Bergen County Pedestrian Injuries and Bike Accidents Lawyer
Pedestrian accidents often result in catastrophic injuries that permanently alter victims’ lives. When a driver’s negligence causes a pedestrian collision, the injured person faces mounting medical bills, lost wages, and physical limitations while insurance companies work to minimize their liability.
At Jae Lee Law, our personal injury attorneys understand New Jersey’s complex pedestrian accident laws and fight aggressively to secure maximum compensation for our clients. With nearly 30 years of experience and over 100 years of combined legal knowledge, we have recovered millions of dollars for pedestrians injured in Bergen County and throughout New Jersey. Our multilingual team speaks English, Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian to serve our diverse community.
Understanding New Jersey Pedestrian Accident Laws
New Jersey law provides specific protections for pedestrians injured in traffic accidents. Under New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule, pedestrians can recover compensation even if they share some fault for the accident, as long as they are less than 51% responsible. This standard recognizes that drivers have a heightened duty to watch for and yield to pedestrians.
The state’s serious injury threshold requires pedestrians to demonstrate permanent injury, significant disfigurement, or substantial limitation of a body function to recover non-economic damages. Our attorneys thoroughly document your injuries and work with medical professionals to establish how your accident meets these legal requirements. We understand the specific evidence needed to overcome insurance company challenges and secure full compensation for your pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
Driver negligence remains the leading cause of pedestrian collisions in Bergen County. Understanding these common factors helps establish liability and strengthens your compensation claim.
Distracted and Negligent Driving
Driver inattention causes the majority of pedestrian accidents in Bergen County. Motorists texting while driving, adjusting navigation systems, or engaging in other distracting activities frequently fail to notice pedestrians in crosswalks or along roadways. Speeding through residential neighborhoods and failing to yield at intersections creates additional dangers for people on foot.
Drivers who run red lights or ignore stop signs place pedestrians at extreme risk. We investigate the circumstances of your accident to identify all forms of driver negligence, including violations of traffic laws, and hold responsible parties accountable for their careless actions.
Dangerous Road Conditions
Poorly designed intersections, inadequate lighting, and missing crosswalks contribute to pedestrian accidents throughout New Jersey. Road defects, construction zones without proper pedestrian protections, and blocked sidewalks force pedestrians into traffic lanes where they face heightened collision risks.
When government entities or contractors create hazardous conditions that cause pedestrian injuries, we pursue claims against these responsible parties. Our firm handles complex cases involving municipal liability to ensure you receive compensation from all applicable sources.
Compensation Available for Pedestrian Accident Victims
Pedestrians injured in traffic accidents may recover both economic and non-economic damages under New Jersey law. Economic damages include all quantifiable financial losses resulting from your injuries.
We calculate current and future medical expenses, lost income from missed work, and costs for ongoing rehabilitation or assistive devices. Our attorneys work with financial and medical professionals to project lifetime care needs for catastrophically injured clients. Non-economic damages compensate for the physical pain, emotional trauma, and life changes caused by your injuries. These damages address your suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and impact on personal relationships. When injuries meet New Jersey’s serious injury threshold, we pursue maximum compensation for these non-economic losses that insurance companies often undervalue.
How Our Investigation Strengthens Your Case
Thorough accident investigation forms the foundation of successful pedestrian injury claims. Our team responds quickly to preserve critical evidence before it disappears.
We photograph accident scenes, document road conditions and visibility factors, and identify surveillance cameras that may have captured the collision. Physical evidence like vehicle damage, skid marks, and impact locations help reconstruct the accident and establish fault. Witness testimony provides powerful support for your claim. We locate and interview people who saw the accident, including other drivers, passengers, and nearby residents or business owners. Our investigators obtain official police reports and traffic camera footage to corroborate witness statements. When disputes arise about accident circumstances, we retain accident reconstruction professionals who analyze evidence and provide court testimony supporting your version of events.
The Claims Process for Pedestrian Accidents
New Jersey’s unique insurance system affects how pedestrians pursue compensation after traffic accidents. Understanding both immediate benefits and long-term claim options ensures you maximize your recovery.
Personal Injury Protection Coverage
New Jersey’s no-fault insurance system requires drivers to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage that pays for pedestrians’ initial medical expenses and lost wages regardless of fault. PIP coverage typically provides up to $15,000 in benefits, though higher limits may apply depending on the at-fault driver’s policy. These benefits cover emergency treatment, hospitalization, and immediate rehabilitation needs.
PIP benefits serve as a first line of compensation but rarely cover the full extent of serious pedestrian injuries. Once you exhaust PIP benefits or when your injuries meet the serious injury threshold, you can pursue additional compensation through a third-party liability claim against the at-fault driver. Our attorneys handle both PIP claims and liability lawsuits to maximize your total recovery.
Third-Party Liability Claims
Liability claims against negligent drivers allow you to recover damages beyond PIP limits. These claims require proving the driver breached their duty of care to pedestrians and directly caused your injuries. We gather evidence demonstrating traffic violations, driver distraction, or other negligent conduct that led to the collision.
Insurance companies defending these claims often dispute injury severity or argue that pedestrians share fault for accidents. Our trial-ready approach puts pressure on insurers to offer fair settlements. We invest in demonstrative evidence, investigation tools, and qualified witnesses who strengthen your case. When insurance companies refuse reasonable settlements, we take cases to trial to secure the compensation you deserve.
Contact Jae Lee Law for Your Pedestrian Accident Case
Jae Lee Law brings nearly 30 years of personal injury experience to every pedestrian accident case. Our founder is one of only 3% of New Jersey attorneys certified by the state Supreme Court, demonstrating our commitment to the highest professional standards. We have secured millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for injured clients through our proactive, trial-ready approach. Our investment in your case includes advancing costs for investigation, medical records, and qualified witnesses.
We work on a contingency fee basis, collecting fees only when we recover compensation for you. This arrangement ensures you receive quality legal representation regardless of your financial situation. Our Bergen County office serves clients throughout Essex, Hudson, and Middlesex counties with the multilingual support and aggressive advocacy you need during this difficult time. Contact us today for a free consultation about your pedestrian accident claim.
