How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in New Jersey?

Generally two years from the date of the injury. There are exceptions, for example for minors and for claims against public entities, which require a written notice of claim within 90 days. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is the verbal threshold?

Many New Jersey auto policies include a limitation on lawsuit option, often called the verbal threshold. It limits your right to sue for pain and suffering unless your injury meets certain categories, such as a permanent injury. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?

Yes, in most cases. New Jersey uses modified comparative negligence: you can recover if you were 50 percent or less at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do I have to pay anything up front?

Usually not. Most injury firms work on contingency and advance case costs, which are repaid from any recovery. Confirm the details in the written fee agreement. This is general information, not legal advice.

A highway stretching through open country

Personal Injury lawyers in New Jersey

Car accidents, falls, medical injuries and wrongful death.

How personal injury works in New Jersey

Personal injury law covers harm caused by someone else's carelessness: car and truck crashes, slip and fall injuries, dog bites, defective products and wrongful death. A lawyer gathers evidence, deals with insurance companies and, when needed, takes the case to court.

New Jersey has its own rules that shape these cases, including no-fault auto insurance (PIP) and a choice on your policy that can limit your right to sue for pain and suffering after a car accident. A local lawyer can explain how your policy affects your claim.

Questions to ask a lawyer

Have you handled cases like mine in this county?
Who will actually work on my file day to day?
How are case costs handled if we lose?

Guides for this practice area

Car accident in New Jersey: what to do and when to call a lawyer

New Jersey is a no-fault state, so your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage usually pays your medical bills first, no matter who caused the crash. Whether you can also sue the other driver for pain and suffering depends largely on the lawsuit option on your own policy. You generally have two years from the crash to file a lawsuit.

7 min read

Truck accident in New Jersey: who's liable and what to do next

Truck crashes in New Jersey follow the same basic injury rules as car crashes, including the two-year filing deadline, but they add a layer of federal safety regulations and often involve several companies that may share responsibility. Key evidence like driver logs and electronic data can disappear quickly, so early action to preserve it matters.

6 min read

Motorcycle accident in New Jersey: insurance gaps and your rights

Motorcyclists in New Jersey generally don't get PIP no-fault benefits the way car occupants do, so medical bills often fall to health insurance, optional medical payments coverage, or a claim against the at-fault driver. New Jersey requires all riders and passengers to wear helmets, and a rider who was partly at fault can still recover as long as they weren't more at fault than the other side. Most lawsuits must be filed within two years.

6 min read

Hit by a car while walking in New Jersey: your rights and coverage

If you're hit by a car while walking in New Jersey, your medical bills usually go first to the PIP coverage on your own auto policy or a policy owned by a relative you live with. If no household policy exists, other sources like a commercial vehicle's policy or the state's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund may apply. Drivers must stop and stay stopped for pedestrians in marked crosswalks, and you generally have two years to file a lawsuit.

6 min read

Uber or Lyft accident in New Jersey: whose insurance pays?

In New Jersey, the insurance available after an Uber or Lyft crash depends on what the driver was doing in the app at that moment. When a driver is logged on and waiting for a request, lower liability limits apply; during a prearranged ride, the law requires $1.5 million in liability coverage. Most injury lawsuits must still be filed within two years.

6 min read

Slip and fall in New Jersey: premises liability basics

In New Jersey, a property owner is generally responsible for a fall only if it knew, or reasonably should have known, about the hazard and failed to fix it. Commercial owners must maintain the public sidewalks next to their property, while homeowners generally don't, and falls on government property require a written notice of claim within 90 days. Most other fall lawsuits must be filed within two years.

6 min read

Dog bite in New Jersey: owner liability and your options

New Jersey holds dog owners strictly liable when their dog bites someone in a public place or someone lawfully on private property, even if the dog never bit anyone before. Injuries that aren't bites, like being knocked over, follow different rules. Many claims are paid through the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance, and most lawsuits must be filed within two years.

6 min read

Medical malpractice in New Jersey: deadlines and how claims work

In New Jersey, a medical malpractice lawsuit generally has to be filed within two years, counted from when you knew or reasonably should have known about the injury and its likely cause. Children get extra time, and birth injury claims can be filed up until the child's 13th birthday. Early in the case, the patient must also file an Affidavit of Merit from a qualified professional saying the care appears to have fallen below accepted standards.

5 min read

Wrongful death in New Jersey: who can file and the deadlines

When someone dies because of another person's wrongful act or negligence, New Jersey allows a wrongful death claim for the financial losses the family suffers, plus a separate survival claim for what the person who died could have recovered. The case is brought by the estate's representative, often an administrator ad prosequendum, and generally must be filed within two years of the death.

5 min read

Common questions

This is general information, not legal advice.

34 personal injury firms in New Jersey

Aiello Harris

Watchung, NJ

Serving central New Jersey since 1955 from several offices.

Criminal DefensePersonal InjuryWorkers' Compensation+7

Personal Injury lawyers in New Jersey

How personal injury works in New Jersey

Questions to ask a lawyer

Guides for this practice area

Car accident in New Jersey: what to do and when to call a lawyer

Truck accident in New Jersey: who's liable and what to do next

Motorcycle accident in New Jersey: insurance gaps and your rights

Hit by a car while walking in New Jersey: your rights and coverage

Uber or Lyft accident in New Jersey: whose insurance pays?

Slip and fall in New Jersey: premises liability basics

Dog bite in New Jersey: owner liability and your options

Medical malpractice in New Jersey: deadlines and how claims work

Wrongful death in New Jersey: who can file and the deadlines

Common questions

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in New Jersey?

What is the verbal threshold?

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?

Do I have to pay anything up front?

34 personal injury firms in New Jersey

Personal Injury by county

Other practice areas