If you've been injured in a car wreck due to someone else's reckless behavior or negligence behind the wheel, you should not be responsible for paying for damages, lost income, or medical bills.

With the mounting pressure, you may ask yourself, "Should I go back to work after a car accident?" This situation can cause you to rush back prematurely, but that decision can result in long-term health issues. Let us help you navigate this situation according to our legal expertise in personal injury law. 

Personal Injuries That Prevent You From Working

Injuries can be debilitating and prevent you from working in a plethora of ways. Even seemingly commonplace or minor injuries, such as bone fractures, significantly impact the victims' lives.

Injuries can keep you from carrying out daily tasks such as driving, getting dressed, or fulfilling family responsibilities. Getting to work with such injuries can be difficult, let alone performing a particular job for hours.

Cognitive Damage

Accidents can cause you to be cognitively impaired. For instance, a severe concussion or a traumatic brain injury can affect your ability to think, remember, understand and speak.

It's possible that you will struggle to focus and remember or communicate crucial information while at work.

Mental Damage

Accident victims may be diagnosed with a mental condition due to injuries sustained from the accident. For instance, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common mental condition diagnosed after an auto accident.

Emotional distress can be traumatic for you and may cause you trouble performing daily routines such as attending school, going to work, or even getting out of bed in the morning. 

Although emotional distress can last briefly, these feelings can be more severe, causing daily interruptions that can persist for quite some time for some people.

Injuries can linger for many months and be masked by pain even after months of being removed from the accident. Severe injuries can cause short-term and long-lasting effects on your mental and physical health, preventing you from working after an accident. 

Personal Injury Compensation

When engaging in a personal injury claim, as an injured victim you can file a lawsuit or claim regarding compensation to recoup losses such as lost income or medical bills. You can get compensated for mental anguish as well.

The claim will cover the following damages:

• Medical expenses (hospital bills, medical devices, therapy, medications, etc.)
• Lost income (lost bonuses, commission, waves, PTO time, etc.)
• Intangible losses (mental anguish, physical pain, lower quality of life, etc.)

New Jersey Car Accident Laws You Should Know

Do you know what to do if you suffer injuries from a New Jersey car wreck?

Knowledge of the New Jersey laws that dictate who has to pay for your medical expenses and other damages, as well as when you should engage in a lawsuit, can help you protect yourself. 

NJ law requires drivers to report automobile accidents involving death, property damage of more than $500, or injury. You can contact the local police department or call 911. Once you've reported the accident, you'll have ten days to file a written report. 

Insurance

New Jersey is a no-fault state, meaning that it doesn't matter whose fault it is that the accident happened. The expectation is that your insurance covers your expenses, including medical bills, based on your coverage limit. 

This statute differs from how it works in an at-fault state where the driver who causes the accident has to use their insurance to pay for the injured person's damages. 

All NJ drivers must have PIP (Personal Injury Protection) within their insurance policy. This amount covers your injury expenses from the crash. If your damages exceed the monetary allowance from the policy, you can file a claim against the driver that was at fault. 

Remember that your PIP insurance doesn't cover non-economic damages, like mental and emotional distress, pain and suffering, etc. You'll have to file a lawsuit to receive compensation for these damages. 

New Jersey allows "modified comparative negligence," which means you can't receive compensation if you were more than 50 percent at-fault for the accident. 

The statute of limitations in NJ states that you have two years from the date of the injuries to sue; after this deadline passes, you can no longer pursue legal action. 

If you can't work after getting injured in a car accident in New Jersey, you may be able to file a personal injury claim if your insurance doesn't cover all of your damages. 

Should I Go Back to Work After a Car Accident?–Contact an NJ Car Accident Lawyer

If you have been the victim of a motor vehicle accident, you deserve to fully recover for any physical, emotional, and mental injuries you suffered. At Brandon J. Broderick, with our proven track record of success and our commitment to client care, our NJ car accident lawyers can get you the justice you deserve. 

Locations across New Jersey and the tri-state area. Contact us today for a free consultation.