Personal Injury Lawyer, Point Pleasant NJ

Your medical bills are paid first by PIP, and for a pedestrian that usually means the auto policy in your own household rather than the driver's, under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4. The part people do not expect is that your own policy's lawsuit option travels with you onto the sidewalk: if you chose the limitation on lawsuit, the claim against the driver for pain and suffering has to clear that threshold even though you were on foot, so the first document we read is your declarations page, not the driver's. Get examined the same day, get the report number from the responding department, and let us take the adjuster's call.

Bridge Avenue is a county road, Route 88 is a state highway and the side streets belong to the borough, so the answer depends on which of them owns and maintains the exact stretch of sidewalk, and it can also be the adjoining business if the sidewalk fronts a store. All three are public entities under the Tort Claims Act, so we identify the owner first and serve the notice of claim on that entity within ninety days under N.J.S.A. 59:8-8; a sidewalk case against a public body also has to clear a stricter liability standard than a claim against a private owner. Photograph the defect with something for scale, note the nearest street address and call us quickly.

Often, yes. Marinas, boat slips and waterfront rentals along River Road and the canal are private property, and the owner has a duty to keep walkways, ramps and railings reasonably safe for guests and customers. The difficulty is proof, because a rotten board or a loose cleat is usually replaced within days and seasonal witnesses go home. Photograph the hazard and your injury, keep any incident report the marina writes, get medical treatment right away, and let us request the property's maintenance records and camera footage before they are gone.

For a claim against a public entity, yes. The two boroughs are separate municipalities with separate governing bodies, and a notice of claim under N.J.S.A. 59:8-8 has to be served on the one that actually owns the sidewalk, signal or lot where you were hurt, within ninety days; the responding police department and the crash or incident report usually settle which side of the line it was. For a fall on private property, a rental, a restaurant or a marina, the town line changes nothing except which police report to request. Tell us the nearest cross street and we will work out who the defendant is.

There is no bill for the consultation and no fee unless the case recovers. We are paid only out of a recovery, at a percentage you agree to in writing at the start, so nothing is owed while the claim is open. Send us the date, the nearest cross street and a photo of where it happened, and you will have an answer the same day.