Key Takeaways
- Deadline: Most New Jersey personal injury claims must be filed within 2 years of the injury. Claims against a public entity (a city, county, or NJ Transit) require written notice within 90 days.
- Cost: We work on contingency; no fee unless we win your case. Consultations are free.
- What we prove: Liability, the full extent of your injuries, and the money you are owed for medical bills, lost income, and pain.
- Results: $50M+ recovered, including a $19 million verdict against Uber.
- Where: We handle injury claims throughout Passaic County, including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Wayne, and Hawthorne.
If you were hurt by someone else’s negligence in Passaic County, you generally have two years to file a claim in New Jersey, and most cases cost nothing up front. Varcadipane & Pinnisi, P.C., has recovered over $50 million for injured clients across New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Call (201) 588-1500 for a free consultation.
What Counts as a Personal Injury Case in Passaic County?
A personal injury case exists when someone else’s careless or wrongful conduct causes you harm. To recover money, you generally have to prove four things: the other party owed you a duty of care, they breached it, that breach caused your injury, and you suffered real damages (medical costs, lost wages, or pain and suffering).
We handle the full range of injury claims in Passaic County:
- Car accidents: Collisions on I-80, Route 46, Route 23, Route 3, and the Garden State Parkway.
- Truck accidents: Severe crashes involving large commercial vehicles.
- Uber/Lyft accidents: Crashes involving rideshare drivers, passengers, or pedestrians.
- Motorcycle accidents: Where injuries are often severe, and insurers fight hardest.
- Slip, trip, and fall injuries: On unsafe commercial, residential, or public property.
- Traumatic brain injuries: Head injuries affecting function during your recovery.
- Dog bites: New Jersey holds owners strictly liable in most cases.
- Construction accidents: Falls, struck-by accidents, and unguarded-machinery injuries on the job.
- Medical malpractice: Including birth injuries and anesthesia errors.
- Defective and dangerous products: Claims based on strict liability, where you do not have to prove the maker was careless, only that the product was defective and hurt you.
- Professional malpractice and wrongful death.
If you’re not sure whether you have a claim, the fastest way to find out is a free case review.
Steps to Take After a Personal Injury
If you believe someone else’s negligence caused your injury, the steps you take in the first days matter. They protect your health and the evidence your claim depends on. Here are the seven most important things to do.
- Get medical care right away. See a doctor even if you feel okay; some injuries surface days later, and a gap in treatment is the first thing insurers use to dispute your claim.
- Report the incident and get it in writing. Call the police after a crash, file an incident report with a store or property owner, or notify the right party. A documented report is powerful evidence.
- Document everything. Take photos of the scene, your injuries, and any hazards. Get names and contact info for witnesses while memories are fresh.
- Keep records and save your evidence. Hold onto medical bills, pay stubs showing lost income, the clothing or product involved, and anything related to the accident. Do not repair or discard it.
- Do not talk to the other side’s insurer. Politely decline to give a recorded statement or accept a quick settlement before you have spoken with a lawyer; early offers are almost always low.
- Watch the deadline. Most New Jersey personal injury claims must be filed within two years, but claims against a public entity require notice within 90 days. The clock starts at the date of injury.
- Call the Passaic County personal injury lawyers at Varcadipane & Pinnisi. A free consultation costs you nothing and helps you understand your rights before evidence disappears or a deadline passes.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident In Passaic County?
Right after a crash, a few steps protect both your health and your claim:
- Get medical care immediately even if you feel “fine.” Adrenaline hides injuries, and gaps in treatment are the first thing insurers attack. St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson is the area’s major trauma center.
- Call the police and get the report. A documented report is one of the strongest pieces of evidence in a New Jersey car accident case.
- Document the scene with photos, the other driver’s insurance info, and witness names.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before speaking with a lawyer. Their adjusters are trained to minimize your payout.
- Contact our Passaic County Law Firm. The sooner we get involved, the more evidence we can preserve.
Two New Jersey rules that surprise most drivers:
- Your insurance choice limits your right to sue. New Jersey is a “choice” no-fault state. If you carry the “limitation on lawsuit” (verbal) threshold, you can only sue for pain and suffering if your injury fits specific serious categories. We review your policy to confirm your rights before the insurer does.
- Partial fault does not end your claim. Under New Jersey’s modified comparative negligence rule, you can still recover as long as you were 50% or less at fault; your award is just reduced by your share of the blame.
According to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Passaic County had 16,152 total crashes in 2022, of which 3,593 resulted in what are considered injury crashes. This represents the 4th most for any county in New Jersey. Passaic County ranks consistently in the top five for most injury crashes over the past 2 decades, peaking at over 5,200 in one year.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in New Jersey?
In most cases, you have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in New Jersey. Miss that deadline and the court will almost certainly dismiss your case, no matter how strong it is.
A few situations change the clock:
- Claims against a public entity (a municipality, Passaic County, a school district, or NJ Transit) require a formal Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident,: a much shorter window.
- Minors generally get until two years after their 18th birthday.
- The deadline can pause if the injured person lacks legal capacity, or if the at-fault party leaves the state before suit can be filed.
Because evidence disappears and deadlines move, it is worth reaching out to a personal injury law firm in Passaic County early even if you think you have time.
Areas We Serve In Passaic County
We represent injury victims across all of Passaic County and handle cases filed in the Passaic County Superior Court in Paterson. Communities we serve include:
Paterson · Clifton · Passaic · Wayne · Hawthorne · Little Falls · Totowa · Woodland Park · Pompton Lakes · Wanaque · Ringwood · West Milford · Bloomingdale · Haledon · North Haledon · Prospect Park
Passaic County draws people in every day, and with that activity comes risk. Whether it is the notoriously chaotic parking area, adjacent roads near the Willowbrook Mall, or the Center City Mall in downtown Patterson, accidents can happen anywhere. Families spend weekends at Paterson’s Great Falls and Garret Mountain Reservation, and tens of thousands of drivers pass through the Willowbrook interchange where I-80, Route 46, and Route 23 meet. When a careless driver, an unsafe property, or a negligent business turns an ordinary day into a serious injury, our Passaic County personal injury lawyers are ready to help you recover.
Why Choose Varcadipane & Pinnisi?
We built our practice around a simple idea: serious attorneys for serious cases. Rather than chase a high volume of clients, we take fewer cases and give each one the attention high-stakes injuries demand.
What that looks like in practice:
- $50M+ recovered for injured clients, including a $19 million verdict against Uber for a former NHL player whose career ended in a 2018 crash, a $5 million medical malpractice recovery, and a $3.5 million recovery for an infant injured at birth.
- 40 years of combined experience litigating in New Jersey, New York, and Florida state and federal courts.
- A Certified Civil Trial Attorney on the team: a distinction held by a small fraction of New Jersey lawyers.
- Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and recognized by Super Lawyers.
- Direct attorney access: your case is handled by experienced lawyers, not passed off to staff.
Are You Inside of the Time Frame to File a Lawsuit in NJ?
The statute of limitations for your personal injury case is 2 years. Exceeding it can severely limit or completely invalidate your legal options for seeking compensation. Act swiftly to ensure your rights are preserved and explore your legal recourse before time runs out, otherwise, the likelihood of pursuing your case successfully may diminish considerably. However, if your claim is against a public entity, your timeframe can be significantly shorter.
“There is nothing our firm takes more seriously than fiercely advocating for our clients in a manner that makes them feel confident and informed at all times. We are not striving to be the biggest law firm for our practice areas but we do aim to be the best.”
(800) 616-2916
