Bergen County attorneys help victims injured by dangerous road conditions
An auto accident is often the fault of a careless driver. However what happens when the road itself presents a danger? At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, we help victims of traffic crashes caused by dangerous or defective highway conditions. People often fail to consider that the road or highway may be dangerous or defective and cause an accident. We personally handle accident investigations to gather evidence and make sure important details are uncovered.

Who is responsible for highways that cause accidents?
Highways may be prone to cause auto accidents for a variety of reasons, including dangerous design or poor maintenance, including sinkholes and potholes, missing guardrails, broken or missing signals, signs or warnings, poor materials, debris in the roads and construction hazards. A public entity, such as a county or municipal agency, which is responsible for the defective condition may be held liable in a personal injury lawsuit only when you can prove certain elements, such as:

The highway or road was in dangerous condition at the time of the injury.
The injury was caused by the dangerous condition.
The dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of that kind of injury.
You must also prove that a negligent or wrongful act by the public entity’s employee during employment created the dangerous condition or that the public entity knew of the dangerous condition and had time to correct it.

Roads in New Jersey prone to cause traffic accidents
In 2011, there were 64,568 total injury crashes on all road systems in New Jersey, 6,877 in Bergen County. There were also another 6,400 injury crashes in Essex County, 3,701 in Hudson County, 4,024 in Passaic County and 868 in Sussex County. Some of the most dangerous routes in New Jersey include Route 17, Interstate 80, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Palisades Interstate Parkway:

Route 17 — The annual average daily traffic (AADT) on Route 17 in Bergen County is more than 94,300 vehicles. This route is prone to auto accidents, with more than 520 occurring in 2011.
Interstate 80 — Interstate 80 has an AADT measure of 92,322, with some sections of the route seeing more than 158,500 vehicles. In 2011, there were 4,119 total crashes, 980 of which resulted in injuries and a dozen of which resulted in fatalities.
New Jersey Turnpike — This turnpike, Route 295, has an annual average daily traffic measure of 63,855 vehicles. In 2011, there were 2,059 crashes recorded, more than 530 of which resulted in injuries and a dozen of which were fatal accidents.
Palisades Interstate Parkway — This dangerous highway runs 11 miles from the George Washington Bridge into New York state. It is limited to passenger cars, motorcycles and permitted buses. Trucks, cars with trailers and commercial pickups are all prohibited. Despite this, accidents still occur regularly.

Lawyers assisting with personal injury lawsuits and workers’ comp in Bergen County
At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, our attorneys assist all type of victims injured in construction accidents, including bystanders and pedestrians, construction workers injured in the course of employment, and construction workers injured by another employer, another company’s worker or other third party at the same work site. We have decades of experience with injury claims, including assisting victims with workers’ compensation claims and with personal injury lawsuits and negotiations.

Types of construction accidents
With a record of successful personal injury settlements that speaks for itself, our highly experienced attorneys are dedicated to helping you obtain just compensation for all types of serious injuries, from crush injuries to amputations and head and brain injuries to back and spinal injuries. We provide sympathetic, responsive representation for victims injured in construction accidents with a broad range of causes, including:

Defective equipment
Safety violations
Failure to use proper protective equipment
Ladder accidents
Scaffolding collapse
Crane collapse
Falls from heights
Slip and trip and fall accidents
Forklift accidents
Heavy construction equipment or machinery accidents
Crush injury accidents
Trench collapses
Excavation accidents
Drilling accidents
Rollovers or back-overs
Electrocution
Chemical burns and toxic exposure
Repetitive motion injuries

Types of injuries caused by construction accidents
The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries for employees. In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recorded 781 workplace fatalities involving full-time construction workers. About four out of every 100 cases involved injuries that required days away from work, job restriction or transfer. Our lawyers assist in recovering compensation for all types of serious construction site injuries, including:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Back injuries, including spine, spinal cord and herniated disc injuries
Broken bones and fractures
Burn injuries, electric shock and chemical burns
Crush injuries
Amputation injuries and disfigurement
Serious repetitive motion injuries

Who is liable for construction accidents in New Jersey?
Who is responsible to pay for the costs of your injuries depends on the circumstances of your case. If you were a bystander or pedestrian injured at a construction site, you may have a case against the construction company if the company or a construction company worker was negligent and the negligence caused your injuries.

If you were a construction worker injured on-the-job, our lawyers can help you file a workers’ compensation claim to obtain benefits for your damages directly from your employer or employer’s insurer, even if your employer or a fellow coworker was not negligent. However, if your injuries are due to negligence by another employer or other third party, we may help you sue the responsible parties. A lawsuit for construction site injuries can be worth more money than you might otherwise recover from a worker’s comp claim. Our attorneys will evaluate your case and guide you through your best options.

Seeking compensation for accident victims suffering traumatic brain injuries
Head and brain injuries can occur in almost any type of accident in which there is a bump, blow, jolt, impact or penetrating injury to the head or a lack of oxygen to the brain. Whether you fell and hit your head while on someone else’s property or were injured in a car accident caused by the negligence of another, you may suffer serious damage.

Brain injuries can affect all aspects of your life, from your ability to earn an income to your enjoyment of daily life activities and being able to care for yourself. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg in Bergen County, our lawyers understand what a terrible impact a head or brain injury can have on your life. With decades of experience both in and out of New Jersey courtrooms, we help you recover just compensation so that you can get the medical treatment and care, lost wages, compensation for pain and suffering, and other damages that you deserve.

What are the common causes of a head injury?
The most common cause of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States is a slip or trip and fall accident. While falls can injure victims of all ages, they are primarily harmful to children and elderly adults. They cause half of all head injuries in children up to 14 and more than 60 percent in adults 65 years and older.

The second most common cause of brain injury is an auto accident. More than 17 percent of TBIs are caused by traffic accidents, including accidents involving trucks and motorcycles. Head injuries received in a truck accident may be particularly serious or fatal because of the severity of these accidents. Motorcyclists, on the other hand, can help protect themselves from serious TBI by wearing helmets. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries, and helmeted riders have a 73 percent lower fatality rate than riders without helmets.

In addition to falls and motor vehicle accidents, more than 16 percent of brain injuries are caused when the head is struck by or against a moving or stationary object. Another 10 percent are caused by assaults.

What types of brain injuries occur in accidents?
Whether due to a car accident, a workplace accident, a slip and fall accident or any other accident caused by the negligence of someone else, head injuries tend to be very serious. Brain injuries can include a wide range of harm:

Tearing of the delicate brain tissue, such as from a sudden impact
Bruising, caused by impact to the skull
Swelling
Deprivation of oxygen, called anoxic brain injury
When a traumatic brain injury occurs, the victim may suffer a variety of short- or long-term effects, including:

Coma
Concussion
Behavior and personality changes
Concentration and memory problems
Paralysis
Loss of senses, such as touch or smell
Depression, anxiety or other mood changes
Impaired speech and vision
Seizures
Physical or mental impairment
What are the symptoms of a brain injury?
When a brain injury occurs, it is important to act quickly to recognize the signs and symptoms so you can seek immediate medical attention and minimize possible long-term harm. Many different symptoms indicate brain injury, including:

Loss of consciousness
Dilated pupils
Being dazed, confused or disoriented
Memory or concentration problems
Persistent or worsening headache
Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination
Nausea or vomiting
Sensory problems
Slurred speech
Sensitivity to light or sound
Mood changes or mood swings
Agitation, combativeness or other unusual behavior
Feeling depressed or anxious
Fatigue or drowsiness
Difficulty sleeping, sleeping more than usual or the inability to wake up
Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes
Convulsions or seizures
Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears