• Keep walk ways and driveways well lit and clear of decorations for visitors.
• Your costume can be safe and scary. Please check capes and long clothing so you don’t trip while traveling.
• Check weapons and props for dangerous edges. Chances are high that you will be bumping into someone while trick or treating, please don’t gouge your neighbor.
• Keep the streets as clear as possible for foot traffic. Organize flow patterns in your neighborhood to keep cars in one area and kids walking safely in another. Also, if you can refrain from parking in the street on this night cars won’t have to weave around and cause more potential problems.
• Travel in packs, and never travel alone.
• If you have a dark color car consider leaving the dome light on in congested neighborhoods.
• Always have a flashlight or LED light, on your costume, or your person while on foot.

*Halloween Stats

New Jersey Association of Realtors CEO Jarrod Grasso said, “Cutting the red tape consumers have to contend with is yet another way we can help spur home sales.”

Want to learn more about Real Estate Law or have questions about this new law? Contact  Katherine Houghton, a Paramus Real Estate Attorney.

“Police found a 13-year-old who drove off in his parents’ car at a New Jersey mall.Police started looking for the boy after he drove off from the family’s Hackensack home following an argument around 8 a.m.

Wednesday.Officers found the brown Honda outside the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus later in the day and they located the boy.”

Source: Asbury Park Press

New Jersey has a “no fault” auto accident law.  This means that your auto insurance company pays the medical bills that arise from your accident, regardless of who was at fault.  The state of New Jersey created the law for good reason.  If we were an “at fault” state, the victim would have to prove who was at fault for the auto accident, and once proved, rely on the wrongdoer’s auto insurance company to pay damages. This could take two years.  Two years without medical care?  Simply unacceptable.

To be prepared for an auto accident, make a list of all the automobile policies in your household.  Because, after an auto accident, you’re New Jersey resident relatives insurance policies may provide coverage for your medical bills if you do not own an automobile yourself.   The New Jersey laws regarding who is to pay for your medical bills from an auto accident are complex, and this short summary does not include all exceptions and/or nuances in the law.  Seek legal help

If you or a family member were injured in an auto accident, call the Law Offices of Katherine G. Houghton today.

2. Report the accident to your local police department.  Provide the officer with everything you witnessed such as make, model, color of the car, and hopefully some if not all of the license plate.  If you were unable to see the car and there were no witnesses, sometimes, nearby commercial businesses have exterior surveillance cameras that may have caught the incident on video.

3. Photographs and video.  Today, many phones have camera and video capability.  Photograph the car at the scene.  Take video if you have the capability.  Document everything about the scene possible: tire streaks, damage to the car, businesses near by, whatever you can that might be a factor in catching the wrongdoer.

4. Seek medical attention for your injuries.

5. Contact your insurance company.

6. Seek a New Jersey attorney experienced in conducting quick, effective auto accident investigations.

Your New Jersey personal injury attorney will not only assist with the investigation, but can also help you recover medical expenses, lost wages, damages for pain, suffering, permanent injuries, regardless of whether they catch the hit and run driver—your own automobile insurance company can pay.

New Jersey Auto Insurance Hit and Run Coverage

In New Jersey, insurers are required to provide drivers an auto insurance package known as “uninsured motorist coverage.” This protects drivers by offering a means of compensation in case an unidentified driver hits you, because under NJ law, an unidentified driver is also an uninsured driver.

Review your automobile insurance policy now; it is not too late to make changes in the middle of the term; make sure your uninsured coverage is equal to or greater than your liability coverage.  For example, it makes no sense to carry $300,000 liability coverage (the maximum amount of money that a third party can be paid by your insurance company where YOU are at fault) and then only carry $100,000 uninsured motorist coverage (the maximum amount you can collect from your own insurance company if SOMEONE else hits you and leaves the scene of the accident or turns out to be uninsured altogether). It’s simply illogical to give another motorist more protection than you would give yourself, your spouse or children.

What Most New Jersey Accident Victims Don’t Know:

• Many victims of hit and run accidents don’t know they can collect monies for injuries from their own policies.

• If you lived with a relative at the time of the accident who also owned a car and had separate automobile insurance coverage, that policy would also extend UM coverage to you and in such a case BOTH policies would apply, although there is a formula for their relative contributions.

• Your own insurance company becomes, in essence, your adversary as they attempt to save money on their policies of insurance.

If you have been such a victim, and it has been less than two years since the accident, contact the Law Offices of Katherine G. Houghton and we will be happy to guide you.  You will no doubt need legal counsel to navigate the legal deadlines and procedures to successfully make an uninsured motorist claim, as there are many nuances and exceptions to the law.  Insurance companies have lawyers guiding them, shouldn’t you have the same?

Call 911 or the Police

Contact the local authorities. Regardless of how minor the accident or what the other driver(s) involved request, always call the police after an auto accident. The officer on the scene will take the driving and insurance information from all parties, collect descriptions from everyone involved, and file a statement.

This information can be paramount to any New Jersey personal injury case and help save you from paying for your insurance deductable on your car damage.

Immediate Medical Attention

If you’re injured- see a doctor. Taking care of your emergent medical issues by going to your physician, an emergency room or similar facility is important, not just to be physically examined, tested and treated, but also to document your injuries.  Many times, I find my clients do not go to a medical facility right away. The ultimate party responsible for payment for any pain and suffering, permanent injuries, or damage awards will no doubt later argue that any “GAP” in treatment between the time of the accident and the first attempt to seek medical attention must be a sign that you are “faking” your injuries. Unfortunately, this is a common defense in New Jersey and even though you may still have been injured, it may affect how the insurance representatives look at your claim.

There are people on the roads committing fraud. They make it difficult for the legitimately injured to be compensated fairly for their injuries. Don’t give credence to their arguments; after your auto accident–seek immediate medical attention if injured.

Personal Documentation

Document and photograph everything. You should also photograph any and all scratches, bruises, marks, wounds or deformities no matter how slight, as insurance companies often times will more readily accept responsibility for surgery on a knee, for example, three months later, if you can show a picture that it was bruised in the accident.  It’s not so much that we expect an award for bruises, but rather that the bruising verifies an injury to that body part.

Speak with Your Auto Insurer

Report the accident to your auto insurance company, and if you do not own a vehicle, you must report the accident to any resident relative’s insurance company, as such policies may have to pay your bills from the accident even though their automobile was not involved in the accident.

Do not give a voluntary statement to any adverse insurance companies who may attempt to take your “version” by telephone as they will record you and try to use such comments against you at a later date.  You do owe a duty to cooperate with your own automobile insurance company or company from whom you seek no fault (e.g. medical bills) benefits. Insurance representatives have some legal training; you may not, so seek legal counsel and avoid speaking to any adverse insurance companies.  The New Jersey laws regarding who is to pay for your medical bills from an auto accident are complex, and this short summary does not include all exceptions and/or nuances in the law.  Seek legal help.

The insurance companies most certainly have counsel, which places you at a disadvantage.  Level the playing field by calling an attorney promptly. Here, at the Law Offices of Katherine G. Houghton, we answer your auto related questions for free. If you have been in an auto accident in New Jersey, contact us today.

New Jersey Highway Patrol also gives no clear indicator for the increase in accidents other than they believe distracted drivers are to blame. They urge drivers to not text and refrain from speaking on the cell phones as much as possible. If you must use your telephone, please use a hands free device. Having both hands on the wheel can make a difference in an emergency.

This was mentioned on Friday as the “101 Days of Summer” campaign began. Law enforcement is looking for drivers not wearing seat belts and drunken drivers. Be safe this summer, always buckle up and make sure you have a designated driver whenever you drink.

Source

The Law Office of Katherine Houghton has served Northern New Jersey for the last 27 years, and will continue to do so, but now, in a more informative matter. Not only through this blog, we’re utilizing social media such as Facebook and Twitter too.

The topics will range from new laws affecting New Jersey to personal injury advice to class action lawsuits and everything in between. If you have a topic that you would like us to cover, please feel free to leave a comment with your suggestion. We would love to hear from you.

Stay tuned for our next post, and please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. And thank you for reading.