  • Direct handling of all insurance communications — you do not give recorded statements alone
  • Clear explanation of New Jersey’s deadlines, insurance rules, and comparative negligence law as they apply to your case
  • No fee unless we recover compensation for you

We have recovered millions of dollars for injured New Jerseyans across five decades of practice. Our results include multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in serious injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death matters.

Why Summit NJ Injury Cases Require a Local Investigation

Summit’s commuter character shapes every investigation. The train station area concentrates pedestrians, buses, rideshares, and turning vehicles; Route 24 and Morris Avenue move high-speed traffic past residential streets; and the downtown and corporate campuses mix workers, shoppers, and delivery vehicles all day. Establishing which agency or company controlled the roadway, the station area, or the property — and which of them holds video, maintenance logs, or incident reports — is often what makes a case.

That local knowledge matters from the first phone call. The Epstein Law Firm moves quickly to identify the location’s owner or controller, send evidence-preservation notices, and obtain the records — police, transit, maintenance, medical, and employment — that prove what happened and who is responsible.

A Summit NJ Accident Snapshot

The U.S. Census Bureau reported a 2020 Census population of 22,719 in Summit, a city settled in the early 1700s. That population moves daily across Route 24 along the eastern edge, Morris Avenue, Springfield Avenue, Broad Street, and Kent Place Boulevard, putting drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, delivery vehicles, and construction activity in close proximity.

NJ Transit’s Summit station is served by the Morristown Line (Midtown Direct) and the Gladstone Branch, making it one of the busiest commuter hubs in Union County. As a city where tens of thousands of commuters pass through daily, Summit concentrates the exact conditions — busy roadways, transit hubs, workplaces, and medical facilities — in which serious injuries most often occur.

the Summit Playhouse, Reeves-Reed Arboretum, and the downtown district around Springfield Avenue and Beechwood Road, alongside corporate campuses that draw thousands of daily commuters. Each of these settings carries its own injury risks — and its own sources of evidence, from municipal maintenance logs to business surveillance video.

Where Serious Injuries Happen in Summit NJ

The circumstances change from one part of town to another. Knowing where an injury happened shapes the investigation:

Around the Summit train station and the Springfield Avenue downtown, commuters, rideshare pickups, buses, delivery vehicles, and pedestrians share busy blocks. Station-area and downtown injuries often involve multiple responsible parties — a driver, a property owner, a transit operator, or an employer.

Route 24 and Morris Avenue carry high-speed commuter and commercial traffic along and through the city. Collisions here can be severe, and truck or commercial-vehicle cases may require vehicle inspection records, electronic logging data, and employer files.

Overlook Medical Center’s campus and the surrounding medical offices generate steady ambulance, shuttle, and visitor traffic. Medical malpractice and hospital-negligence claims arising here require early preservation of the complete medical record.

Corporate campuses, construction sites, retail properties, parking structures, apartment buildings, and parks such as the Reeves-Reed Arboretum round out the settings where injuries occur. In each, identifying who controlled and maintained the specific area is often the decisive early step.

Personal Injury Cases The Epstein Law Firm Handles

The evidence and legal strategy depend on how the injury happened. The firm handles matters involving:

What to Do After an Accident

The steps you take in the hours and days after an injury can protect both your health and your legal rights:

  • Get medical attention promptly, even if you feel “fine” — some injuries appear hours or days later, and gaps in treatment are used against claimants
  • Report the incident: call police for a crash, notify a property manager or business for a fall, and report a work injury to your employer in writing
  • Photograph the scene, your injuries, vehicle damage, hazards, and any visible conditions before they change
  • Collect names and contact information for witnesses
  • Do not give a recorded statement to an insurance company before speaking with an attorney
  • Keep every medical bill, receipt, pay stub, and piece of correspondence
  • Contact an experienced personal injury attorney as early as possible — evidence disappears and deadlines run from day one
What to do after an accident in Summit, New Jersey: 7-step checklist infographic
What to do after an accident in Summit, New Jersey — a 7-step checklist. View full size

Evidence That May Need to Be Preserved

Strong cases are built on evidence gathered early. Depending on how the injury happened, important evidence may include:

  • Police crash reports and supplemental investigation reports
  • Photos and video of the scene, vehicles, hazards, and injuries
  • Surveillance or dash-camera footage from nearby businesses, homes, or vehicles
  • Vehicle inspection and maintenance records, and electronic data (event data recorders, telematics, hours-of-service logs)
  • Property maintenance, inspection, and repair logs
  • Complete medical records: emergency care, imaging, specialists, rehabilitation, and follow-up treatment
  • Employment and wage records documenting lost income
  • Witness statements taken while memories are fresh
  • Product information, warnings, and recall history in products-liability matters
  • Construction site safety records, contracts, and OSHA-related documents

Much of this evidence is held by other people — businesses, carriers, employers, agencies — and it can be overwritten, lost, or discarded. Formal preservation notices sent promptly are often the difference between a provable claim and a disputed one.

New Jersey Laws and Deadlines That May Affect Your Claim

Two-year statute of limitations. In most New Jersey personal injury cases you must file a lawsuit within two years of the injury date (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2). Miss the deadline and the claim is generally barred, no matter how strong the facts.

Claims against public entities are much shorter. If a city, county, the State, NJ Transit, or another public body may be responsible, a formal notice of claim is generally required within 90 days of the injury (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8). Late notice is possible only in limited circumstances (N.J.S.A. 59:8-9).

Auto insurance: PIP and the verbal threshold. After a car crash, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage generally pays initial medical bills (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4). Whether you can pursue pain-and-suffering damages may depend on whether you selected the limitation-on-lawsuit (verbal threshold) option (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8).

Modified comparative negligence. If you were partly at fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault — but if you were more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover at all (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1). Insurance companies routinely try to push your share of fault over that line.

What If You Were Partly at Fault?

Do not assume partial fault ends your case. New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1) allows recovery as long as your share of fault is 50% or less, reduced by your percentage.

In Summit NJ cases, fault is often disputed: a driver says you “came out of nowhere,” a store claims a hazard was “open and obvious,” or an insurer blames road conditions. Independent evidence — video, physical measurements, witness accounts, expert reconstruction — is how those arguments are answered. Never accept an insurer’s fault percentage without legal review.

The Epstein Law Firm

Hurt Because Someone Else Was Careless?

Summit personal injury legal help

AI-generated emergency responders at an overturned vehicle — accident legal help from The Epstein Law Firm

From highway crashes to slip-and-falls, our attorneys know how to build Summit injury cases that win. Find out what your claim may be worth.

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(201) 231-7847
Schedule your free case evaluation

Who May Be Responsible?

A thorough investigation looks beyond the obvious. Depending on the facts, responsible parties in a New Jersey injury case may include:

  • A negligent driver — and the vehicle’s owner or the driver’s employer
  • A trucking company, broker, shipper, or maintenance provider
  • A property owner, manager, tenant, or contractor who controlled the area where a fall or injury occurred
  • A product manufacturer, distributor, or retailer
  • A construction general contractor or subcontractor
  • A medical provider, hospital, or nursing facility
  • A bar or restaurant that overserved a visibly intoxicated driver (dram shop)
  • A municipality, county, the State, NJ Transit, or another public entity responsible for a roadway, sidewalk, park, or public building

In Summit NJ, public-entity responsibility is common — county roads, parks, and transit facilities all involve government defendants with special notice deadlines. Identifying every potentially responsible party early protects your right to full compensation.

Compensation in a Personal Injury Case

New Jersey law allows injured people to seek compensation for economic and non-economic losses, which may include:

  • Medical expenses: emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, and anticipated future treatment
  • Lost income and diminished earning capacity
  • Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life and daily activities
  • Scarring, disfigurement, and permanent impairment
  • Loss of consortium for a spouse
  • Property damage, such as vehicle repair or replacement
  • Wrongful-death damages for surviving family members where a fatal injury occurred

The value of a case depends on the severity and permanence of the injuries, the clarity of liability, available insurance coverage, and the quality of the evidence. Early, complete medical documentation is one of the strongest drivers of case value.

Claims Involving Summit or Another Public Agency

Many Summit NJ injuries involve public entities: a crash on a county-maintained road, a fall on a municipal sidewalk, an injury in a county park, or an incident involving an NJ Transit bus.

New Jersey’s Tort Claims Act imposes strict requirements on these claims. A formal notice of claim must generally be presented within 90 days of the injury (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8), and a lawsuit generally cannot be filed until six months after the notice is received. Missing the 90-day notice can bar the claim entirely, with only narrow exceptions for late filing (N.J.S.A. 59:8-9).

If there is any chance a public entity shares responsibility for your injury, contact an attorney immediately — this deadline runs far faster than the ordinary two-year limitations period.

Local Courts, Medical Care, and Records

A civil personal injury lawsuit arising in Summit will generally proceed through the Superior Court of New Jersey, Union Vicinage, whose courthouse is in Elizabeth — not the municipal court, which handles traffic offenses and lower-level matters but does not decide civil damage claims.

Emergency and follow-up care may come from Overlook Medical Center, located in Summit itself, along with Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway. Treatment records from the emergency department, imaging, specialists, rehabilitation providers, and follow-up physicians all help document the injury and its course.

Other records may come from the Summit Police Department, Union County, NJ Transit, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, property owners, employers, and the Union County Register, whose records can help identify property ownership.

How The Epstein Law Firm Investigates a Summit NJ Injury

The investigation begins by listening to what happened and identifying the immediate deadlines. From there, the legal team may:

  • Determine who controlled the accident location — owner, manager, contractor, or public entity
  • Send evidence-preservation notices to businesses, carriers, employers, and agencies
  • Obtain police, transit, maintenance, and medical records
  • Identify all insurance policies that may apply, including your own PIP and underinsured-motorist coverage
  • Consult accident reconstruction, medical, engineering, or safety experts where the facts require it
  • Calculate the full scope of economic and non-economic damages, including future needs

Throughout the case, The Epstein Law Firm handles the insurance companies and defense lawyers directly. You focus on treatment and recovery; we focus on building the strongest possible claim.

Tell Us What Happened

If you were injured in Summit NJ — in a crash, a fall, at work, by a defective product, or through medical negligence — you do not have to sort out New Jersey’s deadlines, insurance rules, and fault laws alone.

Contact The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. today for a free case evaluation. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you. Call (201) 231-7847.

Our Offices

The Epstein Law Firm serves clients from three New Jersey locations:

Call (201) 231-7847 for a free consultation.

Summit NJ Personal Injury FAQs: Claims, Insurance, and Deadlines

The answers below provide general information about personal injury claims in New Jersey. The facts of your case, the applicable deadlines, and the available evidence can change the analysis, so speak with an attorney about your specific situation.

Do I have a personal injury case after an accident in Summit NJ?

You may have a case if someone else’s negligence — careless driving, an unrepaired hazard, unsafe work practices, or substandard medical care — caused your injuries. New Jersey law generally allows recovery when another party’s fault can be shown and you suffered real harm, from medical bills and lost income to pain and lasting impairment.

The strength of a case depends on liability, the severity of the injuries, and the available evidence and insurance. The Epstein Law Firm evaluates these factors in a free consultation and gives you a straight answer about your options — including whether the two-year filing deadline (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2) or the much shorter 90-day public-entity notice rule (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8) applies to your situation.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 — personal injury limitation period; N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 — Tort Claims Act notice of claim (official bill text)

What should I do immediately after being injured in Summit NJ?

First, get medical care — call 911 after a serious crash and go to an emergency department such as Overlook Medical Center, located in Summit itself, along with Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway nearby. Prompt treatment protects your health and creates the medical record your claim will depend on. Report the incident to police or the responsible property owner, and photograph the scene, hazards, vehicles, and injuries.

Then, before giving any recorded statement to an insurer, speak with a personal injury attorney. Early legal help means preservation notices go out before video is overwritten and witnesses’ memories fade — and it keeps you from missing the 90-day notice deadline if a public entity may share responsibility (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8).

Sources: Summit area hospitals — emergency care; N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 — 90-day notice of claim (official bill text)

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in New Jersey?

In most New Jersey personal injury cases, you must file a lawsuit within two years of the injury (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2). If the deadline passes, the claim is generally barred regardless of its merits. Certain claims have different rules — for example, medical malpractice has discovery-related nuances — but two years is the rule most injured people need to know.

The critical exception: claims against public entities require a formal notice of claim within 90 days of the injury (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8). In Summit NJ, where county roads, parks, and transit facilities are common injury settings, that 90-day clock often matters more than the two-year one. An attorney can identify which deadlines apply within a single consultation.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 — personal injury limitation period; N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 — Tort Claims Act notice of claim (official bill text)

What if Summit, Union County, or NJ Transit may be responsible for my injury?

Then the New Jersey Tort Claims Act controls, and the timeline is unforgiving: a formal notice of claim must generally be presented within 90 days of the injury (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8), and suit generally cannot be filed until six months after the notice is received. Miss the notice and the claim can be barred entirely, with only narrow late-notice exceptions (N.J.S.A. 59:8-9).

This comes up often in Summit NJ — crashes on county-maintained roads, falls on municipal sidewalks, injuries in county parks, or incidents involving NJ Transit buses or rail facilities. Because the correct public entity (township/borough/city, county, State, or transit agency) must receive the notice, identifying the responsible maintainer early is essential.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 — Tort Claims Act notice of claim (official bill text); N.J.S.A. 59:8-9 — late notice of claim; NJ Transit — customer service and records

Who pays my medical bills after a car accident in Summit NJ?

New Jersey is a no-fault state for auto injuries: your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage generally pays your initial medical bills regardless of who caused the crash (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4). Health insurance, and in some cases workers’ compensation, may cover other care. The at-fault driver’s liability coverage typically comes into play for the broader damages claim.

Whether you can also pursue pain-and-suffering damages may depend on your policy choice: drivers who selected the limitation-on-lawsuit (verbal threshold) option face an additional legal threshold (N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8). An attorney reviews your declarations page early so there are no surprises about what your policy allows.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4 — Personal Injury Protection coverage; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8 — limitation and no-limitation lawsuit options

Can I recover compensation if I was partly at fault?

Often, yes. New Jersey follows modified comparative negligence: your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you may still recover as long as your share is 50% or less (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1). If you are found more than 50% at fault, recovery is barred.

Fault percentages are frequently disputed — insurers routinely argue the injured person was mostly to blame. Independent evidence such as video, measurements, vehicle data, and witness statements is how those arguments are answered. Do not accept an insurer’s allocation of fault without having it reviewed.

Sources: NJ Courts — Model Civil Jury Charge 7.10: comparative negligence (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1); N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 — comparative negligence

What evidence is most important in a Summit NJ injury claim?

It depends on the setting, but the most persuasive evidence is usually the kind that disappears fastest: surveillance and dash-camera video, photos of the scene and hazard before conditions change, and witness accounts taken while memories are fresh. In Summit NJ cases this may also mean the Summit station on NJ Transit’s Morristown and Gladstone lines records, municipal or county maintenance logs, and business incident reports.

Medical documentation is equally critical — emergency records, imaging, specialist notes, and rehabilitation records that connect the injury to the incident without gaps. The Epstein Law Firm sends preservation notices promptly so evidence held by others is not overwritten or discarded.

Sources: NJ Transit — customer service and records; Superior Court of New Jersey, Union Vicinage

What compensation can I seek in a New Jersey personal injury case?

New Jersey law permits recovery of economic losses — medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, and property damage — and non-economic losses such as pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and permanent impairment or disfigurement. In fatal cases, surviving family members may pursue wrongful-death damages.

Case value turns on injury severity and permanence, clarity of liability, available insurance, and evidence quality. Because New Jersey’s comparative negligence rule (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1) reduces awards by the injured person’s fault percentage, protecting the liability picture is part of protecting case value.

Sources: N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 — comparative negligence; N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 — personal injury limitation period

What if my symptoms appeared later or I did not seek treatment immediately?

Delayed symptoms are common — concussions, soft-tissue injuries, and disc injuries often worsen over hours or days. Get evaluated as soon as you notice symptoms and tell the provider exactly when and how the injury happened so the visit is linked to the incident in the medical record.

A gap between the incident and first treatment gives insurers room to argue something else caused your injuries. Consistent follow-up care, kept appointments, and honest reporting of symptoms close that gap. If you already have a delay in your history, an attorney can help address it — but the sooner treatment begins, the stronger the claim.

Sources: Overlook Medical Center — emergency and follow-up care; N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4 — Personal Injury Protection coverage

What happens when I contact The Epstein Law Firm about my injury?

You speak with an experienced personal injury attorney about what happened — where, when, how, and what treatment you have received. We explain which New Jersey laws and deadlines apply, what evidence should be preserved immediately, and what your options are. The consultation is free, and there is no obligation.

If we take your case, we handle the investigation, all insurance communications, and the legal filings while you focus on recovery. You pay no fee unless we recover compensation for you. Call (201) 231-7847 to start the conversation.

Sources: NJ Courts Rules of Professional Conduct, including RPC 1.5 on fees; Cornell Legal Information Institute — contingent fee

Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Union County

In addition to Summit, The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. represents injured people throughout Union County — including Elizabeth, Plainfield, Linden, Westfield, Rahway, Union Township, Scotch Plains, and surrounding communities. Learn more about our Union County personal injury practice.

We serve injured people in these Union County communities:

No matter where in Union County your injury occurred, the same principles apply: get medical care, preserve evidence, watch the deadlines — especially the 90-day public-entity notice rule — and get experienced legal guidance before dealing with insurers alone.

The Epstein Law Firm

Don’t Wait — Deadlines Apply

Summit personal injury legal help

AI-generated scales of justice and gavel — personal injury claim legal help from The Epstein Law Firm

New Jersey’s two-year deadline — and a 90-day notice for public-entity claims — means time matters. Talk to a Summit personal injury lawyer today.

Call now

(201) 231-7847
Schedule your free case evaluation

Sources

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Verified Practice-Area Pages

Summit and Union County Sources

New Jersey Law, Court, Insurance, and Health Sources

Notable Results

Selected case results obtained by The Epstein Law Firm:

$13.585 Million · $10 Million · $4.25 Million

$13.585 Million — Confidential Settlement

Flagship Result

The Epstein Law Firm obtained a $13.585 million confidential settlement — the largest result listed on the firm’s verdicts and settlements page.

$10 Million — Confidential Settlement

Negligent Care

The Epstein Law Firm obtained a confidential $10 million settlement in a case exposing critical lapses in training and oversight within the home health care industry, holding the negligent organization accountable.

$4.25 Million — Confidential Settlement

Wrongful Death — Motor Vehicle

The Epstein Law Firm obtained a $4.25 million confidential settlement in a wrongful death and survival action for a Teaneck husband and father who died after a tire fell off his car, causing it to flip and catch fire. A major mechanic operations company was at fault for failing to attach the tire properly.

View all verdicts and settlements →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts.

What Our Clients Say

“Wonderful team! Thank you so much Michael for all your help during my time of need.”
— Mia, Google review

“I not only recommend attorney Michael Epstein and his firm, but I guarantee once you have used his services you too will look no further. Michael responds in an extremely timely matter, he is very knowledgeable and trustworthy.”
— Mike, Google review

“High recommend is an understatement. Incredible guidance, service, professionalism, and overall support through a complicated, emotional process.”
— Josie, Google review

County Resources

All Practice Areas

$31,000,000

$13,585,000

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