Fortunately, the US has been free of the canine rabies virus since 2007, mainly due to mandatory vaccinations and licensing standards. However, even though dogs may not contract the virus from another dog, they may still be at risk of contracting the virus from skunks, raccoons and other carriers, which is why owners are still required to vaccinate their dogs.

Although rabies may not be a major issue after a dog bite, you will still need basic first aid for the wound.  You may also need antibiotics, and your doctor may also recommend a Tetanus shot. In case of a child dog bite victim, it's best to seek immediate medical attention. This is especially true if the dog bites are located on the face, head or neck. If the dog can be traced to an owner, vaccination records will show whether it was vaccinated or not. However, in case of a dog that attacks and flees the scene with no owner nearby, and no way of tracing the owner, then your doctor may suggest a rabies vaccine.

In New Jersey, dog owners are liable for any damages caused by a dog bite involving their pet, even if their dog has never previously showed any signs of being dangerous or vicious.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey dog bite lawyer representing dog bite attack victims in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across New Jersey.

The body of Thomas Kovacs was found on route 33 last week. He lived at a residential care facility in the area. Investigators from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, who evaluated the debris at the site of the accident, were able to determine that the vehicle that struck and killed Kovacs, was a box truck. They were also able to pinpoint the kind of damage that the box truck might have sustained in the crash. The truck was found this week in a commercial parking lot in Freehold Township. The driver of the box truck, Dinesh Kumar Patel has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident.  

Last week, I expressed concern at the high rate of pedestrian accidents in New Jersey this year. So far, in the first 8 months of 2009 alone, we have lost 103 pedestrians in accidents. These numbers are higher than they were at the same time last year. New Jersey authorities have been implementing a decoy program to catch crosswalk violators red-handed. Enforcement is very important, but there also needs to be greater awareness of the rights of pedestrians.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey pedestrian accident lawyer representing victims injured in accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across New Jersey.

Jose Rodriguez was driving a passenger vehicle when he apparently lost control of the car, and crashed it into a tractor trailer that was parked on the right highway shoulder. Rodriguez's car bust into flames on impact. He suffered severe head trauma and died.

Interstate 78 and 287 saw five fatalities in 1994, in accidents involving cars crashing into trucks parked on the shoulder. Following that, rumble strips were installed to alert drivers in danger of veering off the road. The Department of Transportation has considered proposals to install rest stops on both 78 and 287, but opposition from locals has put the speed breakers on these plans. Monmouth County truck accident lawyers see such accidents less frequently than other kinds of accidents. But these are still a significant factor in crashes, which is why we should be more concerned about them.

            As a dog bite attorney lawyer covering Freehold, Manalapan, Marlboro, Howell, Jackson, Paterson and all of central and northern New Jersey and know how physically painful and emotionally traumatizing a dog bite can be. The article cited above provides a lot of good information on how to handle dog bite attacks and how to care for the injury afterwards. Some important statistics cited are “In the US alone, nearly 5 million people are attacked by dogs per year, and 1,000 people go to emergency rooms per day as a result of a dog attack; many of them are children, and about half of them have been bitten in the face.” Dog attacks are a serious problem throughout the country and New Jersey is no different. I suggest reading the article several times so you can be well informed on what to do if a situation arises. I hope this information can be useful to your family and friends in helping to prevent dog bite attacks.

 As a Monmouth County and New Jersey car accident attorney I have represented hundreds of victims that suffered critical injuries because of alcohol related car accidents.  This news story above highlights a all too common scenario whereby alcohol appears to have impaired this driver’s sense of judgment. The alleged intoxicated driver may have destroyed the lives of these innocent grocery shoppers who never would have imagined that they would fall victim to a drunk driver while going through their normal every day routine of pushing their grocery carts at their local supermarket.  Drinking and driving frequently leads to victim's extreme suffering.  I have witnessed first hand clients that have suffered at the hands of drunk drivers’ : traumatic brain injury, loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries including paralysis fractures, herniated disc injuries leading to spinal fusion or inter-body fusion surgery and a myriad of other life altering injuries and even death.  So as a seasoned New Jersey and Monmouth County accident attorney lawyer I can attest unequivocally that alcohol mixed with driving of motor vehicles, motorcycles or trucks many times equates with the total destruction of innocent life and also destroys both individuals and their families.  We can significantly reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities in New Jersey by never ever driving while intoxicated or in any way impaired.  

According to the Federal Highway Authority about 2,500 New Jersey motorcyclists are involved in crashes each year. In 2006, in NJ there were 89 deaths which have more than doubled the 40 motorcycle deaths in 1991. As reported in a recent Glouster County Times article, Rowan University partnered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and Virginia Tech to promulgate a study gathering data about motorcyclist habits that may help to reduce the incidence of motorcycle related fatalities and injuries.   Dr. Yusuf Mehta, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rowan said”Motorcyclists are vulnerable highway users, and we have been watching the number of motorcycle fatalities in our state increase. The goal is to understand the root cause of increasing motorcycle fatalities." Dr. Mehta said his students will look at police reports of motorcycle crashes and investigate several factors such as pavement conditions, street lighting, and visibility. The study will continue through June 2009 and is funded through a $199,000 grant from the State Department of Transportation.

Furthermore, motorcyclists need to become more aware of highway dangers and avoid making poor decisions. An example of a poor decision would be when there is heavy traffic on the roads so a motorcyclist decides they don’t want to wait in traffic so they drive in between lanes. Let’s say one of the cars decided to make a turn, that would put the motorcyclist in danger and at high speeds could result in a serious injury or even death. Motorcyclists do many things to cause their own danger. Other examples are speeding, making sharp turns, and driving too close to cars. Let’s make a better effort to become more aware of dangers and to make better choices.

While motorists make many mistakes on the road nothing is more deadly then a motorcyclist making a mistake. When driving a motorcycle you need to take extra precautions like driving the speed limit and always being aware of your surroundings.

Motorcycle fatalities have gone down statistically but what can we do to further reduce these incidents of serious motorcycle accidents in New Jersey? One idea is to further educate the public. May is now being recognized as the New Jersey Motorcycle Awareness Month in an effort to remind all motorcyclists and motorists to be responsible when sharing the road. Hopefully education will provide awareness of dangers on the road and what precautions drivers can take. Together we can lower the fatality numbers and make the road a safer place.