Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer in Trenton

More Than 30 Years of Combined Legal Experience for Your Claim

Drunk driving accident claims require careful coordination of evidence from the crash and the related criminal case. At Vindigni & Zeka Law Group, we build civil injury claims for people in Trenton, New Jersey, by examining the evidence needed to establish fault and document the full effect of the collision.

Anthony J. Vindigni, Esq. and Sami Zeka, Esq. lead our firm. Sami Zeka has represented hundreds of clients in complex personal injury cases. We tailor each claim to the client’s injuries, available insurance, and the facts surrounding the impaired driver’s conduct.

Call (609) 623-3323 for a free consultation about your Trenton drunk driving accident claim and the civil options that may be available.

Evidence in a Trenton Drunk Driving Accident Claim

A drunk driving crash can produce two distinct proceedings: a criminal case addressing the driver’s conduct and a civil claim seeking compensation for the injured person. We obtain the police report and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results and review relevant criminal case records. A civil lawsuit arising from a Trenton collision is generally filed in New Jersey Superior Court under the vicinage serving the city.

Under New Jersey’s driving while intoxicated statute, a driver with a BAC of 0.08% or higher violates the law. That violation can establish negligence per se, a legal rule that treats the violation of a safety law as proof of negligence when the law was designed to prevent the type of harm that occurred. The surrounding evidence remains important in connecting the impaired conduct to the collision and resulting injuries.

Our investigation can also include preserving available surveillance or dashcam footage and collecting witness statements. Because recordings can be overwritten and memories can fade, promptly identifying these sources can be important to building the evidentiary record.

Liability for Alcohol Providers & Social Hosts

Responsibility may extend beyond the impaired driver when another party improperly provided alcohol. New Jersey dram shop liability can apply to a bar or restaurant that served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who later caused a crash. It can also apply when an establishment served alcohol to a minor who subsequently caused the collision.

Social host liability concerns alcohol served in a private setting. A host may face civil responsibility for serving a visibly intoxicated person or a minor who then causes a crash. To assess potential third-party liability, we may review:

• Witness accounts
• Receipts
• Available video
• The timeline of alcohol service
• Other available evidence

How New Jersey Insurance Rules Affect Compensation

New Jersey uses a no-fault automobile insurance system. Injured drivers generally turn first to their own Personal Injury Protection coverage for medical expenses and lost wages, subject to the policy’s terms and limits. A separate civil claim against the impaired driver may address additional losses and questions of liability.

A person subject to New Jersey’s verbal injury threshold generally must establish one of the following qualifying conditions to pursue noneconomic damages directly from an at-fault driver:

• Permanent injury
• Significant disfigurement or scarring
• Dismemberment
• A displaced fracture
• Loss of a fetus
• Death

Medical records and appropriate clinical documentation are central to evaluating how the threshold applies.

Compensation considered in a drunk driving injury claim can include:

• Economic damages: Medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, vehicle repairs, and ongoing care costs.
• Noneconomic damages: Pain and suffering, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Punitive damages: Additional damages that New Jersey law may permit when conduct demonstrates a wanton and willful disregard for safety.
• Wrongful death damages: Damages potentially available to eligible family members when a drunk driving crash causes death.

New Jersey follows modified comparative negligence. An injured person can recover damages when their share of fault doesn’t exceed 50%, although any award may be reduced by that percentage. We review the liability evidence rather than assuming intoxication resolves every disputed issue.

How We Investigate the Crash & Advance Your Claim

Once retained, we evaluate medical documentation and the evidence bearing on liability. We then pursue negotiations based on the documented injuries, losses, and available coverage. If a fair resolution isn’t reached and court action is appropriate, we’re prepared to litigate while keeping the client informed as developments occur.

Deadlines can affect the ability to bring a claim. New Jersey injury lawsuits arising from car accidents generally must be filed within two years of the accident date, while motor vehicle property damage claims generally have a six-year filing period. Exceptions can change how a deadline applies, making an individual assessment important.

For an injured minor, the two-year filing period generally begins at age 18 and runs until the minor’s 20th birthday. Claims against a New Jersey government entity commonly require a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the accident. These shorter notice rules make prompt review especially important when a government vehicle, employee, or entity may be involved.

Discuss Your Trenton Drunk Driving Injury Claim

We offer a free initial consultation with no obligation, so you can discuss the crash and your potential options before deciding how to proceed. Our contact form provides a secure way to share information about what happened.

We handle injury representation on a contingency fee basis. You owe us nothing unless we secure a recovery for you.

Call (609) 623-3323 to speak with us about your drunk driving accident claim in Trenton.