The personal injury attorneys at Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow represent injured individuals and families across a wide range of personal injury claims. Because the statute of limitations for most injury claims in New Jersey is two years, and claims against government entities require a notice of tort claim within just 90 days, it is important to contact us as soon as possible after an injury occurs.

We handle cases involving:

• Catastrophic injury: Brain injuries, paralysis, limb loss, and other life-altering injuries that cause permanent disability or disfigurement.
• Product liability: Defective vehicles, dangerous drugs, defective medical devices, and hazardous consumer products, including those linked to serious illness.
• Burn injury: Injuries caused by chemical burns, welding accidents, electrical shock, explosions, and fires, including claims against negligent property owners, employers, and manufacturers.
• Premises liability: Slip and fall accidents, swimming pool accidents, dog bites, and other injuries caused by unsafe property conditions.
• Workplace injury: Third-party claims for workers injured on construction sites and other job sites, pursued alongside or in addition to workers’ compensation benefits.
• Wrongful death: Claims brought on behalf of families who have lost a loved one due to another party’s negligence, pursued under the New Jersey Wrongful Death Act.
• Motor vehicle accidents: Catastrophic injuries sustained from car, truck, commercial, and government vehicle collisions.

New Jersey law allows injured individuals to pursue compensation for the full range of losses caused by another party’s negligence. Economic damages cover the measurable financial impact of the injury, including past and future medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages include physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium for a spouse or family member. New Jersey does not cap compensatory damages, meaning these losses can be fully accounted for in a claim.

In cases where the responsible party’s conduct was particularly reckless or egregious, punitive damages may also be available. These are intended to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct and are capped under New Jersey law at $350,000 or five times the compensatory award, whichever is greater.

A successful personal injury claim in New Jersey requires the injured person to prove that another party’s negligence caused their harm. This requires establishing four essential elements.

• First, the defendant must have owed the injured person a duty of care. This duty exists in many common situations: drivers owe a duty of care to other motorists and pedestrians, property owners owe a duty to those lawfully on their premises, and manufacturers owe a duty to consumers who use their products.
• Second, the defendant must have breached that duty by failing to act as a reasonably careful person would have under similar circumstances. This breach can take many forms, including distracted driving, failure to maintain a safe property, or ignoring known safety hazards.
• Third, that breach must have directly caused the injury. It is not enough to show that the defendant acted carelessly. The careless conduct must be the reason the injury occurred.
• Fourth, the injured person suffered actual, measurable damages as a result, including physical injuries, medical expenses, or lost income.

New Jersey follows a modified comparative negligence standard under the New Jersey Comparative Negligence Act. This means that if an injured person is found to be partially at fault, their compensation is reduced proportionally. However, if they are found to be more than 50 percent at fault, they may not recover anything at all.

Building a strong personal injury case requires evidence, witness testimony, expert analysis, and a thorough investigation conducted as early as possible by a New Jersey personal injury attorney.