When it comes to roadway safety, numbers tell a powerful story. In New Jersey, traffic fatalities have climbed over the past two years, from 606 in 2023 to 684 in 2024 — a 12.9% increase. Already, over 350 traffic-related fatalities have been reported to date in 2025.
In a county-to-county breakdown, some of the state’s largest counties are seeing troubling trends, especially in five key counties: Middlesex, Essex, Monmouth, Somerset, and Union.
Middlesex, Essex, Monmouth, Somerset, and Union counties tell the story of how traffic fatalities are concentrated in New Jersey’s most active corridors. Each number represents a preventable tragedy and a call for action to make these roads safer.
Numbers alone don’t tell the full story of roadway danger. Local factors such as population, highway design, tourism, and pedestrian activity help explain why certain counties have higher or increasing fatality rates.
With 2025 already recording double-digit fatalities by May, New Jersey’s most populated regions remain at high risk. Public safety initiatives, infrastructure improvements, and pedestrian protections will be crucial to turning the tide.
Pedestrian deaths make up a significant portion of the increase: 230 pedestrian deaths in 2024 compared to 171 in 2023. This sharp rise underscores how vulnerable pedestrians are when sharing the road with vehicles.
Pedestrian crashes often occur:
Common contributing factors include:
If you are involved in a car accident:
When a crash shatters your life or someone you love, every moment matters. Medical bills, lost wages, and insurance company interactions can feel overwhelming — and waiting too long can put your rights at risk.
At Rebenack Aronow & Mascolo L.L.P. (RAM Law), we fight relentlessly for clients injured in car crashes and their families. We know the stakes are high, and we don’t stop until every dollar of compensation you deserve is pursued.
We’ve stood with families in Middlesex, Essex, and beyond who have lost loved ones or suffered devastating injuries in preventable crashes. Their courage inspires our fight — and we are ready to bring that same relentless advocacy to your case.
Don’t wait — your future is too important. Let us stand by your side, protect your rights, and demand justice from those responsible. Call today for a free consultation.
When you have a potential legal entitlement to financial compensation, it is up to you to determine how best to pursue your money. None of the options available to you are necessarily easy, even when some may be more informal than others.
With the help of your car accident lawyer, you may choose to first approach the responsible driver’s insurance company in an attempt to negotiate a settlement agreement. Even though this process does not involve the court, you must still take it very seriously. The insurance company can be extremely difficult, both in admitting liability for the crash and estimating the amount of money you deserve. Many car accident claims result in settlement agreements, albeit after an extensive amount of negotiation.
You always maintain the right to file a car accident lawsuit. You can do this at the outset of your case, or after you have already engaged the insurance company and failed to reach a settlement agreement. If you file a lawsuit and your case goes to trial, a jury would decide whether the driver was liable. If the answer is yes, they would then determine how much money you should receive in compensation.
If you are able to establish that someone else was to blame for your car accident injuries, they would assume the legal liability to pay you full compensation for all of the harm that you have suffered. Car accident damages include both the direct financial losses that you have sustained, as well as money for the intangible effects of your physical injuries.
You may be eligible for the following compensation for your injuries:
Before you file a claim with the insurance company or a lawsuit in court, you must know the full value of your case. You can be certain that the insurance company has this knowledge at its fingertips, and they will use it to gain the upper hand over you in settlement negotiations. Once you have this figure, you must negotiate to obtain the full amount of money necessary to pay your damages. If not, you must persuade a jury to award you this money.
The exact amount of time that it will take to resolve your case depends on the facts and circumstances of your situation. Much depends on the insurance company and how they decide to approach your case. The insurance company may attempt to delay your claim by either taking time to respond or making you low settlement offers.
It is up to you to put pressure on the insurance company to resolve your claim in a timely manner and make a reasonable settlement offer. You can do this with the help of a car accident attorney, who can use the legal process to place this pressure. The mere threat of a lawsuit often makes insurance companies adjust their conduct because they know that there could be consequences if they have to face a jury.
Even though you have the option available to you of when to seek compensation, you must begin to prepare for the legal process immediately after the accident. It does not matter that you may be dealing with injuries at the time. If you wait too long to contact a car accident lawyer, you could be facing a much more difficult case. You may lose valuable evidence that you need to prove your claim. In addition, you are also subject to tactics that the insurance company may use to gain the upper hand over you in the legal process. Your chief worry here is that the insurance adjuster may contact you and get you on the record saying something that could potentially contradict what you may later include as part of your claim.
Insurance companies often try to blame the accident victim for the crash that injured them. They do this because they know that they can either reduce the amount of money that they need to pay, or even eliminate the obligation to pay composition entirely. New Jersey uses the law of modified comparative negligence. If you were more than 50% to blame for the accident, you would not receive compensation at all. If you were less than 50% to blame, your compensation would be proportionately reduced by the amount of fault that you bear.
New Jersey applies a statute of limitations, which serves as the outer limit of the time that you have to file a claim or lawsuit. Under New Jersey law, the statute of limitations is two years from the date that you were injured in an accident, or should have known that you were injured. For example, if you have suffered whiplash, and you do not realize that you were hurt until weeks after the accident, the statute of limitations would begin to run at that point.
You do not have to pay a car accident lawyer anything out of your own pocket at any time. When you hire a car accident attorney, you sign a representation agreement that specifies how they are to be paid. In any personal injury case, your lawyer works for you on a contingency basis. You sign a contract with them that promises to pay them a percentage of your car accident settlement proceeds, should you receive one. If you do not end up being paid for your injuries, you do not owe your attorney anything for their time and services. This arrangement reduces the financial risk to you and encourages you to seek legal help.
When you are injured in a crash, you need a team to navigate the legal system and hold reckless drivers accountable. Reach out to the New Jersey car accident lawyers at Rebenack Aronow & Mascolo L.L.P. Our team will answer your legal questions and fight for the compensation you deserve. Call us today at 732-247-3600 or fill out the online form for a free consultation. Our offices are in New Brunswick, Somerville, and Manalapan, New Jersey, and we proudly serve clients in the surrounding areas.
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To schedule a confidential consultation, contact us online or call our offices, in New Brunswick at (732) 247-3600, in Somerville at (908) 448-2560, or in Manalapan at (732) 828-2234.
111 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
21 North Bridge Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
348 Route 9, Suite E
Manalapan, New Jersey 07726
