(Independence Day, July 4, 2015). In June of 2013, Chrylser Auto Group agreed to repair over 1.5 million Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty vehicles because the placement and design of the vehicle’s fuel tank could cause the vehicle to catch on fire. The recall was for Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles made between 1993 and 1998 and Jeep Liberty vehicles made between 2002 and 2007. In November of 2014, Deputy Administrator of the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), David J. Friedman wrote the Chairman and CEO of the Chrysler Group, Sergio Marchionne urging Chrysler to more aggressively seek out vehicle owners affected by the recall of June 2013 as the fuel tanks in those vehicles may rupture if the vehicles are struck from behind leading to fires even in low to medium speed crashes. The letter from David Friedman from the NHTSA was prompted because Chrysler between June 2013 and October 2014 had only repaired 3 percent of the 1.5 million vehicles (only roughly 45,000 vehicles out of 1.5 million vehicles).
If you are involved in a car accident in New Jersey, you must be prepared to act properly to avoid getting in trouble.
A driver in New Jersey cannot leave the scene of an accident. If you do leave the scene of the accident you risk getting a Summons which could result in points on your license and loss or suspension of your driver’s license.
If you or another driver is injured, you should if conditions permit immediately call 911 and advise the operator of your location and medical condition. If you are unable to call 911, do not panic and attempt to stay calm as other drivers will undoubtedly pull over to attempt to help you or they will contact the police to advise them of the accident.
If possible, you should pull over into the shoulder of the road as to avoid the danger of being in the middle of the roadway. Being on the shoulder is usually a lot safer than being in the roadway.
If the accident is minor in nature and you are able to communicate with the other driver, attempt to exchange information. At a minimum, you should gather your car registration, your driver’s license and your insurance card which the investigating police officer will need in order to write up a police report. If you cannot find these documents in your car, you can provide these documents at a later date. Every motor vehicle in New Jersey is required to have Automobile Insurance. Failure to have Automobile Insurance is a very serious motor vehicle violation which carries with it a mandatory one-year loss of license.
As if having a work accident wasn’t bad enough, some employers try to ignore or hide that their employee was injured in the course of their employment. Insurance carriers do not take kindly to an employer fails to report an accident. Workers Compensation insurance carriers are generally well equipped to handle worker injuries but the failure of an employer to timely report the accident to the insurance carrier often leads to unnecessary additional costs to the carrier.
