New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog : New Jersey Injury Lawyer & Attorney : The Grossman Law Firm : Serving Monmouth County, Bergen County

 Across the state, there has been a welcome side effect of high gas prices – fewer cars on the roads, and consequently fewer accident fatalities on New Jersey streets.  In fact, as a report by State Police confirms, NJ is well on its way to seeing the steepest drop in auto accident fatalities in two decades.

The drop in New Jersey accident deaths has been far-reaching, covering nearly all counties. Monmouth County, which had 55 accident fatalities last year, has seen that number drop to 42 so far this year. Middlesex County has had 44 people killed in accidents this year, compared to 54 last year. But it's in Ocean County that the drop has been the most dramatic. The County had a total of 35 accident deaths this year, compared to 74 in 2007.   Overall, there were 547 traffic accident deaths in the state, as of December 5^th this year, a fall of 19 percent from 2007.  

There's no doubt that the decline in the number of miles traveled in New Jersey over the spring and summer, have contributed to this decline in accidents, as well as deaths. According to statistics, motorists drove around 1.18 billion fewer miles this year, compared to the same period in 2007. As the economy has slowed down, and gas prices have continued to play party pooper with traveling plans, there have been fewer vehicles jostling for space on our streets, and fewer accidents being reported. These findings are not exclusive to New Jersey; across the country, people are putting travel plans on hold, and cutting down on miles driven in an effort to save on gas, and the effects are showing loud and clear in the form of less congested streets.

There is also a lot to be said for New Jersey's enforcement of traffic safety and awareness programs that have also contributed to the reduction in accident rates. The State Police in conjunction with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety has worked to crack down on aggressive driving and violations in accident-prone areas. The State police in particular, have enforced a targeted action program in collaboration with Rutgers University that allows officers to analyze accident data, and work with university engineers to devise methods that work to curb crash rates on high-risk roads. A section of the Garden State Parkway, that was prone to multiple accidents earlier, has seen its speed limit reduced, resulting in a fall in accident rates. However, even with the statewide drop – which is largely gas price-related – police officers say they are concerned about keeping crash rates low, especially as the busy holiday season approaches.

As a Monmouth County accident lawyer, I am only too painfully aware that even with the most well intentioned safety programs, there will always be a few motorists who slip through the cracks, causing serious accidents that result in severe injuries and deaths. 

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Yet another pit-bull attack in New Jersey resulting in serious wounds.  The Star Ledger recently reported that a 41 year-old woman from Union City was in her son’s apartment when her son’s two pit bulls attacked each other.  The woman and her son attempted to break up the fight when one of the pit bulls attacked them. The son received a minor bite on his hand and did not want to receive any medical attention. However, the woman had several puncture wounds on her right arm and was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center.

As a New Jersey dog bite lawyer, I can say that many of my clients have been attacked by pit-bulls or mixed breeds that likely had some pit bull in them.  However, the attacks also occur from a multitude of breeds and mixed breeds. The leading studies also reinforce this data. 

It has been my experience that the more severe dog bite victims often endure severe puncture wounds, bone crushing or bone piercing injuries of the face, arms, head, legs or other body parts.  Unfortunately, often times it is not just the physical scarring that will endure but the emotional scarring that may have an even more detrimental permanent effect on the victim.    This may occur when the victim of a severe and brutal dog bite attack suffers emotional trauma in the form of post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. 

The victims of severe dog bite attacks experiencing PTSD may lose the ability to cope with normal everyday situations.  For example; the victim may avoid many social situations for fear that a dog could be around.  Even a small non threatening dog could produce a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety to someone suffering from PTSD as a result of a dog attack.    This can be extremely debilitating and life altering.  The most severely affected dog bite victims will actually lose their freedom to just go for a simple walk around their neighborhood for fear of experiencing the horror once again. They relive the attack in their minds and something that may have lasted only a few seconds will seem like the longest moments of their lives. These victims endure their own “Vietnam War”. The PTSD can produce severe changes in the victim’s personality that may destroy their relationships and can even lead to the total breakdown of the family unit. 

After a severe dog bite attack if the victim begins to experience any of the above symptoms, receiving a proper diagnosis by a competent mental health professional is extremely important.  While ongoing long term psychotherapy may work well for some individuals, for others it is just too stressful and anxiety producing to re-enter the darkest and scariest moments of his or her life.       

Keep an eye out for future posts on this blog where I plan on revealing the problems with the laws in the state of New Jersey as they relate to the procedures that are to be taken by the authorities after a dog bite attack. My opinions are based on my experiences in representing victims of dog bite attacks in places like Paterson and Freehold as well as counties such as Bergen, Monmouth, Middlesex, Passaic and Ocean Counties.   

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