New Jersey Transit Accident Attorneys

NJ Transit is the nation's largest statewide public transit system, linking all the major cities in New Jersey with New York and Philadelphia. NJ Transit tries to make safety a priority, but any transit authority that drives almost 2,000 buses over 78 million miles annually is likely going to have many accidents every year. Unfortunately, some of these are catastrophic-even fatal. At The Beasley Firm, we handle all types of lawsuits against New Jersey Transit, with a focus on pedestrian accidents and bus collisions. Since 1958, The Beasley Firm has fought to ensure that people injured by transit authority employees' negligence receive full and fair compensation. We have obtained over $2 billion in settlements and jury verdicts for our clients-including millions from transit authorities such as SEPTA and New Jersey Transit. Attorney Scott Bennett heads The Beasley Firm’s vehicle negligence practice, and has over 40 years of experience in prosecuting complex lawsuits involving catastrophic injuries and death due to vehicular negligence. We're here to fight your battle.

Ready to discuss your case with our award-winning Pennsylvania and NJ transit accident lawyers? Call (215) 866-2424 today.

The Challenge of Preventing Pedestrian Accidents in the City

There are no annual statistics on pedestrian collisions in New Jersey, but federal agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOT) do monitor trends. Nationwide, pedestrian-related fatalities are going down, but in the state of New Jersey, pedestrian collisions are on the rise. Between 160 and 190 pedestrians are killed every year in New Jersey traffic crashes. Traffic safety researchers have proposed a number of theories for the increase, but the most likely explanation is also the most simple: More than 70% of all pedestrian collisions occur in urban areas, and New Jersey has both the highest population density in the nation and is urbanizing faster than any other state of the country. In 2009, the New Jersey DOT launched the "Complete Streets" policy to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety. Since then, over 30 municipalities have adopted their own Complete Streets policies, but most of the state's largest cities and counties have not. This means that millions of New Jersey citizens commute in areas that are unsafe for pedestrians-and where almost 2,000 NJ Transit buses run nearly all day and night.

What Causes Transit & Bus Accidents?

Bus safety starts with the bus driver and the maintenance of the bus. In many pedestrian striking accidents, the bus driver was driving too quickly, wasn't paying attention, or failed to yield right of way. Our public transit lawyers have decades of experience litigating-and winning-transit authority cases. We know how to ensure:

• Critical evidence isn't lost
• Any prior safety issues in the driver's history are brought forward
• No stone is left unturned in a thorough investigation
• The transit authority bears responsibility for the accident, even where the pedestrian may have been crossing outside of the prescribed area

Bus vs. Car Collisions

When a bus gets into an accident, the consequences are usually much more severe for the persons in the car or motorcycle. A typical American car weighs about two tons, while a city bus weighs over 10 tons. Additionally, most buses have heavily reinforced steel frames, so they don't absorb much of the impact in an accident. Instead, they transfer the full force of the impact to the car they hit. Because of this, when a bus hits a car, the result is not like two billiard balls hitting each other and ricocheting - it's more like a bowling ball hitting a billiard ball and sending it flying. We have seen numerous cases in which a bus, much like a tractor-trailer, was able to total a car and cause serious injuries in an impact at below 35 miles per hour.

We Fight Your Battles & We're Here to Win.

In some cases, while the bus driver couldn't have completely avoided the accident, the bus was speeding, and so struck the passenger vehicle with a much greater force than it should have. In other cases, severe negligence could have resulted in an avoidable accident, causing injuries, damages, or even tragic death to innocent commuters. Our team understands these types of cases, and we're here to win.

If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in an NJ Transit accident, call The Beasley Firm at (215) 866-2424.