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New Jersey I-78 Accident Lawyer
Injured in a crash on I-78? We Can Help You. No Fee Unless We Win. Our team of personal injury lawyers have successfully recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients, including multi-million dollar settlements in commercial trucking cases. We proudly represent injured clients throughout New Jersey.
New Jersey I-78 Accident Lawyer
Injured in a crash on I-78? We Can Help You. No Fee Unless We Win. Interstate 78 is the freight spine of New Jersey. Known to most drivers as Route 78, it runs roughly sixty-eight miles from the Delaware River toll bridge at Phillipsburg east through Clinton, Bedminster, Berkeley Heights, Springfield, Union, and Newark, before becoming the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike and terminating at the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City. It crosses six counties. It carries over four million trucks a year, which is roughly twenty-four percent of all truck traffic in the entire United States, because it is the direct connection between the Port of New York and New Jersey and the industrial Lehigh Valley to the west. It also serves as the primary approach to Newark Liberty International Airport. All of that freight shares the same lanes with hundreds of thousands of daily commuters, on a roadway that swells to fourteen lanes through Union and Newark and narrows to a two-lane mountain climb in Hunterdon. Our team of personal injury lawyers have successfully recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We proudly represent injured clients throughout New Jersey.
Experienced Route 78 Car Accident Attorney Serving the Entire Corridor
Bhatt Law Group represents drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and families along the full length of Interstate 78, from Warren and Hunterdon counties in the west through Somerset, Union, and Essex, to the Hudson County waterfront and the Holland Tunnel. Two of our three offices, in Newark and Jersey City, sit directly on this corridor. Our attorneys have spent years litigating high-speed highway collisions, commercial trucking cases, and catastrophic injury claims against the carriers and motor freight companies that defend them. We investigate the scene, secure the crash report from the correct investigating agency, retain accident reconstruction and medical experts when the case demands it, and prepare every file as though it is going to trial, because that is what moves an insurance carrier to pay full value. Consultations are free, and personal injury matters are handled on a contingency basis, which means you owe us nothing unless we recover for you. Our phone number is 201-798-8000.
Why I-78 Produces So Many Serious Crashes
No other highway in New Jersey asks a single road to do so many different jobs at once. In Hunterdon and Warren counties, I-78 is a rural mountain highway with steep grades and long stretches between exits. Through Somerset and Union, it is a suburban commuter route. From Springfield east through Newark, it becomes one of the widest and most complex urban freeway segments in the state. And along its entire length, it functions as a national freight corridor moving an extraordinary share of the country’s truck traffic between the ports and points west.
The conditions that make Route 78 uniquely dangerous include:
- Extreme commercial truck density. Over four million trucks use I-78 annually. On some segments, tractor-trailers make up a substantial share of all traffic, and they are mixed directly into commuter lanes with no separation.
- The Express and Local lane split through Springfield, Union, Hillside, and Newark, which forces drivers to commit to the correct roadway well before their exit and produces abrupt, dangerous merging when they realize too late that they are in the wrong one.
- Sudden width changes. The freeway swells to between ten and fourteen lanes approaching Newark and contracts sharply going west. Lane drops and merges at those transition points are collision hotspots.
- Major interchange complexes stacked close together, including the Garden State Parkway at the Union and Hillside line, the Route 24 split in Springfield, the I-287 junction in Bedminster, the Route 21, US 1-9, and US 22 exchanges in Newark, and the New Jersey Turnpike interchange.
- Airport traffic. Exits 57 and 58 feed Newark Liberty International Airport, mixing unfamiliar drivers, rideshare vehicles, shuttle buses, and rolling luggage-laden traffic into an already saturated corridor.
- The Jugtown Mountain climb in Hunterdon County, a grade so prone to icing that the state installed New Jersey’s first automatic deicing spray system on it.
- Trucks parked on the shoulder. On the rural western stretches, tractor-trailers routinely park on the right shoulder overnight. Vehicles have struck the rear of parked, unoccupied trucks on I-78 with fatal results.
- The Watchung Reservation crossing, where the highway cuts through preserved woodland and wildlife strikes are a genuine hazard.
- Perpetual construction and rehabilitation work through Essex and Union counties, which produces shifting lanes, narrowed shoulders, and unfamiliar traffic patterns.
- Chain-reaction pileups. The combination of high speed, sudden congestion, and heavy trucks means one collision on I-78 rarely stays a two-car collision. Multi-vehicle chain reactions on this road have killed people.
The crash record bears this out. A box truck triggered a five-vehicle chain-reaction pileup on I-78 that killed a Hudson County man. Two motorcyclists were ejected and killed in a four-vehicle crash in Berkeley Heights. A box truck traveling east in the Newark local lanes struck a barrier and a light pole, overturned, and fell from the I-78 overpass, killing both occupants. A tractor-trailer hauling garbage overturned in Union and shut the westbound local lanes for hours. These are not freak events. They are what this road does.
The Most Dangerous Stretches of I-78, County by County
Where your crash occurred determines which agency investigated it, which county court will hear your case, what the traffic pattern looked like at impact, and what the documented crash history shows for that segment. Our attorneys handle claims along the full length of the highway.
Hudson County, the Newark Bay Extension and the Holland Tunnel approach:
- Jersey City, including the Route 139 and Route 440 connections and the final approach to the Holland Tunnel. This segment is toll roadway operated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, not NJDOT, which changes who investigates and who may be liable.
- Bayonne and the Newark Bay Bridge crossing, an elevated span with limited shoulder and severe wind exposure.
- Hazardous materials are prohibited in the Holland Tunnel, which pushes tanker and hazmat truck traffic onto surface routes and other crossings, and produces its own set of collisions.
Essex County, roughly Exit 55 through Exit 58:
- Newark, where I-78 reaches its widest and most complex configuration. The Express and Local split, the Route 21 McCarter Highway exchange, the US 1-9 and US 22 junction, the New Jersey Turnpike interchange, and the Newark Liberty International Airport access ramps all occur within a few miles of one another. Fatal crashes have occurred here at mile marker 56 and on the exit ramps, including one in which a vehicle struck a concrete barrier and one in which a box truck went off the overpass entirely.
- Irvington and the eastern edge of the county, where the highway runs through dense urban surroundings.
- Millburn, where I-78 briefly passes through Essex County near the Route 24 interchange.
Union County, roughly Exit 41 through Exit 54:
- Union Township and Hillside, at the Garden State Parkway interchange, one of the highest-volume merge points in New Jersey. Overturned tractor-trailers here have shut down lanes repeatedly.
- Springfield Township, where the Express and Local configuration begins and where the Route 24 freeway splits off toward Morris County.
- Summit and the CR 527 interchange at Exit 45.
- Berkeley Heights, near milepost 42, the site of a fatal multi-vehicle motorcycle crash.
- The Watchung Reservation crossing, where the highway cuts through preserved parkland.
Somerset County, roughly Exit 26 through Exit 40:
- Bedminster, where I-78 meets I-287 in a high-speed freeway-to-freeway interchange. Ramp closures and construction here are routine and merging collisions are common.
- Bernards Township, Warren Township, and Branchburg, along the suburban approach.
Hunterdon County, roughly Exit 11 through Exit 24:
- Lebanon, Clinton, and Clinton Township, near the Route 31 interchange. Collisions with tractor-trailers parked on the right shoulder have proven fatal on this stretch.
- Bethlehem Township and Union Township, along the Jugtown Mountain grade, where ice and steep descent combine.
- Readington and Tewksbury, near the Oldwick Road interchange.
- The US 22 concurrency and split, where highway and local traffic interact unpredictably.
Warren County, roughly Exit 3 through Exit 7:
- Phillipsburg, Alpha, Greenwich Township, and Bloomsbury, along the Route 173 and Route 122 connections and the approach to the I-78 Toll Bridge over the Delaware.
- Crashes at or near the state line raise their own questions about which state’s law applies and which agency investigated, and those questions have real consequences for your claim.
Our Newark and Jersey City offices sit directly on this corridor. Our Hackensack office serves clients throughout Bergen County and the north. Wherever on I-78 your crash occurred, we can meet you at the location most convenient to you, and we can come to you if your injuries make travel difficult.
I-78 Truck and Tractor-Trailer Accidents
If you were struck by a commercial truck on Route 78, understand this clearly. You are not in an ordinary car accident case. You are in a case against a professional defense operation, and it demands a different kind of preparation.
I-78 is the single most important truck corridor in New Jersey. It moves over four million trucks a year, roughly a quarter of all truck traffic in the nation, connecting the Port of New York and New Jersey and the region’s three major airports with the Lehigh Valley and the interstate freight network beyond. An eighty-thousand-pound tractor-trailer traveling at highway speed carries roughly sixteen times the kinetic energy of a passenger car at the same speed. It requires far greater stopping distance. It has substantial blind spots along both flanks and directly behind the trailer. When it jackknifes, overturns, or loses a load on a road as congested as this one, it takes other vehicles with it.
What makes an I-78 truck case different from an ordinary claim:
- Multiple potentially liable parties. Fault may rest with the driver, the motor carrier that employed him, the company that owned the tractor, the separate company that owned the trailer, the shipper or freight broker that arranged the load, the warehouse crew that loaded it improperly, or the maintenance contractor that failed to service the brakes. Identifying every one of them is how a case gets to full value.
- Substantially higher insurance limits. Interstate motor carriers must carry federally mandated minimum liability coverage, and layered policies frequently push total available coverage into seven figures. That is precisely why these carriers fight so hard.
- Federal regulations create additional theories of liability. Hours-of-service limits, electronic logging device records, mandatory inspection and maintenance rules, drug and alcohol testing requirements, cargo securement standards, and driver qualification files all provide avenues to prove negligence that do not exist in a two-car case. A driver who was over his hours is a driver whose employer put him there.
- Driver fatigue is endemic on this route. Long-haul drivers running the port-to-Lehigh-Valley corridor are under relentless delivery pressure. Dashcam footage in one I-78 fatality showed the trucker’s eyes were closed before impact. Log records and ELD data are how you prove that.
- Critical evidence disappears fast. The truck’s electronic control module holds speed, braking, and throttle data from the seconds before impact. Dashcam footage, ELD logs, dispatch records, bills of lading, and the driver’s qualification file are all subject to retention periods, and some can be lawfully overwritten within months.
- The trucking company’s team arrives before you do. Major carriers dispatch rapid-response investigators to serious crash scenes within hours. They are photographing, measuring, and taking statements while you are still in the emergency room.
- Improperly parked trucks are their own category of case. A tractor-trailer left on the shoulder of I-78, unlit or inadequately marked, has killed drivers on this road. That is not an unavoidable accident. That is negligence, and it is provable.
The single most important thing you can do after a truck collision on I-78 is contact an attorney immediately, so that a spoliation letter goes out and the evidence is legally preserved before it is gone. Our firm has recovered significant results in commercial vehicle cases, including a two million dollar settlement for a client whose vehicle rolled over after being sideswiped by an eighteen-wheeler and a $2.3 million settlement for a client t-boned by a commercial vehicle who required multiple lumbar spine surgeries. If a tractor-trailer, box truck, delivery van, dump truck, tanker, or any other commercial vehicle was involved in your crash, call 201-798-8000 today.
Express Lanes, Local Lanes, and Why It Matters to Your Case
From the Route 24 interchange in Springfield east through Union, Hillside, and Newark, Interstate 78 splits into a dual configuration of Express lanes and Local lanes. Drivers headed for the New Jersey Turnpike and the Holland Tunnel are directed to the Express lanes. Drivers exiting for the Garden State Parkway, the airport, Route 21, or local streets must be in the Local lanes. Crossovers between the two are limited and appear with little warning.
This design produces a specific and recurring category of collision. A driver realizes at the last moment that he is in the wrong roadway, cuts hard across a crossover, and strikes or is struck by traffic moving at full highway speed. Others slow abruptly or stop in a live lane. On a road carrying this volume of tractor-trailers, that is how a chain-reaction pileup starts.
It matters to your case for two reasons.
First, liability. The insurance carrier will argue you should have known which lane to be in. Whether a reasonable driver could have made that decision safely, given the signage, the sight distance, and the traffic conditions that existed at that moment, is a question of fact. It is a question we investigate, with photographs of the actual signage and, when warranted, expert testimony on highway design and human factors.
Second, the report. Your crash report will specify whether you were in the Express or Local lanes, and at which milepost. That detail determines a great deal, and it is one of the first things we look for.
If your crash happened in this stretch, and particularly if the other driver’s insurer is blaming you for the lane you were in, call us before you say anything further to them. 201-798-8000.
Common Causes of I-78 Collisions
Establishing cause is the foundation of your claim. On a highway, cause is rarely as simple as one driver making one mistake, and the insurance carrier will work hard to shift as much fault onto you as it can. New Jersey follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which reduces your recovery by your share of fault and bars it entirely if you are found more than fifty percent responsible. Proving what actually happened is not a formality. It is the case.
The collisions we see most often on Route 78 are caused by:
- Tailgating and following too closely, the leading cause of the chain-reaction pileups that shut this highway down.
- Unsafe lane changes and blind spot collisions, particularly around the Express and Local crossovers and the Parkway and Turnpike interchanges.
- Driver fatigue, especially among long-haul commercial drivers running the freight corridor.
- Speeding and aggressive driving, including weaving through truck traffic.
- Distracted driving, including cell phones, navigation systems, and in-cab screens.
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, prescription medication, or illegal drugs.
- Improperly secured, overloaded, or shifting cargo.
- Tire blowouts and brake failure caused by deferred maintenance on commercial vehicles.
- Vehicles and trucks parked or disabled on the shoulder without adequate warning devices.
- Failure to slow or move over for stopped vehicles and emergency responders, in violation of New Jersey’s Move Over Law.
- Improper merging at short acceleration ramps.
- Ice, snow, and reduced visibility, particularly on the Jugtown Mountain grade and the elevated Newark Bay crossing.
- Wildlife strikes through the Watchung Reservation and the rural western counties, which frequently trigger secondary collisions when a driver brakes or swerves.
- Dangerous road conditions, including inadequate or confusing signage, worn lane markings, defective guardrails, missing shoulder space, standing water, potholes, and negligently designed or maintained construction zones.
If a public entity’s negligent design, maintenance, or construction of the roadway contributed to your crash, you may have a claim against that entity in addition to the at-fault driver. Those claims carry a strict and extremely short notice deadline, discussed below.
Injuries We See in I-78 Crashes
Because collisions on this highway occur at speed, and because so many of them involve heavy commercial vehicles, the injuries tend to be severe. Many of our clients were living an ordinary morning until the moment of impact.
The injuries we most frequently handle from Route 78 collisions include:
- Traumatic brain injury and concussion, including injuries that do not appear on an initial CT scan but produce lasting cognitive, memory, mood, and concentration deficits.
- Spinal cord injury, including partial and complete paralysis.
- Herniated and bulging discs in the cervical and lumbar spine, frequently requiring injections, discectomy, or multi-level fusion surgery.
- Whiplash and soft tissue injury, which insurance carriers routinely dismiss as minor but which can produce chronic, permanent pain.
- Fractured and crushed bones, including complex fractures requiring surgical hardware.
- Torn ligaments, tendons, and rotator cuff injuries, particularly to the knees and shoulders.
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding, which may not present symptoms for hours or days.
- Burn injuries, a genuine risk given the volume of fuel and freight traffic and the vehicle fires that occur on this corridor.
- Ejection injuries, which are catastrophic and which have killed both motorcyclists and truck occupants on this road.
- Amputation and limb loss.
- Nerve damage and complex regional pain syndrome.
- Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression, which are compensable and which we document carefully.
- Wrongful death, where we represent the surviving spouse, children, and heirs.
Go to the emergency room. Do this even if you feel fine, and especially if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks injury, internal bleeding and brain injury can present days later, and a gap between the crash and your first medical visit is the single most effective argument an insurance carrier has for claiming you were not really hurt. Get evaluated, follow the treatment your physicians recommend, and keep every record.
Who Investigates an I-78 Crash and How to Get Your Report
This is where a crash on Route 78 becomes genuinely complicated, and it is where most people get stuck.
Interstate 78 is not under a single jurisdiction. Which agency investigated your crash, and which agency holds your report, depends entirely on where on the highway it happened.
Three different agencies patrol different parts of I-78:
- The New Jersey State Police investigate crashes on the free portion of I-78, which is the great majority of the highway, from the Delaware River east through Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, and Essex counties to Newark. Your local police department will not have this report and generally cannot produce it for you.
- The New Jersey Turnpike Authority operates the Newark Bay Extension, which is the tolled segment carrying I-78 east from Newark through Bayonne to Jersey City. Crashes on that stretch fall under the State Police Turnpike detail and the Authority’s own procedures, and the Authority is a public entity, which carries significant legal consequences for your deadline to file.
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey controls the Holland Tunnel itself at the eastern terminus, with its own police force and its own reporting process.
The practical consequence is that people spend weeks chasing the wrong agency. If you were struck near the Turnpike interchange in Newark, you may be dealing with a different agency than someone struck two miles east on the Bay Extension, and different again from someone struck at the tunnel mouth. The milepost matters enormously, which is why we ask for it first.
What the crash report contains, and why it matters:
- The investigating officer’s diagram, including point of impact and final rest positions.
- Whether you were in the Express or Local lanes, and at which milepost.
- The narrative and any preliminary determination of contributing circumstances.
- Any summonses issued, which can be powerful evidence of negligence.
- Witness names and contact information, often the only way to reach a witness who left the scene.
- Insurance information for every vehicle, including the commercial carrier’s policy if a truck was involved.
- Coded reference fields along the margins that carry meaning most people never realize is there. Ask for the overlay reference grid, or let us obtain and interpret the report for you.
A crash report is not a verdict. Officers arrive after the fact, working from physical evidence and conflicting accounts, and they reach incorrect conclusions with some regularity. If the report assigns fault to you and you know that is not what happened, that conclusion can be challenged and it frequently is.
We obtain reports from all three of these agencies on behalf of our clients as a matter of course. If you have not been able to get yours, call 201-798-8000 and we will handle it.
What to Do After a Crash on I-78
The shoulder of this highway is one of the most dangerous places you can stand in New Jersey. A man pushing a disabled car on I-78 was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer whose driver had his eyes closed. An eighty-six-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer after walking onto the highway in Union County. Your safety comes before everything else on this list.
At the scene, if you are physically able:
- Call 911 immediately. Report your direction of travel, whether you are in the Express or Local lanes, and the nearest milepost or exit number.
- If your vehicle is drivable and it is safe to do so, move it as far off the travel lanes as possible. Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened rather than standing on the shoulder, unless there is a fire risk.
- Do not apologize and do not speculate about fault, to anyone. A reflexive “I’m sorry” is treated as an admission.
- Photograph everything: all vehicles from multiple angles, the damage, license plates, the roadway, skid marks, debris, signage, weather and lighting conditions, and any visible injuries. If a commercial truck was involved, photograph the DOT number on the side of the cab and the name on the trailer, which are frequently two different companies.
- Get the name, address, license, registration, and insurance information for every driver, and the carrier name for any commercial vehicle.
- Get contact information for witnesses before they leave. On a highway, they will leave.
- Note the milepost. Write it down. It determines which agency holds your report.
In the hours and days that follow:
- Get a full medical evaluation, even if you believe you are uninjured.
- Notify your own insurance company that you were in an accident. You are obligated to under your policy.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s carrier, or to a trucking company’s insurer or investigator. You are not required to, and their adjusters are trained to extract statements that reduce what they pay you.
- Do not accept a quick settlement offer. An early offer arrives before anyone knows the full extent of your injuries, and accepting it ends your claim permanently.
- Do not post about the crash, your injuries, or your activities on social media. Defense counsel will find it.
- Keep every bill, every receipt, every prescription, and every note documenting missed work.
- Call a lawyer. In a truck case, call one today, because the evidence has a shelf life.
New Jersey No-Fault Insurance and Your Right to Sue
New Jersey is a no-fault state, and this is one of the most misunderstood areas of law our clients encounter.
No-fault means that after a crash, your own policy pays your initial medical expenses through Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, regardless of who caused the collision. That coverage exists to get your treatment started without you paying out of pocket while liability is sorted out. It does not mean nobody is at fault, and it does not mean you cannot sue.
What determines whether you can sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is the tort option you selected when you bought your policy, a choice most drivers make once and never think about again.
Limited Right to Sue, sometimes called the verbal threshold. This is the cheaper option and the one most New Jersey drivers carry. It allows you to sue for economic losses such as medical bills and lost wages, but it permits a claim for pain and suffering only if your injury falls into one of a defined set of serious categories, such as displaced fractures, loss of a body part, significant disfigurement or scarring, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury that has not healed to function normally and will not heal to function normally with further treatment.
Unlimited Right to Sue. This costs more in premium, and it preserves your full right to sue for pain and suffering regardless of the category of injury.
Here is what matters. Even under the limited right to sue, the permanency category is far broader than most people assume, and the vast majority of clients who arrive convinced they are barred from suing are not barred at all. Whether your injury clears the threshold is a legal and medical question, answered with the medical record, a physician’s certification of permanency, and the imaging. Do not decide on your own that you have no case.
If the at-fault driver was uninsured or carried too little coverage to cover your losses, you may also have a claim against your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. If a commercial truck was involved, the available coverage is typically far larger and the analysis changes considerably.
Our attorneys review your policy, your PIP coverage, the at-fault driver’s policy, any applicable commercial or umbrella coverage, the crash report, and your complete medical file, and we tell you honestly what your claim is worth and how we intend to pursue it. Give us a call at 201-798-8000 to schedule your free consultation today.
Deadlines That Can End Your Case Before It Starts
Time limits in New Jersey personal injury law are unforgiving, and on this highway in particular, the deadline that catches people is almost never the one they have heard of.
Two years for most personal injury claims. A claim for injuries caused by another driver’s negligence must generally be filed within two years of the date of the crash. Miss it and the claim is gone, no matter how strong it was.
Two years for wrongful death claims, generally running from the date of death.
Ninety days for claims against a public entity. This is the deadline that destroys otherwise valid cases, and I-78 is unusually exposed to it. If your crash was caused in part by a dangerous condition of the roadway, by a negligently designed or maintained construction zone, by a defective guardrail, or by a government-owned vehicle, your claim falls under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, which requires that a formal notice of claim be served on the public entity within ninety days of the incident. Ninety days. Not two years.
This matters more on Route 78 than on almost any other road in the state, for a specific reason. The eastern end of I-78 is the Newark Bay Extension, operated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and the Holland Tunnel, operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Both are public entities. If your crash occurred on either of those segments and roadway conditions, construction, signage, or an Authority vehicle played any role, a notice of claim requirement may be triggered, and the clock started the day of the crash. The rest of the corridor is a state highway subject to the same Act.
The practical takeaway is simple. Do not wait to find out whether a public entity is a defendant in your case. By the time you know, the ninety days may be gone. Call us and let us evaluate it now.
What Your I-78 Claim May Recover
Compensation in a New Jersey highway injury case is not a single number produced by a formula. It is built, category by category, from documented evidence, and the difference between a competently constructed file and a poorly constructed one is frequently a matter of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Economic damages, which are the measurable losses:
- Emergency, hospital, surgical, and diagnostic costs.
- Ongoing treatment, physical therapy, injections, and future surgery.
- Prescription medication and medical devices.
- Lost wages and lost income from the time you could not work.
- Diminished future earning capacity, if your injuries have permanently limited what you can do for a living.
- Home modification, in-home care, and long-term care needs in catastrophic cases.
- Property damage, including the total loss of your vehicle.
- Out-of-pocket costs, including transportation to medical appointments.
Non-economic damages, which are the human losses:
- Pain and suffering.
- Permanent impairment, disfigurement, and scarring.
- Emotional distress and psychological injury.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Loss of consortium, for the spouse of a seriously injured person.
Punitive damages may be available where the conduct went beyond ordinary negligence, such as a drunk driver or a motor carrier that knowingly disregarded federal safety regulations to keep a truck on the road.
In wrongful death cases, surviving family members may recover for the financial support and services the decedent would have provided, along with a separate survival claim for the pain and suffering the decedent endured before death. These are difficult cases to bring, and we bring them with the care they deserve.
Why Injured Drivers on I-78 Call Bhatt Law Group
Insurance carriers evaluate your case based on who is standing behind it. A file assembled by a firm that has tried these cases, retained the right experts, and taken the depositions that matter is valued differently than a file that arrives with a demand letter and a stack of unorganized bills. That is not cynicism. It is how the system works, and it is why the choice of counsel is the most consequential decision you make after the crash itself.
Our approach is straightforward. We investigate immediately, before evidence disappears. We identify the correct investigating agency and obtain the crash report. In commercial vehicle cases, we move to preserve electronic control module data, driver logs, and dispatch records before they can be lawfully overwritten. We retain accident reconstruction, medical, vocational, and economic experts when the case calls for them. We document your injuries thoroughly, including the ones that are easy for a carrier to dismiss. And we prepare every case for trial, because a carrier that believes you will not try the case will never pay what the case is worth.
Bhatt Law Group maintains offices in Jersey City, Newark, and Hackensack, and two of them sit directly on the I-78 corridor. Consultations are free. Personal injury matters are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover for you. If you or someone you love was injured in a crash on I-78, call 201-798-8000 or reach out below.
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Recent Settlements
$2,300,000 Settlement
Our client’s car was t-boned by a commercial vehicle. As a result, she required multiple lumbar spine surgeries. Bhatt Law Group immediately filed a lawsuit and retained experts. Prior to trial and after several depositions, we were able to obtain a settlement on behalf of our client.
$2,000,000 Settlement
Our client’s vehicle rolled over several times after being side-swiped by an 18 wheeler. This resulted in significant injuries to his neck and back. Client was unable to return to work because of his injuries. The insurance company contested the liability but after filing suit, serving discovery, and taking depositions, Bhatt Law Group was able to settle this case.
$1,750,000 Settlement
Our client was struck by a car that was attempting to make an illegal u-turn. This resulted in significant damage to our client’s car and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Our client required both back and knee surgery and physical therapy.
$1,300,000 Settlement
Our client was injured in a motor vehicle accident. As a result of the accident, our client sustained injuries to her spine.
$950,000 Settlement
Our client was injured when she was struck by a motor vehicle when crossing the street. As a result of the accident, our client sustained a fractured leg and injuries to her back. This was a difficult liability case but the settlement was obtained as a result of strong settlement negotiations.
$825,000 Settlement
Our client was injured when he slipped and fell on ice. As a result of the accident, our client sustained a broken ankle.
$375,000 Settlement
Our client was injured when he was rear-ended by a commercial vehicle in Jersey City. The liability insurance carrier argued low impact with minimal property damage and our client’s age to minimize the extent of his damages. As a result of the accident, our client sustained injuries to his neck and back resulting in multiple injections including a two level lumbar fusion and discectomy surgery. This settlement was the result of strategic preparation and strong settlement negotiations.
$100,000 Settlement
Our client was injured when she was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Maplewood. The claim had its complexities due to the claimant’s ongoing health issues, prior accident history and age. As a result of the subject accident, our client sustained an aggravation of injuries to her neck, back and right shoulder resulting in a one level discectomy with instrumentation. The bodily insurance carrier tendered its insured’s policy limits prior to the two year statute of limitations and without extensive litigation.
$75,000 Settlement
Multi-motor vehicle accident involving our client who suffered back injuries requiring injections.
* Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions About I-78 Accident Claims
Who do I call for a police report if my accident was on Route 78?
It depends on where. The New Jersey State Police investigate crashes on the free portion of I-78, which is most of the highway. The eastern end, the Newark Bay Extension through Bayonne to Jersey City, is a toll road operated by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The Holland Tunnel itself is Port Authority. Your local police department will generally not have the report. We obtain reports from all three agencies for our clients, and we are happy to do it for you.
The other driver’s insurance company already called me. Should I give a statement?
No. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s carrier, and there is no version of that conversation that helps you. Adjusters are professionals, the call is recorded, and they are trained to elicit answers that reduce what the carrier ultimately pays. Refer them to your attorney.
The truck’s insurance company sent an investigator to the scene. Is that normal?
Unfortunately, yes. Major motor carriers dispatch rapid-response teams to serious crashes within hours, sometimes before the road reopens. They are building their defense while you are in the emergency room. It is the single strongest argument for retaining counsel immediately.
I chose the limited right to sue. Does that mean I have no case?
Almost certainly not. The permanency category under the verbal threshold is considerably broader than most drivers believe, and the majority of clients who come to us convinced they are barred from recovering are not barred at all. Whether your injury clears the threshold is a legal and medical determination. Let us make it.
The insurance company says I was in the wrong lane. Does that end my claim?
No. The Express and Local configuration on I-78 through Union and Newark is confusing by design, and whether a reasonable driver could have navigated it safely under the conditions that existed at that moment is a question of fact, not a conclusion the carrier gets to declare. New Jersey applies modified comparative negligence, so even a share of fault does not bar you unless it exceeds fifty percent.
How much is my I-78 case worth?
Any attorney who quotes you a number on the first phone call is guessing, and you should be wary of them. Value depends on the severity and permanency of your injuries, the treatment you require going forward, your lost income and future earning capacity, the strength of the liability evidence, the comparative fault the defense will argue, and critically, the amount of insurance coverage actually available. What we can tell you is that a properly investigated and well-documented case is worth substantially more than the same case handled casually.
What if the police report blames me?
A crash report is evidence, not a verdict. Officers arrive after the collision and work from physical evidence and conflicting accounts, and they reach incorrect conclusions with some regularity. Unfavorable reports are challenged successfully all the time. Bring it to us before you assume the worst.
What if the at-fault driver had no insurance, or not enough?
You may be able to recover under the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy. This is one of the first things we review.
How long do I have to file?
Generally two years for a personal injury claim. But if a public entity may share responsibility, including the New Jersey Turnpike Authority on the Newark Bay Extension or the Port Authority at the Holland Tunnel, a formal notice of claim may have to be served within ninety days. Do not wait to find out which applies to you.
What does it cost to hire you?
Nothing up front. The consultation is free and personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means we are paid only out of a recovery. If we do not recover for you, you owe us no attorney’s fee.
Communities We Serve Along the I-78 Corridor
Bhatt Law Group represents injured clients along the full length of Interstate 78 in New Jersey and throughout the surrounding communities, including Jersey City, Bayonne, Newark, Irvington, Hillside, Union Township, Springfield, Millburn, Summit, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Watchung, Warren Township, Bernards Township, Bedminster, Branchburg, Readington, Tewksbury, Lebanon, Clinton, Clinton Township, Bethlehem Township, Bloomsbury, Greenwich Township, Alpha, and Phillipsburg, as well as Hudson, Essex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, and Bergen counties statewide.
If you were injured in a crash on Route 78, the consultation is free and the call costs you nothing. Speak with an attorney today at 201-798-8000, or email us at advice@bhattlawgroup.com.
Your Personal Injury Team
When someone’s negligence causes you or a loved one serious injury, you deserve justice. Our team of personal injury lawyers at Bhatt Law Group is here to help you obtain the maximum available compensation for your medical costs, lost income, and other losses. We’re dedicated to fighting for the rights of injured people throughout New Jersey.
Your Family Law Team
Domestic matters can be incredibly complicated and emotional. Our team of New Jersey family lawyers at Bhatt Law Group are dedicated to protecting your best interests in family law matters, from divorce to custody disputes to DYFS investigations. Let us help you through this challenging time in your life.
Your Family Law Team
Domestic matters can be incredibly complicated and emotional. Our team of New Jersey family lawyers at Bhatt Law Group are dedicated to protecting your best interests in family law matters, from divorce to custody disputes to DYFS investigations. Let us help you through this challenging time in your life.
Our attorneys have been recognized by some of the most prestigious legal organizations.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court. To read the standard by which Thomson Reuters, AVVO, Lead Counsel, National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, and National Association of Distinguished Counsel provides accolades, please visit bhattlawgroup.com/accolades.
Client Stories
Renee
Bhatt Law Group Client
Renee was involved in a T-bone accident. Hear how Bhatt Law Group was able to go above and beyond to help Renee after her accident.
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Drupaj
Drupaj was involved in a rear end car accident. Hear how Bhatt Law Group was able to help Drupaj and was by his side through the entire process.
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Jocelyn
Jocelyn was involved in a rear end car accident. Hear how Bhatt Law Group was able to help Jocelyn through her trauma.
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Tatyana
Tatyana was involved in a rear end car accident. Hear how Bhatt Law Group was able to help Tatyana and exceeded her expectations.
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Stephanie
Stephanie was involved in a rear end car accident. Hear how Bhatt Law Group was able to help Stephanie by exceeding her expectations.
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