New Jersey Transit (NJT) is a public transportation system owned by the State of New Jersey that operates bus, light rail and commuter rail services in New Jersey and New York. Although it safely transports about a million passengers per day, there are times when its transportation services are below proper safety standards. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident that directly or indirectly involved NJT, you might be eligible to recover damages.
Possible injuries
Although injuries might be suffered outside of a train, like in a crash with a motor vehicle or even a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall at an NJT station or platform, most injuries occur inside of the train or bus itself. They can occur from a wide variety of circumstances. Here are just a few of them:
- Failure to slow or stop.
- Crashes with vehicles at crossings or intersections.
- Becoming trapped in train or bus doors.
- Being thrown inside of the train in a crash, derailment or sudden stopping of the train.
That said, if you were injured in a vehicle accident with the NJT and the NJ State Police (NJSP) responded, here’s how to get a copy of your NJSP accident report.
You Must Act Quickly
New Jersey Transit is a public legal entity. Different procedures are involved in making personal injury claims against it as opposed to car insurance claims. New Jersey law does not allow for a personal injury lawsuit to be filed against NJT unless notice of a claim for personal injury is properly drafted and served within 90 days of the date of the accident. This notice requires the name and address of the plaintiff, date, place and description of how the accident occurred that gives rise to the claim asserted, a general description of the injury, damage or loss incurred, the name of the public entities or employees causing the injury, damage or loss and the amount of damages the plaintiff is claiming. While there are a few exceptions to this rule, a court could bar a lawsuit if you did not file the notice within 90 days. Unless you were a minor at the time of the accident, failure to file a notice within 90 days of the date of the occurrence could operate as a bar against you from proceeding further.
The Holding Pattern
The law allows a government entity such as NJT a six month period of time to review the claim before a lawsuit can be filed. So, a plaintiff may be in a holding period for a while until NJT has the opportunity to investigate your claim over that six-month period. After that, if there is no settlement, you’ll be permitted to file your personal injury lawsuit against NJT. There’s still plenty of time to fit the filing of your lawsuit into the two year statute of limitations.
Contact a New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer Near You today
Don’t ignore the 90 day claim notice rule. You can arrange for a free consultation and case evaluation with us, and if we enter into an agreement to represent you in connection with the injuries that you suffered, we’ll professionally and promptly file your claim notice for you. If litigation is required, we’ll timely file and effectively litigate your personal injury lawsuit to its completion. Contact us right away after being injured in any New Jersey Transit accident.