Personal Injury
New Jersey Personal Injury Attorney
For more than 25 years, the Grimes Law Firm has helped accident victims in the tri-state area receive compensation for their injuries. Founded by New Jersey personal injury lawyer Raymond A. Grimes, at the Grimes Law Firm we have the experience necessary to aggressively litigate your personal injury case. If you have been injured by the negligence of another person, contact the Grimes Law Firm today.
Personal Injury Costs Are High
Victims of accidents caused by the negligence of another person may seek compensation for their physical and financial injuries, including hospital bills, lost wages, and emotional distress. This money can help offset the huge costs of a personal injury. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, it costs, on average, about $2,200 to stay just one day in a New Jersey Hospital — about $250 more than in New York. The Grimes Law Firm can help accident victims seek the money to which they are rightfully entitled.
New Jersey Law Protects Accident Victims
There are several types of lawsuits that may result from an accident or injury. Victims of a slip and fall might file a suit under premises liability theory of liability, which is a body of law that requires the owners of property to keep it in a condition that does not wrongfully injure visitors. The families of victims who have died as a result of their injuries may bring a wrongful death claim. Many other personal injury lawsuits allow victims to plead a negligence cause of action, which alleges that the defendant did not act reasonably given the circumstances, and that the plaintiff’s injury resulted.
To prevail, a plaintiff alleging negligence must generally prove four elements. First, the defendant must have owed a duty to the plaintiff, and, second, the defendant breached that duty. For example, any driver has a duty to act reasonably while driving a car, and a driver can breach that duty by speeding, driving drunk, or texting. The third and fourth elements are that the plaintiff was injured, and the defendant was the cause of that injury. A few types of cases that often involve allegations of negligence are:
- Catastrophic injuries;
- Car accidents;
- Truck accidents;
- Motorcycle accidents;
- Pedestrian Accidents;
- Construction accidents;
- Medical malpractice;
- Dog bites;
- Wrongful death;
- Burn injuries; and
- Slip and falls.
Injured Victims Can Recover Compensatory and Punitive Damages
Victims who bring a successful personal injury lawsuit may seek compensatory damages, which compensate plaintiffs for things like hospital bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. In some cases plaintiffs may also seek punitive damages, which are designed to punish defendants who have acted egregiously.
New Jersey follows a rule called modified contributory negligence. Victims of accidents can recover damages, even if they were partly at fault for the accident, up to 50 percent. Therefore, if a plaintiff was 50 percent or more at fault for the accident, the plaintiff is barred from recovery. This differs from New York, where plaintiffs can recover damages even if they were 99 percent at fault. In both New York and New Jersey, the plaintiff’s damages will be reduced by the percentage of their fault. In other words, a plaintiff who is 25 percent at fault can receive 75 percent of their total damages.
Experienced Advocate for Accident Victims
Victims of a personal injury should get advice from an experienced New Jersey personal injury attorney as soon as they are able. For 25 years, the Grimes Law Firm has been helping residents of Neshanic Station, Somerset County, and the rest of the tri-state area. If you have been injured in an accident, visit our contact page or call (908) 371-1066 to schedule a free consultation.
