Union, NJ Personal Injury Lawyers

If you were hurt on Route 22, rear-ended coming off the Parkway at Exit 140, or fell on an unshoveled walkway near Union Center, you are likely carrying a heavy burden. Between the physical pain, the time away from work, a damaged car, and an insurance adjuster pushing for a recorded statement, the days following an accident are overwhelming. This page explains how New Jersey law treats an injury claim arising in Union Township, what to do in the first two weeks, and how Birkhold & Maider handles these cases. You do not have to carry this alone. We step in to manage the legal and insurance process so you can focus on healing. The consultation is free, and you owe us nothing unless we recover for you on a qualifying contingency-fee case.

What a Union, NJ personal injury lawyer actually does for you

The job breaks into four parts, and the first one starts within days of your call:

1. Independent investigation. We do not rely on the police report alone. Our team collects witness statements, scene and vehicle photographs, traffic and dash-camera footage, and police reports. In premises cases, we demand the property owner’s maintenance and incident records. In Union, that can mean requesting footage from businesses along Morris Avenue or Stuyvesant Avenue before it is overwritten, which happens quickly.
2. Handling the insurer. You do not need to call the insurance company again; that is ours to carry now. Once you retain us, the adjuster talks to us, not you. We manage your PIP (no-fault medical) claim, the liability claim against the at-fault party, and any uninsured or underinsured motorist claim under your own policy.
3. Valuing and negotiating the claim. We build a clear picture of your damages using medical records, wage documentation, and the opinions of your treating physicians. Then, we negotiate. We explain the consequences of accepting or declining every offer, and we never pressure a client to settle.
4. Litigation when needed. If the insurance company will not offer a fair figure, we file a lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, and prepare the case for trial. This stage takes longer than most people expect, because discovery (where both sides share evidence) typically takes several months.

Partner Adam Birkhold spent part of his career as staff counsel for an insurance company, defending the same kinds of claims he now brings. That experience shapes how we anticipate an adjuster’s internal limits, what evidence a defense lawyer will target, and when a case is worth pushing to trial. Associate David Ercolano similarly handled personal injury defense and insurance coverage disputes before joining our practice.

Where injuries happen in Union Township

Union is a township of roughly 59,700 residents at the northern edge of Union County where Route 22, the Garden State Parkway, and Interstate 78 converge. Not to be confused with Union City in Hudson County, the township is bordered by Hillside, Elizabeth, Roselle Park, Kenilworth, and Springfield, with Millburn, Maplewood, and Irvington across the Essex County line. The geography drives the case types we see:

• U.S. Route 22. A divided commercial highway with center median businesses, jughandles, and short merge lanes. This road is the source of many rear-end, sideswipe, left-turn, and pedestrian cases.
• Garden State Parkway Exits 139 and 140. The interchanges with Chestnut Street, Route 22, and Route 82 (Morris Avenue) move commuter traffic through tight ramps and merges.
• Interstate 78. The interstate crosses the northern edge of the township and carries tractor-trailer traffic between Newark and points west. This is the source of many of our truck accident cases.
• Morris Avenue (Route 82) and Kean University. The university campus and the Union NJ Transit station on Green Lane put pedestrians and electric scooter riders on and across Morris Avenue throughout the day.
• Union Center and the Stuyvesant Avenue business district. Slip and fall, trip and fall, and sidewalk defect claims often arise against commercial property owners here.
• Vauxhall and the residential neighborhoods. We see dog bites, icy walkways, and daycare or school incidents in these areas.

Union County’s own Safe Streets for All analysis counted more than 92,000 crashes county-wide between 2018 and 2022. In 2022, same-direction rear-end crashes accounted for 28.5 percent of all crashes. The nearest hospitals to Union are Overlook Medical Center in Summit, Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, and University Hospital in Newark, which is a Level I trauma center. Where you were treated matters. Emergency records from these hospitals are often the first objective evidence of injury, and we request them immediately.

Personal injury cases we handle for Union residents

We manage the legal and insurance process so you can focus on healing. Here is a look at the specific types of injury cases we handle for our clients in Union.

Case type	Common Union scenarios	Learn more
Car accidents	Route 22 rear-end and left-turn crashes; Parkway ramp collisions	Car accident lawyers
Truck and delivery vehicle accidents	I-78 tractor-trailers; delivery vans and box trucks on residential streets	Truck accident lawyers and delivery truck accidents
Motorcycle accidents	Left-turn collisions on Morris and Chestnut Avenues	Motorcycle accident lawyers
Pedestrian accidents	Crossings near Kean University and the train station	Pedestrian accident lawyers
Slip, trip, and fall	Supermarkets and plazas on Route 22; sidewalks in Union Center	Slip and fall lawyers
Premises liability	Negligent security, stairway and lighting defects in apartment complexes	Premises liability lawyers
Rideshare accidents	Rideshare trips on Route 22, Morris Avenue, and the Parkway	Rideshare accident lawyers
Dog bites	Delivery workers and children bitten in residential neighborhoods	Dog bite lawyers
Workplace injuries	Warehouse, construction, and retail injuries; third-party claims alongside comp	Workers’ compensation
Wrongful death	Fatal highway crashes and workplace deaths	Wrongful death lawyers

This table outlines the primary injury claims we manage and shows where you can find more details about each one.

New Jersey rules that decide a Union injury claim

Five legal rules do most of the work in deciding whether, and how much, a Union injury claim pays. Each has a trap for people who wait.

The two-year filing deadline

Under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2, a lawsuit for personal injury must be filed within two years of the date the claim accrued, which is usually the date of the accident. If you miss this deadline, the court will dismiss your claim regardless of how strong your case is. Getting answers early protects your rights, rather than leaving you rushing against a deadline. Exceptions exist for minors and certain discovery situations, which we cover in our guide to how long you have to file a personal injury claim in New Jersey.

The 90-day notice rule for public entities

If your injury involves the Township of Union, Union County, NJ Transit, a public school, or a state road crew, the New Jersey Tort Claims Act (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8) requires a written notice of claim within 90 days of the incident. Pothole crashes on county roads, falls at municipal facilities, and collisions with public buses all fall under this rule. It is far shorter than the two-year limit and easy to miss.

Modified comparative negligence (the 51 percent bar)

New Jersey reduces your financial recovery by your percentage of fault. If a jury finds you more than 50 percent responsible, you recover nothing at all (N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1). Insurance adjusters use this rule heavily, arguing that a pedestrian was outside the crosswalk or that a driver was speeding on Route 22. Early evidence gathering is the best way to push back against inflated fault allocations. Our post on comparative negligence in New Jersey walks through the math.

The limitation on lawsuit (“verbal threshold”) option

Many New Jersey auto policies, and every basic policy, carry the limitation on lawsuit option under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8. This rule allows a pain and suffering claim only if you suffered death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury confirmed by a physician’s certification. Soft tissue injuries can qualify as permanent, but only with the right objective medical evidence, such as imaging results and a treating physician who will certify permanency. We evaluate these threshold issues at our first meeting because they determine our strategy from day one. See our explainer on New Jersey’s no-fault insurance laws.

PIP and the $15,000 minimum

Your own auto policy pays your medical bills first through Personal Injury Protection (PIP), regardless of who was at fault. The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance sets the minimum PIP limit at $15,000 per person per accident, with coverage up to $250,000 for certain catastrophic injuries such as brain or spinal cord trauma. Bills beyond your PIP limit become part of the claim against the at-fault driver.

Where a Union injury case is heard

Union Township does not have its own civil court. Personal injury lawsuits arising in Union are filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Civil Part, Union Vicinage, at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07207 (908-787-1650, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Claims over $20,000 proceed in the Law Division; claims of $20,000 or less may be filed in the Special Civil Part. Personal injury cases are generally referred to court-annexed, non-binding arbitration before a trial date is set, and many resolve before trial.

Traffic tickets issued after a crash in Union, including careless driving and failure to yield citations against the other driver, are heard at the Union Township Municipal Court, 981 Caldwell Avenue, Union, NJ 07083, which shares a building with the Union Police Department. The outcome of that ticket can matter to your civil case. A guilty plea by the other driver is useful evidence, so we monitor the municipal docket.

Workers’ compensation claims follow a separate track through the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation, not the Superior Court. Our workers’ compensation attorneys handle those alongside any third-party negligence claim against someone other than your employer.

What to do in the first two weeks after an accident in Union

1. Get a police report. Ask the responding officer for the report number and note which department will hold the report. Crashes on the Parkway and I-78 are often handled by the New Jersey State Police rather than the Union Township Police.
2. Get treated the same day. A gap between the accident and your first medical visit is the insurance adjuster’s preferred excuse to deny a claim. Go to an emergency room or urgent care, then follow up with your primary physician.
3. Photograph everything. Document vehicle damage, the roadway, the sidewalk defect, the spill, and your injuries. For a fall, photograph the hazard before it is cleaned up or repaired.
4. Report the crash to your own insurer. This opens your PIP claim. However, politely decline recorded statements to the other driver’s carrier until you have spoken with a lawyer.
5. Preserve evidence. Keep the shoes you fell in, the damaged helmet, and all receipts. Do not repair the vehicle until it has been photographed and, if the case warrants it, inspected.
6. Write down witness names. If a business camera may have captured the incident, note the business name. Footage retention is remarkably short.
7. Call a lawyer before you sign anything. Medical authorizations and early settlement releases from insurers are drafted to limit your financial recovery.

Why Union residents choose Birkhold & Maider

We are a smaller North Jersey firm, and that is deliberate. Our lawyers respond personally to calls and emails, associate Alexander Corazon gives clients his personal cell number, and the phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our attorneys bring more than 40 years of collective New Jersey experience. The practice includes Kevin Decie, a partner with over two decades of litigation experience and seven-figure settlements and verdicts in personal injury cases.

Our published case results include $2.5 million for a woman struck by a commercial van who required two spinal surgeries, $1.875 million for a driver T-boned at an intersection who underwent a cervical fusion, $600,000 for a real estate agent who fell down steps at a rental showing, and $202,500 for a client with back and spinal injuries after a rideshare accident. Every case turns on its own facts and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but they show the kinds of injuries and defendants we are equipped to take on.

We serve Spanish-speaking clients throughout Union County, with a full Spanish-language site and bilingual service from our intake team through to our paralegals and attorneys. Immigration status does not affect your ability to bring a personal injury claim, and everyone is welcome at our firm. Our office at 7 North Mountain Avenue in Montclair is a direct drive up the Garden State Parkway from Union. If you were hurt elsewhere in the county, see our pages for Elizabeth, Hillside, Springfield, Linden, and the Union County personal injury hub.

Frequently asked questions about personal injury claims in Union, NJ

How much does a personal injury lawyer in Union, NJ cost?

You pay nothing upfront. We take qualifying injury cases on a contingency fee, meaning our fee is a percentage of what we recover. If there is no recovery, you do not pay us. We explain the exact percentage at your free consultation, before you sign anything.

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Union, New Jersey?

You have two years from the date of injury for most claims under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. If a public entity such as the Township of Union, Union County, or NJ Transit is involved, you must also serve a notice of claim within 90 days under the Tort Claims Act. We recommend calling sooner rather than later, because evidence disappears long before the filing deadline arrives.

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault for the accident?

Yes, as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault. Your award is simply reduced by your share of the blame. For example, a driver found 20 percent at fault for a Route 22 collision with $100,000 in damages would recover $80,000.

What if the driver who hit me in Union had no insurance?

Your own auto policy’s uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in, and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage applies when the other driver’s limits are too low to cover your damages. Under the Department of Banking and Insurance’s policy comparison, standard New Jersey policies offer UM/UIM coverage up to your liability limits, but basic policies include none. We review your declarations page at the first meeting to identify every available source of coverage.

Do I have to go to court in Elizabeth?

Many cases resolve before trial, and much of the pretrial process, including depositions and arbitration, happens outside a courtroom. If your case does proceed to trial, it is heard at the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth. We prepare every case as if it will be tried, because demonstrating that readiness is often what produces fair settlement offers from the insurance company.

Will my PIP or health insurer be repaid from my settlement?

It depends on the type of coverage that paid your bills. PIP benefits are treated differently from health insurance and employer plan payments, and some payers can assert a lien against your financial recovery. We identify every potential lien at the consultation and negotiate them as part of the settlement process, so the figure you are quoted is the figure you actually receive.

How do I schedule a free consultation?

Call 973-319-7795 at any hour or request a consultation online. Bring the police report number, photos, your insurance declarations page, and any medical paperwork you have. If you have been searching for a personal injury lawyer in Union, NJ, that first conversation costs nothing, creates no obligation, and will tell you exactly where your claim stands under New Jersey law.