Rear End Collision
$2,300,000
Insurer offered$85,000
Spinal cord injury after a rear end crash. The insurer offered $85,000.
Serving Paterson, New Jersey
Car Accident Lawyer in Paterson, New Jersey
Hurt in a crash in Paterson? The insurance company already has a team working on your claim. You should too. A free call tells you where you stand.
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In New Jersey, a Paterson car accident claim starts with your own PIP coverage paying the medical bills from day one, whether the crash was on Interstate 80 or at a Main Street intersection, and continues with a claim against the driver who caused it. Top USA Law handles Paterson crash claims. Call (877) 411-5291 for a free case review.
Where Paterson car accidents happen
Interstate 80 cuts straight across Paterson, and the stretch between the Route 19 split and the Madison Avenue exit is where most of the city's highway crashes happen. The ramps are short, the lanes shift, and traffic bound for the Route 19 spur into downtown has to cross drivers staying on 80 toward Bergen County. A car braking late for that split gets hit from behind at highway speed.
Route 20, McLean Boulevard, runs along the Passaic River on the east side of the city with a mix of highway speed and driveway entrances, and the intersections near the Route 4 junction and at Market Street see crashes when a driver turning onto the boulevard misjudges the speed of what is coming. Near the Great Falls, Spruce Street and McBride Avenue bring visitor traffic into narrow streets with poor sight lines.
Downtown is where the pedestrian crashes concentrate. Main Street, Broadway and Market Street carry NJ Transit buses in and out of the Broadway Bus Terminal, jitney vans and heavy foot traffic, and people are struck in the crosswalks when a bus blocks the view of the driver in the next lane. Along 21st Avenue and Union Avenue, speeding and rolled stop signs produce side impact crashes.
Getting treated at St. Joseph's in Paterson
St. Joseph's University Medical Center on Main Street is a Level II trauma center, where Paterson ambulances take serious crashes from Interstate 80, Route 20 and downtown. Your first chart there is the evidence the other driver's insurer will scrutinize most, because it records what hurt on the day. If the pain arrived the next morning, get seen that day and say you were in a car crash.
The crash report and the Passaic County Courthouse
Paterson Police Department officers write the report for crashes on city streets, and you request a copy from the department's records division. If the collision was on Interstate 80, the New Jersey State Police may hold it instead, so ask the responding officer.
If a lawsuit is needed, it is filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Passaic County, at the Passaic County Courthouse on Hamilton Street in downtown Paterson. That is where the arbitration and settlement conferences are held and where any trial would happen.
PIP, the verbal threshold and the two deadlines that matter
Under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4, PIP on your own policy pays your medical bills regardless of who caused the crash, up to the limit you chose. Whether you can also sue for pain and suffering depends on N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8. If you selected the limitation on lawsuit option, the verbal threshold, the injury must be a displaced fracture, loss of a body part, significant scarring or disfigurement, a permanent injury confirmed by objective medical evidence, or death. With the unlimited right to sue there is no threshold; we read the declarations page to find out.
You have two years from the crash to file under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. If an NJ Transit bus from the Broadway terminal, a Paterson city vehicle or a Passaic County vehicle was involved, the Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:8-8, requires a written notice of claim within 90 days, and missing it can end the claim. If you share blame, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 still lets you recover as long as your share is not greater than theirs, reduced by your percentage.
See if you have a case
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Results in cases like this
T Bone Accident
$1,800,000
Insurer offered$120,000
Broken pelvis and internal bleeding at an intersection. The insurer offered $120,000.
Drunk Driver Victim
$1,500,000
Insurer offered$50,000
Traumatic brain injury caused by an impaired driver. The insurer offered $50,000.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome.
Where we help in New Jersey
How Top USA Law handles Paterson car accident claims
Top USA Law handles Paterson cases from its main office at 411 Hackensack Ave in Hackensack, a short drive along Route 4, and comes to your home or to St. Joseph's when you cannot travel. In the first week we pull the police report, read the declarations page, open the PIP claim, and send the other driver's insurer a letter so they stop calling you. Public entity notices go out first. Read the New Jersey car accident lawyer page for the full state rules, or call (877) 411-5291. No fee unless we win; costs may apply.
Our New Jersey offices
Courts where New Jersey crash cases are heard
- Passaic County Superior Court, Paterson
New Jersey laws that control your case
N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4
Personal injury protection: your own policy pays medical bills after a crash regardless of fault.
N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8
The limitation on lawsuit option, known as the verbal threshold, chosen on your own auto policy.
N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1
Modified comparative negligence: recovery is reduced by your share of fault and barred at 51 percent.
N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2
Two year deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit.
N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3
Two year deadline for a wrongful death action.
N.J.S.A. 59:8-8
Ninety day notice of claim under the Tort Claims Act for claims against public entities.
N.J.S.A. 39:4-129
Duty to stop and report after a crash; leaving the scene of an injury crash is a crime.
N.J.S.A. 39:4-50
Driving while intoxicated.
Hurt in a crash in Paterson? Talk it through for free.
New Jersey filing deadlines and insurance notice rules can be short. A free call tells you where your clock stands.
Car Accidents questions in Paterson
Which hospital treats Paterson car accident injuries?
St. Joseph's University Medical Center on Main Street is a Level II trauma center and the hospital Paterson ambulances use for serious crashes from Interstate 80, Route 20 and downtown. Top USA Law requests your St. Joseph's records directly and reviews them with your policy.
How do I get the police report for a crash in Paterson?
For crashes on city streets, the Paterson Police Department wrote the report and you request it from the records division. For a crash on Interstate 80, ask the officer at the scene whether the State Police will hold it. Top USA Law pulls it for you.
Where is a Paterson car accident lawsuit filed?
In the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Passaic County, at the Passaic County Courthouse on Hamilton Street in downtown Paterson. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 the complaint must be filed within two years of the crash. Filing is what puts a schedule on the case.
An NJ Transit bus hit me near the Broadway terminal. Is there a special deadline?
Yes. NJ Transit is a public entity, so under the Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:8-8, a written notice of claim must be served within 90 days of the crash before you can sue. The same rule covers Paterson city vehicles and Passaic County vehicles.
The other driver says I was speeding on McLean Boulevard. Can I still recover?
Possibly. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1 you can recover as long as your share of fault is not greater than the other side's, with the award reduced by your percentage. At 51 percent or more you recover nothing. The police diagram and the damage pattern usually settle that dispute.
What will a Paterson car accident lawyer cost me?
Top USA Law takes Paterson crash cases on a contingency fee. The consultation is free, you pay no attorney fee unless the firm recovers money for you, and case costs may apply and are explained in writing before you sign anything.
Last reviewed by Paul Perkins, Esq., September 2026.
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Top USA Law took over everything after my car accident. They got me $450,000 when insurance only offered $15,000. I recommend them to everyone.
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