Have you been injured in a truck accident? Is a family member suffering following an injury caused by a commercial vehicle? If so, make sure a knowledgeable attorney is watching out for your interests. For years, personal injury lawyer Michael Leizerman has worked tirelessly for victims of accidents involving tractor-trailers, semi-trucks and other big rigs. Attorneys nationwide consult with Michael as they prepare for trial, relying on his years of experience in truck accident litigation.
In courtrooms across the country, legal teams represent clients by leaning on lessons passed along by Michael. Through lectures, speaking engagements and a three-volume treatise entitled "AAJ's Truck Accident Litigation," Michael shares his knowledge of truck accident litigation with the legal community.
Or contact me online. All information is kept confidential. I will not accept a case in a state where I'm not ethically permitted under the circumstances.
Citing violations such as hiring drivers who hadn’t received their commercial driver’s license, and employing drivers who didn’t pass drug and alcohol tests, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently idled 26 bus operations that serviced passengers on Interstate 95 … [Read more]
Read more >A tractor trailer plowed into an SUV on Route 18 in Old Bridge, N.J., leaving one man dead and two other people seriously injured on Wednesday, April 25. According to NJ.com, the tractor trailer was traveling north on Route 18 … [Read more]
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I am honored that West Thompson—the world’s largest publisher of legal books—asked me to write this multi-volume book on truck accident law in 2004. I had already begun the project for my own reference. My book includes the federal regulations that are the same in each state for interstate tractor-trailer crashes, as well as state law that differs in areas, like whether there are monetary limits or “caps” in the lawsuit, whether you can receive punitive damages, and the varying technical requirements for filing a lawsuit.
I have handled cases across the country. I am licensed in several states, and have local counsel in many states who I trust and work with closely. Select your state to learn more:
New Jersey, with its many miles of busy interstate highways, is home to one of the worst truck accident rates in the country. Trucks on interstate freeways such as I-95, I-76, I-287 and I-80, bound for major metropolitan areas such New York City, Newark, Trenton and various East Coast urban markets, keep traffic in the Garden State congested. That traffic leads to a high rate of fatal and non-fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles. In fact, more than 6,500 truck accidents occur on New Jersey roads every year. If you've been injured, or if a family was injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial truck in New Jersey, contact an attorney with the experience to ensure that your best interests are served. Contact Michael today to discuss your potential personal injury case.
I regularly engage in continuing legal education presentations around the country, including the following events in or near New Jersey:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.
There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Trenton may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The New Jersey Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382, 383, 384, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, and 399 of the federal regulations.
For an overview of laws that affect trucks operating only in New Jersey, visit our New Jersey Trucking Laws page.
Your truck accident case may be larger than you think. My experience often enables me to maximize awards, well beyond what the co-counsel originally expected. My book Litigating Truck Accident Cases, published by West Publishing, is considered the definitive work on handling truck accident cases. Contact me if you are seeking co-counsel on your case.
Fatal Truck Accidents: 70 per year
Non-Fatal Truck Accidents: 6,576 per year
Accident Locales: 17%(Rural), 83%(Urban)
Carrier Fact: 38% of New Jersey's truck accidents involve carriers whose principle place of business is not New Jersey.
In 93% of New Jersey truck accidents, weather conditions were NOT a factor.
Interstate 95: On its route from Florida to Maine, I-95 spends 77 of its nearly 2,000 miles in the state of New Jersey where it largely follows the main route of the New Jersey Turnpike including the pike's northern continuation to the George Washington Bridge that links New Jersey with Manhattan.
Interstate 295: Running parallel with the New Jersey turnpike for most of its time in the state, I-295 provides a bypass route from a junction with I-95 in Wilmington, Delaware to another in Trenton, New Jersey.
Interstate 76: I-76 runs from Ohio to New Jersey where it enters at the Walt Whitman Bridge. I-76 ends at 1-295 (see above), but its route continues via the Atlantic City Expressway into Atlantic City.
Interstate 195: Contained entirely within the state of New Jersey, I-195 is a 34-mile auxiliary route running from Trenton to Wall Township.
Interstate 287: Serving northern New Jersey as a Beltway around Manhattan, I-287 is a horseshoe-shaped route sometimes referred to as the Middlesex Freeway.
Interstate 80: Spanning America's east-west girth from San Francisco to New York, I-80 is a behemoth that spends just 68 miles in New Jersey from the Delaware Water Gap to Teaneck.
Interstate 78: Known in New Jersey as the Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway and the Newark Bay Extension, I-78 spends 66 miles in the state spanning the gap from the Pennsylvania state line to the Holland Tunnel, which links New Jersey and Manhattan.
