A 60-year-old New Jersey man was left in critical condition following a car accident on Interstate 295 near Florence last month. The other driver, a 20-year-old woman from Hamilton, is facing charges of driving while intoxicated. The woman lost control of her car and crashed into the man's car as he was driving in the center lane of the freeway. The man's car left the road and crashed in the adjoining woods.
Readers will recall this blog's recent discussion of New Jersey's dangerous roads. In this case the road became even more treacherous because a driver allegedly made the poor decision to operate a vehicle while drunk. Drunk drivers threaten the safety of everyone on the road around them.
New Jersey's "no-fault" system requires auto insurance companies to compensate victims for losses suffered in a car accident. Every vehicle on the road must be insured against liability. Sometimes, however, car owners do not comply with the law and either drive with insufficient coverage or no coverage at all.
If the driver in a case like this is underinsured or not insured, the injured party might need to seek compensation for damages from his own insurance company. These damages might include lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, medical bills, treatment, rehabilitation and other economic losses. Many factors contribute to evaluating the monetary value of compensation, including the ability to work in the future, time lost due to treatment, permanent disability and disfigurement, impact on the quality of the victim's life and effect on a spouse, among other things.
Insurance companies often find it in their best interests to limit liability as much as possible. Negotiations with insurance companies for fair compensation in a car accident can be difficult. Experienced attorneys know how to fight for the best possible settlement and address the strategies insurance companies use to minimize compensation.
Source: NJ.com, "Hamilton woman allegedly causes accident driving drunk," David Karas, March 24, 2012
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