In order to get a driver’s license in New Jersey, you have to prove that you know how to follow posted traffic signs and painted traffic roads and also that you can follow all the traffic rules that don’t have visible guidelines on public streets. More specifically, you need to show that you know who has the right-of-way in different situations and that you’ll yield at the right times in order to avoid causing a preventable auto accident.
Unfortunately, not everyone who drives in the Garden State follows or even knows those particular rules as well as they should, and that sometimes leads to wrecks with devastating repercussions. If you’re dealing with the aftermath of a failure to yield car accident in Eatontown that you weren’t responsible for, a seasoned auto accident lawyer can help make sure the person who was responsible for the crash also pays for your crash-related losses.
What Are the Right-of-Way Rules?
Under New Jersey law, the following vehicles and people always have the right of way under the following circumstances:
- Emergency vehicles—including ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks—with their lights and sirens on
- Buses and postal service trucks when they’re moving away from a stop and back into the flow of traffic
- Pedestrians—including and especially ones with mobility aids like wheelchairs or guide dogs—who are in a crosswalk or otherwise in the middle of crossing a road
- Any vehicle that entered an intersection before you did
Generally speaking, drivers entering roads from side streets, driveways, or alleys are also expected to yield to traffic already in the road, just like people entering traffic circles are expected to yield to cars already in the circle. If multiple cars arrive at an intersection at exactly the same time, each driver is expected to yield to the driver on their right. Anyone who violates any of these right of way rules and causes a car crash in Eatontown as a result can usually be considered legally negligent and made to pay for crash-related losses.
How Comparative Fault Can Affect a Car Crash Claim
Even if you can prove someone else didn’t yield properly just before they crashed into you, that doesn’t necessarily mean a court—let alone an insurance company—will agree that the other person is the only one at fault for the crash. It’s not uncommon for people involved in failure to yield auto accidents in Eatontown to be found partially at fault for their injuries because of their own negligent behavior.
In a situation like this, New Jersey law would allow a court to reduce the total amount of money available to you based on your assigned percentage of comparative fault. If you’re 50 percent or more to blame for the accident as a whole, you can’t recover any compensation at all. This is just one of many legal obstacles a practiced lawyer can help you navigate around during the legal process.
Talk to an Eatontown Attorney About Your Failure to Yield Car Accident Case
Knowing that someone else caused you to get hurt in a wreck because they ignored a yield sign or disobeyed the right-of-way rules in some other way can be a uniquely frustrating experience. It can also be a deceptively hard one to build a strong civil claim around, especially if this is your first time filing an injury lawsuit.
A respected lawyer can make sure your case is as strong as possible and help tip the odds of a positive case result back in your favor. Call today to discuss your options following a failure to yield car accident in Eatontown.
