Middlesex County Personal Injury Law Blog

An animal bite can cause serious problems

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Premises Liability on Thursday, November 14, 2019.

Leash laws that require dogs to be on leashes when on public property exist to protect dogs and their owners in New Jersey. There are exceptions for dog parks within a designated dog park area. A man near a dog park was the victim of an animal bite when an unleashed dog attacked his leashed dog.

A man was attempting to get his German shepherd, that was on a leash, into his car. An unleashed mastiff ran up to the shepherd and became aggressive. The shepherd's owner attempted to separate the animals and was bitten in the process. Police were summoned and requested an ambulance for the man, who was bleeding as a result of the bite. He was treated and released.

Crowded highways contribute to chance of being in a car accident

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, November 7, 2019.

The national turnpike system is a transportation system that was developed many years ago to speed transportation from place to place. The idea was to enable drivers to avoid having to drive through the center of towns and cities on their way to their destinations in New Jersey and elsewhere. There was nowhere near the amount of the traffic in the beginning as there is now, and sadly the increased traffic increases the likelihood that a car accident will occur.

A serious accident occurred on the turnpike on a recent Saturday afternoon. Four vehicles were involved in the crash that began when a box truck rear-ended a Nissan, which in turn collided with two SUVs. The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of the highway and caused major traffic tie ups for several hours.

Work injury can result from too fast a pace

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Workers' Compensation on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.

American society has become accustomed to being the best and fastest in many facets of everyday life. Not least among these is speedy delivery services provided by companies such as Amazon. The speedy deliveries may be coming at a cost to the health of some of the workers who are tasked with fulfilling the orders in New Jersey and around the country. The speed required to fill the orders and deliver them quickly may have resulted in an increase in the rate of work injury among Amazon warehouse workers.

Workers in a neighboring state claim that they package approximately four online orders per minute. Any slow down in that rate has a negative impact on the worker's performance reviews. As a consequence, many experience repetitive motion injuries and increased fatigue, stress and anxiety. The work the fulfillment staff are doing involves frequent lifting, bending, twisting and running. All of this appears to be contributing to an increase in the number of musculoskeletal injuries involving the back, neck and feet.

A tragic car accident is an ever-present threat

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, October 24, 2019.

Congested traffic is a known concern in New Jersey. Remaining safe on the crowded roadways requires remaining alert and always being on the lookout for the unexpected. Defensive driving remains one of the best ways to avoid a tragic car accident. But when a wrong-way driver enters the picture, reacting in time to such an unexpected and unpredictable occurrence may not always be possible.

In the early morning hours on a recent Friday there was a horrific crash that appears to have been caused by a wrong-way driver. The accident occurred on eastbound Interstate 80 near Parsippany. An unknown number of vehicles were involved in the crash and all vehicles sustained significant damage. One car may have caught fire.

A car crash can rob a family of a loved one

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, October 17, 2019.

Increased traffic on New Jersey roadways increases the likelihood of being involved in a serious accident. While defensive driving is the best preventive measure a person can take, some car accidents cannot be avoided. A serious car crash recently resulted in two fatalities.

First responders responded to the scene of a reported accident on a recent Friday evening. Officers found the accident had occurred at the intersection of Route 202 and Heritage Road in Montville. Two vehicles collided as they were negotiating the intersection. The vehicles involved were a 2009 Saab and a 2016 Nissan.

Car crash may have been hit-and-run

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, October 10, 2019.

New Jersey roadways are heavily congested with traffic at almost all hours of the day and night. This can make it difficult to see pedestrians, sometimes resulting in hit-and-run accidents. A recent car crash near Camden involved a car and a pedestrian in the very early morning hours.

The accident occurred on Tuckahoe Road and the victim was found there by a passerby. Another individual turned himself in to the Camden County Police as the investigation into the accident was underway. The man said he thought his car might have been involved in an accident. The car was then impounded and searched.

Pedestrians are also at risk from a DWI accident

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Monday, September 30, 2019.

As traffic on New Jersey roadways becomes more congested, it is not only other drivers who see an increase in risks. Pedestrians walking along roadways are also at an increased risk of being struck by passing vehicles. If a driver is drunk and strikes and injures or kills a pedestrian, he runs the risk of being charged with having caused a DWI accident.

There were a number of fatal accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians in recent days. In one incident a gentleman was struck by a car as he crossed Route 42 near Washington Township. This is according to Gloucester County authorities.

Workers' compensation rules exist to protect workers

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, September 23, 2019.

Risk of injury is inherent to many types of jobs, particularly in the construction and manufacturing fields in New Jersey and elsewhere. Workers' compensation exists to help cover expenses incurred by workplace injuries or death. An article in USA Today indicated that as many as two deaths per month and two dozen severe injuries occurred in New Jersey each month in 2018.

According to the study by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 22 people or more were killed on the job in 2018, and at least 23 fatalities occurred in 2017. The injuries ranged from amputations to the loss of an eye as well as many other debilitating injuries that resulted in a need for inpatient hospital care. Regarding severe injuries, 239 were reported in 2017 and 283 in 2018. The data comes from the OSHA Severe Injury Report database.

Failure to remain alert can cause a tragic car accident

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, September 18, 2019.

Motorcycles are a popular means of communication for many people in New Jersey. They are a relatively economical and easy way to get around. They are also small and can be very hard to see, which means they are often involved in a tragic car accident. An accident involving a motorcycle happened on a recent Sunday evening.

It was about 8 p.m. and two young men were riding a motorcycle north on Route 9 near Middle Township. A man driving a pickup truck pulled out of an intersection in front of them to make a left-hand turn. One rider was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was transported to an area hospital with reportedly serious injuries.

Drunk driving accident less likely to occur under new law

On behalf of James M. Curran Attorney At Law posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

Car accidents that involve alcohol frequently result in serious injury or death in New Jersey. These accidents are preventable in that if the impaired person does not drive, a death or serious injury that could result from a drunk driving accident could not happen. A new law recently passed takes a step toward making this a reality and, in some instances, reduces the amount of time that a person's license may be suspended.

The law recently passed in the state legislature requires the installation of a device in the driver's car that prevents the engine from starting if alcohol is detected. It is known as an ignition interlock device (IID) and requires that the driver blow into a device before the engine will start. If the IID detects alcohol in the person's BAC, the engine will not start.