Many people use rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft, or encounter vehicles driving for these services on the road. As a result, some people will eventually become involved in an accident with a rideshare vehicle. However, pursuing a claim for compensation for injuries or property damage that occurred in a rideshare accident can be a complicated matter. If you have been in an accident with a rideshare vehicle, here are five steps you should remember to take to protect your rights and interests. Report the Accident First, you should report the accident to the authorities. If you or someone else has been badly injured, you can call 911 for emergency medical assistance. However, if no one requires immediate medical…

Vehicle rollover accidents may have many different potential causes. The causes or circumstances that lead to a vehicle rollover may determine who can be held responsible for the accident. A rollover crash may result in a traditional car accident claim, or it might lead to product liability or professional negligence claims.  The Driver of the Overturned Vehicle Many vehicle rollover accidents are caused by driver error. A vehicle may overturn because its driver was speeding or traveling too fast for the conditions, because the driver made a reckless maneuver such as swerving in and out of traffic, or because the driver put too much cargo on the top of the vehicle and gave it a dangerously high center of gravity.…

Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to save money.  And that goes for car insurance, too.  One way to save money on car insurance is to get the so-called “verbal threshold” or “limitation on lawsuit” option.  Your premium will be lower but in exchange, you give up your right to sue for injuries, except in serious cases.  Most people don’t want to do that, and at Courtlaw we don’t recommend it, but economic reality sometimes forces people’s hands.  They just can’t afford the higher auto insurance premiums. What to do?  One thing you can do is take Uber or Lyft. Under New Jersey law, the limitation on lawsuit/verbal threshold “shall not be . . . be asserted…

It seems like the price of everything is going up and many people are looking for ways to cut corners.  Auto insurance is required by law and the cost puts a squeeze on many people.  This is one area where it’s best not to cut any corners.  Don’t drive an uninsured vehicle.  Don’t even be a passenger in an uninsured vehicle.  Under New Jersey law, N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4.5a, if you are a vehicle owner required to maintain PIP coverage (which is most people) but you fail to do so, you are barred from bringing a lawsuit if you’re injured while “operating” the uninsured vehicle.  The term “operating” in this context has been interpreted very broadly and includes an uninsured owner who…

Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17th, is still a couple of weeks away but it isn’t too soon to plan for it.  One thing you want to start planning, now, is how you’re going to get around that day.  Whether you’ll be bar-hopping all day or making one trip from home to mass and back, you won’t want to be driving.  Like it or not, the fact is that some people are going to be consuming alcohol, and some of them lots of it.  And it’ll be happening all day long.  So, even if you’re going to church at 9:00 a.m., there will be revelers out there drinking green beers, already.  A Lyft or Uber Offers a Safer Alternative Unfortunately, and…