RV Accident Attorneys Seeking Compensation in NJ
Our RV Injury Lawyers will Help You Determine Liability, File Your Claim, and Fight for Your Rights After a Recreational Vehicle Accident in Monmouth County, NJ
The freedom of the open road calls to many. Loading up a recreational vehicle, or RV, and being able to drive your home around the country is a beautiful vacation. For some, it’s even everyday life. However, there can be significant dangers when driving an RV. RV accidents are not as common as other motor vehicle accidents, but they can have more severe consequences because of the size of the RV involved. Before you settle in behind the wheel of an RV before your next road trip, learn more about the dangers of RVs and what to do if you are involved in an RV accident.
If you have already been involved in an accident involving a motorhome or recreational vehicle in New Jersey and have questions about your case, Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh can help. Schedule a consultation today to discuss the circumstances of your RV crash and what your legal options may be in Eatontown, Freehold, Lavallette, Red Bank, Belmar, Middletown, Wall, Colts Neck, and throughout the Southern New Jersey area. Feel free to reach out to us today at (732) 440-3950 for a complimentary initial consultation. Alternatively, you can complete our online contact form to get in touch.
Benefits of RVs for NJ Road Trips
RVs have a lot of benefits. They are highly convenient on road trips, allowing you to stay almost anywhere. There’s no need to look for a hotel because your bed is traveling with you. If you get hungry on a long stretch of highway with no stores or restaurants, you can pull over and make a snack or a full meal in your RV. You can bring more clothes, toys, or other items than if you were traveling in a smaller vehicle or flying.
RVs can save also money on a vacation. While you’ll need to pay for fuel and sometimes an RV site in a campground, you’ll save money on hotels. Buying and preparing your own food is cheaper than fast food. If bad weather or traffic slows you down, you can stop early without worrying about a nonrefundable hotel reservation. There’s more room for everyone to be comfortable during long drives.
Exploring the World of Recreational Vehicles: A Guide to Class A, B, and C
There are three categories of RVs. The first is Class A, which are large RVs. They look very similar to buses, with a flat front and long length. They are built on commercial bus and truck chassis. These have the most storage space and slide-outs, and, depending on their exact size and layout, can sleep up to 10 people. They also have a high towing capacity, so their users can tow boats, cargo trailers, vehicles, or other “toys.”
The second category is Class B RVs, which are the smallest RVs. These ones are more nimble and fuel-efficient than other RVs and have the smallest amount of living space. They don’t have slideouts and can even be used as a daily-driving vehicle in some cases. While they do not have all the luxuries a Class A RV might come with, they do still offer plenty of amenities that make the RV feel like a home away from home.
The third category is Class C, which, despite being third, is medium-sized. Shorter in length and height than a Class A but with more living space than a Class B, Class C RVs offer slideouts and raised sleeping or storage areas that extend over the cab.
Across all three categories, the most popular or common types of RVs are truck campers, fifth-wheel trailers, park trailers, van campers (converted vans), travel trailers, motor homes, and folding and pop-up camping trailers.
Hazards of Camper Travel and Safety Precautions
The five most common reasons for RV accidents are driver fatigue, strong winds, overweight RVs, blind spots, and driver error. RVs are large and sometimes unwieldy. There are also few requirements for having a specific driver’s license or any specific training to drive one. The combination of a large, sometimes very heavy, vehicle and a potentially inexperienced driver can be deadly. Add in other drivers on the road and their unpredictability and poor weather conditions, such as wet roads or high winds, and it becomes easy to see all the ways that an RV can end up in an accident.
Moreover, failure to yield miscalculated or unsafe turns, driver fatigue, drunk driving, speeding, inability to see other motorists, unlawful or hazardous passing, distracted driving, and overloaded or overweight RVs are just a few ways an RV can lead to accidents. Mechanical failures, poor maintenance, towing hitch failures, and defective RVs, RV parts, or roadways can also cause accidents.
The Impact of Motorhome Accidents on Occupant Safety
RV accidents can be serious. Unlike cars, trucks, and SUVs, even a minor RV accident can cause severe injuries. Class A RVs do not offer the same protections that other RVs do, and none of them are likely to be as safe as a car or truck simply because of how they are designed. Class B RVs may offer airbags for the driver and front passenger and typically provide seatbelts for other passengers as well. Class A RVs are less safe when traveling with small children, as the side-facing seating in the rear is not compatible with car seats.
Because of the lack of safety features, an RV accident can cause significant injuries. Some of the most common injuries resulting from RV accidents include whiplash, back injuries, lacerations, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and other head injuries, broken bones, spinal cord damage or paralysis, and wrongful death. The size of an RV makes it more dangerous for other vehicles involved in the accident. For example, if an RV is involved in an accident with a small car, the car’s occupants are more likely to experience more severe injuries than they might have if they had been in an accident with another small car.
Managing the Aftermath of an RV Collision
Accidents with RVs are not that different from other motor vehicle accidents in regards to what you should do afterward. There are steps that should be taken in the immediate aftermath and other steps that can be taken later.
Immediately After the Accident
After the accident, the first thing to do is to check on all passengers and ensure everyone is okay. If anyone is injured or unable to exit the RV, call 911. This is important, as gasoline, propane, generators, or batteries on board the RV could start a fire. If anyone is injured, do not try to move them unless there is fire, smoke, a fuel leak, or other immediate danger. If there are no injuries, you should still call the police to report the accident and receive assistance with either getting the RV back on the road or having it towed, as the size of the RV will likely require a specialized tow truck that is larger than a typical truck.
Check on others involved in the accident and render assistance where possible and needed. If the vehicles are drivable, move them out of the road. If the RV is towing a trailer, do not attempt to move it unless you can confirm that there is no damage that would cause the trailer to break free of the RV.
Wait for the authorities to arrive at a safe distance from the RV, particularly if you have propane or other fuel on board. Turn on hazard lights or set out warning triangles or flares to alert other motorists of the accident.
As with any accident, exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver. Collect witness contact information and any statements they can make about what they saw. Write down as many details as you can about the accident and how it happened. Take photos of all the vehicles involved from all sides so that the damage is viewed in context. To accompany the photos, you can also draw diagrams of how the accident happened and indicate damage to the vehicles.
What to Do Later
If you did not contact your insurance agent or insurance company at the scene, contact them as soon as possible after the accident occurs. Follow their instructions for the claims process as it may vary from the claims process for your usual motor vehicle. If you rented the RV, you may need to contact the rental company to find out what to do if your personal auto insurance policy does not cover the RV rental.
Take the RV to a mechanic for a thorough inspection. This is essential, as not all damage is visible. Driving an RV with unrepaired damage puts you at an even higher risk of another accident.
Make sure that you receive medical treatment for any injuries. Even if you do not think you are injured, you should still see a doctor for a thorough exam. Some injuries, such as whiplash, may not have symptoms until a day or two after the accident, so it is vital to be examined and ensure any injuries are documented so you can be compensated for them.
Recovering Damages After an RV Crash in New Jersey
When you are injured in an RV accident, like when you are injured in a car accident, you can be compensated for your injuries if another party is liable for your injuries. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you can be compensated for your medical bills and future medical costs, lost wages, lost or reduced earning capacity, future wages, other out-of-pocket costs, and pain and suffering.
If the injuries in an RV accident are severe enough, recovering can take a long time. It is important that you do not settle your claim too quickly. An experienced RV accident attorney at Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh can assist you with determining how much compensation you may be entitled to, negotiating the settlement, and going to trial if necessary.
Additionally, multiple parties may be liable for the accident. For example, if a vehicle cuts you off and you rear-end it, the driver of the vehicle may be responsible. But if your brakes fail simultaneously, you may have a claim against the RV manufacturer and the driver of the other car. Working with motorhome injury lawyer at our office can help you determine who is liable for your injuries so you can demand the compensation you are entitled to from all the appropriate parties.
Methods for Establishing Liability in New Jersey Recreational Vehicle Crashes
Proving liability in an RV accident is no different than proving liability in a car accident. There are numerous ways to prove liability, starting with the facts in the police report. A police report can often indicate fault and cite specific traffic laws that may have been violated by the at-fault party. Photos of the vehicles and the accident scene can also assist in proving liability.
Documents such as medical records, vehicle repair records, towing reports, and bills from mechanics and doctors can all be used as evidence of the severity of your injuries and vehicle damage, which may help prove liability. Witness statements can be very helpful in proving liability. The type of crash may also indicate fault. For example, a vehicle turning left is often found to be at fault, as is a vehicle that rear-ends the car in front of it.
All of these types of evidence can be crucial to your case, particularly if more than one party is liable. It is vital that you keep all records from the accident and provide them to your RV accident attorney so they can help you get the compensation you deserve from the party or parties responsible.
Contact our Red Bank RV Accident Lawyers for Help
RV accidents can leave you physically and financially reeling, particularly due to the size of the vehicle and the lack of safety features that are found in most automobiles, such as seat belts and airbags. Our skilled New Jersey recreational vehicle accident lawyers at Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh can assist you in determining who is liable for the accident, filing a claim, negotiating a settlement, and ensuring that you do not settle for less than maximum compensation. If you have been injured in an RV accident in Holmdel, Atlantic Highlands, Neptune, Hazlet, Asbury Park, or another community in Monmouth County or Ocean County, New Jersey, call (732) 440-3950 to schedule a consultation and learn more about your legal rights and options.