Monmouth County New Jersey Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

During the holiday season, it is not uncommon for residents in New Jersey to enjoy a multitude of celebrations. Company holiday parties, family gatherings and more have become hallmarks of this time of year. Unfortunately, these events commonly see a high number of people consuming multiple alcoholic beverages and then grabbing their keys to drive home. Drunk driving continues to be a problem in New Jersey as shown by statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the five years between 2013 and 2017, alcohol was a contributing factor in 25 percent of all vehicular fatalities in Monmouth County. There were 214 people killed in car accidents in the county during this time, 54 of which died in drunk driving wrecks. This is actually more deaths than in any of Monmouth County's neighboring counties. In Middlesex and Burlington Counties, 50 and 46 people were killed in accidents involving alcohol, respectively. Ocean County was the location of 38 drunk driving deaths and Mercer County the location of yet another 28.

If you sustained injuries in a car accident in New Jersey, you may wonder if you can collect damages for pain and suffering and, if so, if the state will limit those damages. Briefly put, yes, you may pursue compensation for pain and suffering and no, the amount of compensation you can receive is not limited. However, as with all matters of the law, nothing is cut-and-dry.

According to FindLaw, because it is difficult for any judge, juror or medical provider to put a cost on pain and suffering, and because jurors are often easily swayed by emotional stories, courts fear that jurors will abuse non-economic damages and award over-the-top verdicts. After all, it is not unheard of for jurors to assign awards that are significantly higher than the actual economic damages that occurred as a result of the accident. As a result, most states limit the amount in damages injured parties may receive. Some states limit recovery only to individuals who sustain physical injuries and whose pain and suffering is literal. Fortunately for New Jersey accident victims, New Jersey does not put a cap on non-economic damages.

For people who live in colder parts of the country, snow is a major concern when it comes to traffic accidents during the winter months. Moreover, there are a number of times when the risk of an accident caused by snowfall is especially high, such as blizzard conditions and the first snowfall of the season. When it first snows, there are multiple reasons why drivers may have a higher chance of crashing, from those who moved to the area earlier in the year and lack experience driving in the snow to drivers who forget to drive safe when road conditions are less than ideal.

Some drivers get in the habit of driving at a particular speed to get to their destination on time, and they may be thrown off by unexpected snowfall. As a result, they may find themselves in a rush and driving way too fast on the road. While heading around a turn, or trying to drive up a hill, they may lose control of their vehicle and collide with another driver. Even small amounts of snow on the road can lead to a crash and road conditions may vary considerably from one day to the next.

With winter around the corner, people in some parts of the country are likely thinking about ice, snow and other weather-related hazards on the road. However, even when weather conditions are ideal there may be a number of threats to the safety of all drivers and those riding in their vehicles. For example, some roads have a pothole problem, and these potholes can lead to an accident in various ways. It is important to be careful of potholes when you are driving and realize how they could lead to a crash.

First of all, potholes can lead to single-vehicle accidents if a driver loses control of their vehicle after unexpectedly driving over a pothole. Some accidents may involve a car rolling over or veering off of the road and hitting a tree, for example. Aside from the risk of a rollover accident or a crash which only involves one vehicle, potholes can also lead to a collision which involves a number of vehicles. For example, a driver may hit a pothole and cross over into another lane. Or, a driver may cause an accident while trying to avoid a pothole.