New Jersey Car Accident Lawyer: What to Do After a Collision

This video features Kathleen M. Reilly, a Personal Injury attorney based in New Jersey.

Attorney Kathleen M. Reilly | 888-981-0027 | Free Consult

“It’s important to engage a lawyer who’s aware of the steps that need to be taken to protect you, protect your family, and make sure the evidence is secure for future use.”

What’s the first thing you should do after a car accident? Should you collect evidence? When do you get an attorney involved? How much does it cost?

Kathleen M. Reilly is a New Jersey car accident lawyer with over 30 years of experience. She is the managing partner of Brady Brady & Reilly, LLC. In this interview, she explains everything you need to know about what to do after an auto collision.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-981-0027 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From Kathleen M. Reilly:

The first priority after an accident should be to establish the safety of all passengers involved in the accident and call law enforcement to ensure medical assistance is on the way.

It is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after a car accident.

Surveillance footage from local stores and law enforcement communication records are just two of many key types of evidence that the average person without legal training cannot obtain on their own, but could be invaluable to a successful claim. Car accident lawyers are aware of the steps that need to be taken in these situations, and they have the necessary resources to obtain and secure evidence. It should be noted that accident cases are generally handled on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t have to pay your attorney unless they make a financial recovery for you.

Some evidence can be collected by a car accident victim on their own.

Types of evidence such as witness information and testimonies, photos of both vehicles, license plates, property damage, and injuries can all be gathered at the scene of the accident by the victim; if the victim is too injured to gather this evidence on their own, it can be gathered by a family member or friend. While law enforcement ideally collects witness information and testimonies, with everything that goes on at the scene of an accident this part of the process is at risk of being overlooked, so it’s a good idea to take personal steps to preserve this accessible evidence.

In New Jersey and other comparative-negligence states, as long as the other party is 50 percent or more at fault, you can still seek compensation.

Accidents often happen quickly and it can be hard to know who is at fault. In fact, you may suspect that you were partially at fault yourself. If this is the case, you could still be eligible to seek compensation for your damages if the accident occurred in a comparative-negligence state, in which case the only qualification to seek compensation is that the other party can be proven to be more than half at fault. However, there could be a decrease in the compensation you are eligible to receive depending on the percentage of fault decided to be attributed to you.

Consultations are free.

Consultations previously held in-person are now being held over video conferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however they remain at no cost to the victim of a car accident. In this free consultation, an attorney can advise you on steps to take after the accident, how to handle different insurance companies, and even provide you with resources for medical treatment since some doctors will not treat car accident victims.

If you are unsure of whether you have a case or not, it’s a good idea to request one of these consultations anyway. A car accident attorney will be able to evaluate your situation, estimate the damages, and decide if you have a viable case moving forward. If the victim of a car accident is too injured to contact an attorney, a family member can do so on their behalf.

To learn more, contact Kathleen M. Reilly directly by calling 888-981-0027 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

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