Fatal Car Accidents
Over 35 years of experience. Over $100 million recovered for clients.
Fatal Car Accidents
Over 35 years of experience. Over $100 million recovered for clients.

New Jersey Fatal Car Accidents Lawyer

When a loved one dies in a fatal car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, the victim’s family may file a personal injury wrongful death lawsuit to hold the negligent party accountable for the financial and emotional losses.

Determining liability for a fatal car accident is a complex and difficult process. After an accident, it is important for the parties involved to obtain contact information from any witnesses present at the scene. This can help the police investigation. When recklessness or carelessness was involved in a fatal accident, a claim for negligence exists.

In New Jersey, family members may file a wrongful death lawsuit if the individual who died in the accident was no more than 50 percent at-fault for the accident. That means that any compensation recovered as a result of the accident is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to the deceased driver.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report on Americans’ driving habits from March to September 2020 and found some disturbing trends. Traffic deaths rose, fewer drivers and passengers wore their seat belts and more drivers who were injured in car accidents had drugs or alcohol in their system..

Despite fewer drivers on US roads, a larger share of drivers engaged in risky behaviors such as speeding or driving under the influence. Highway deaths surged as a result. During the first nine months of 2020, over 28,190 people died in car accidents — an increase of 4.6% from the same period in 2019, when 26,941 people died, according to separate NHTSA report.

Risky driving and fatal crashes surged in 2020, even with fewer drivers on the road, a new report finds

Even though fewer people were driving during the first six months of the pandemic, riskier driving surged, leading to a troubling uptick in fatal crashes, preliminary data shows. Read the full story.

Types of car crashes

Every car accident is unique. However, there are a number of common kinds of car accidents that may result in fatalities:

  • Single car accidents
  • Head-on collisions
  • Side impact crashes
  • Rear-end crashes
  • Rollovers
  • Multi-vehicle crashes
  • Commercial vehicle crashes
  • Reckless driving
  • Speeding
  • Road rage
  • Distracted driving
  • DWI/DUI
  • Driving while fatigued
  • Auto-defects

If negligence was involved in the fatal car accident, the plaintiff may be entitled to compensation for losses and damages that include the following:

  • Loss of guidance for children
  • Loss of advice/companionship
  • Lost wages
  • Lost income
  • Lost health benefits
  • Medical expenses
  • Funeral and burial costs
  • Loss of future income
  • Conscious pain and suffering of victim

The pain of living with the death of a family member is devastating. Our law firm will be with you every step of the way, and will fight to get your family the justice they deserve. If you lost a loved one in a car accident due to the negligence or recklessness of another person or entity, call the experienced New Jersey wrongful death attorneys at the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm.

You are the most amazing person

and I am indebted to you forever!

- P.S.
Todd Leonard and his staff made me feel like family.

Trust me, he will take you into his hands and take care of all your personal injury legal matters. They are friendly, professional, and go out all the way for you. Thank you Todd Leonard and staff.

- Frank O.
The Leonard Law Firm is truly amazing.

They go above and beyond to make sure you get what you deserve.

- Gina V.
He was relentless

until the case was fully settled and all was in our favor. Thank you so much. We highly recommend his office to anyone.

- E. and M.
Mr. Leonard’s law firm constantly kept in touch

and on top of my problems. They were quick to respond to my legal needs and were very attentive and showed real concern to my issues. I highly recommend them to anyone needing legal representation.

- Leslie W.
I highly recommend using this law firm.

My lawyer Paul Paravati was always available there for me and gave me first rate service.

- Richard B.
Todd and his staff were courteous and caring about my personal well-being.

They were knowledgeable and settled my case in an expedited manner. I really felt they were on my side the whole way. Thank you Todd and staff for excellent treatment!

- B.H.

A proven track record of success

$29.5Million
Product Liability & Auto Accident
$3.5Million
Drunk Driving Accident
$2.94Million
Car Accident Road Defect
$2.5Million
Workplace Construction Accident
$2.25Million
Fall Down Accident
$1.8Million
Car Accident State Vehicle
$1.8Million
Car Accident State Vehicle
$1.5Million
Fatal Apartment Fire
$1.36Million
Auto Accident
$1.2Million
Auto Accident
$1.0Million
Civil Sexual Assault Lawsuit
$1.0Million
Slip & Fall Accident
$1.0Million
Fall Down Accident
$29.5Million
Product Liability & Auto Accident
$3.5Million
Drunk Driving Accident
$2.94Million
Car Accident Road Defect
$2.5Million
Workplace Construction Accident
$2.25Million
Fall Down Accident
$1.8Million
Car Accident State Vehicle
$1.5Million
Fatal Apartment Fire
$1.36Million
Auto Accident
$1.2Million
Auto Accident
$1.0Million
Civil Sexual Assault Lawsuit
$1.0Million
Slip & Fall Accident
$1.0Million
Fall Down Accident
$29.5Million
Product Liability & Auto Accident
$3.96Million
Car Accident/Brain Injury
$3.5Million
Drunk Driving Accident
$3.1Million
Slip and Fall: Workers’ Compensation & Premises Liability Accident
$2.94Million
Car Accident Road Defect
$2.5Million
Workplace Construction Accident
$2.25Million
Fall Down Accident
$1.8Million
Car Accident State Vehicle
$1.5Million
Fatal Fire Apartment
$1.36Million
Auto Accident
$1.2Million
Auto Accident
$1.1Million
Slip & Fall Accident

Request a Free Consultation

Being injured or having a family member injured can have serious and lifelong consequences. We can try to ease the burden. Contact us today to learn more about how our team of experienced New Jersey accident attorneys can support you through these challenging times.