A who-to-call-and-when checklist for the hours, weeks and months after a crash in New Jersey. It is built from New Jersey statutes, the state's own crash report manual and insurance guide, and intake data from 584 injury calls to a New Jersey injury firm.
911. Ask for police and EMS. New Jersey law requires the driver to notify police by the quickest means after any crash with an injury.
The police department, again. Get the case number and the officer's name, then order the NJTR-1 crash report.
Your own auto insurer. Open the PIP claim. New Jersey is no-fault for medical bills, so your own policy pays first.
Your doctor or urgent care. Give them the PIP claim number so they bill the auto insurer.
Your employer. Report time off in writing. Lost wages may be claimable.
The other driver's insurer. Facts only: who you are, where the car is. No recorded injury statement on day one.
NJ 211. For rent, food, transport and mental health help. Not legal help.
The deadline calls. A lawyer well before 2 years, a public entity within 90 days, the state's Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund within 180 days if nobody has insurance.
9%of injured callers in our data called within 7 days of the crash 156days: the median wait from crash to first call 18%called after New Jersey's 2-year deadline had already passed 28%had contact details for a witness
That is normal. In 36 posts we coded from one car-accident survivors' support group (about 4,600 members, mostly in the US, people who chose to post, so not a random sample of crash victims), 34 described emotional fallout: flashbacks, driving anxiety, guilt, exhaustion. Pick the single most urgent problem below, make that one call, and hand the rest to a helper.
Call: your auto insurer's PIP claims line (or your health plan, if you chose health insurance as primary).
"My name is ___, PIP claim number ___. My provider ___ says bills from ___ are unpaid. Have you received them? Has anything been denied? Please send me any denial, and any IME report it relies on, in writing to ___."
Call: your insurance agent or insurer's customer line.
"Please email me my current declarations page for policy ___. While I am on the line: is this a Standard or Basic policy? What are my PIP medical limit and deductible? Is my health insurance primary? What is my UM/UIM limit? Which lawsuit option do I have?"
If the insurer will not help, the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance consumer hotline is 1-800-446-7467.
Call: NJ 211. Dial 2-1-1 or text your ZIP code to 898-211.
"I was hurt in a car crash on ___ and I can't work (or drive) right now. I live in ___ County. I need help with ___ (rent / food / rides to medical appointments / childcare). What programs can I apply for this week?"
Call: an injury lawyer today. A public vehicle or road (90 days from the crash) or no insurance anywhere (180-day Fund notice) cannot wait.
"My crash was on ___. A ___ (town / county / state / NJ Transit) vehicle or road may be involved, or nobody had insurance. Day 90 is ___. Can you file the notice before then, and will you confirm in writing that you have?"
Give this to a family member or friend you trust:
Collect in one folder: the police case number, the NJTR-1 when it arrives, both insurers' claim numbers, every bill and letter.
Make the calls above you cannot face, with you on speaker. Insurers may ask you to confirm on the line that the helper can speak for you.
Keep a call log: date, who, what they said, what they promised and by when.
Put the 90-day, 180-day and 2-year dates in your calendar using the deadlines table.
Arrange rides to treatment and sit in on appointments to take notes.
Call NJ 211 about food, rent or childcare if money is slipping.
Check in daily. If you talk about not wanting to be here, they call or text 988 with you.
Because the calls that feel optional in week one are the ones that decide the case in month six. In intake data known to the publisher (584 car and injury intake records sent to a New Jersey injury firm, 2023 to 2026), only 9% of callers reached out within 7 days of their crash and 25% within 30 days. The median was 156 days. Almost one caller in five (18%) called after the two-year limit for suing had already run out.
When the firm turned a caller down, the reason it gave most often was not "weak case". It was "too late". Of 28 coded turn-down reasons in the firm's replies, 15 were the statute of limitations, ahead of "already has a lawyer" (5), "no insurance" (4) and "caller at fault" (4).
Time from crash to first call, 547 injury callers with a known crash date, 2023 to 2026. Source: anonymised intake aggregates known to the publisher. Bars are to scale.
Speed also decides evidence. In the same data, police came to the scene in 89% of crashes, but only 28% of callers had a witness's contact details. People assume the police "have everything". Often the report has a narrative and a diagram but no independent witness, and by month five nobody remembers the person who stopped to help. Separately, 36% did not know whether the other driver was insured, and 42% did not know whether their own policy had uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Both questions can be answered in one phone call in week one.
Use this as the master checklist. The rows in orange are the ones with a hard legal deadline.
First hour: Call or do 911 for police and EMS. Photos of all cars, plates, the road and your injuries. Names and numbers of anyone who stopped.; Why it cannot wait N.J.S.A. 39:4-130 requires notice to police by the quickest means after a crash with injury or property damage over $500. Witnesses leave within minutes.
First day: Call or do Medical check, even if you feel "fine". Call your own insurer and open the PIP claim. Write down the police case number and officer.; Why it cannot wait Your PIP claim number is what your doctors bill. A gap between crash and first treatment is the first thing an adjuster points to.
First week: Call or do Order the NJTR-1. Check its insurance boxes. Tell your employer in writing. Ask your insurer what UM limit and lawsuit option you have.; Why it cannot wait An asterisk in the other driver's insurance box can mean the officer could not identify an insurer or suspected none. You want to know now, not in month six.
First 30 days: Call or do Keep every bill and missed-work date. Decide whether to speak with a lawyer. Call NJ 211 if rent, food, childcare or transport is slipping.; Why it cannot wait Only 25% of callers in our data had made their first call to the firm by day 30. Money stress is what pushes people into a fast, low settlement.
90 days: Call or do If a town, county, state agency, NJ Transit, a school board or a public employee may be at fault, file a Notice of Claim.; Why it cannot wait N.J.S.A. 59:8-8: claim must be presented within 90 days, or you are "forever barred" unless a judge allows late notice within one year (N.J.S.A. 59:8-9).
180 days: Call or do If you have no auto policy and the at-fault driver had none, or it was a hit-and-run: notice to the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund.; Why it cannot wait N.J.S.A. 39:6-65 makes notice within 180 days of the accident a condition of getting paid from the Fund, with narrow exceptions.
2 years: Call or do The injury lawsuit must be filed in court (not just "a claim opened").; Why it cannot wait N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2: personal injury actions must be commenced within two years. It is the most common reason callers in our data were turned away.
To work out your own dates, a free NJ crash claim deadline calculator takes the crash date and shows each cutoff.
01At the scene
Call 911 and ask for both police and EMS
Do not let the other driver talk you into "just swapping numbers". New Jersey's crash reporting statute, N.J.S.A. 39:4-130, requires the driver in a crash with an injury, a death, or property damage over $500 to notify the local police, county police or State Police "by the quickest means of communication". If the driver cannot, a capable passenger must.
Say where you are (road, direction, nearest exit or cross street), how many people are hurt, and whether anyone is trapped.
Accept the EMS check. Adrenaline hides neck, back and head injuries for hours. If you refuse transport, write down the time and see a doctor the same day.
Before anyone leaves: photograph the other car's plate, the driver's licence and insurance card, and get the name and number of every witness. Ask the witness to text you a single word so the number is saved in both phones.
For a minute-by-minute version of the first day, see this walkthrough of what to do in the first 24 hours after a New Jersey crash.
02Same day to first week
Call the police department back and get the NJTR-1 crash report
The NJTR-1 is New Jersey's standard police crash report. Before you leave the scene, ask the officer for three things: the case or report number, the officer's name and badge number, and which department wrote it (a local department, county police, or the New Jersey State Police). Then order the report once it is filed. This town-and-road lookup of which police agency holds your NJ crash report shows who to ask.
When you have it, check these boxes. They come from the state's own NJTR-1 crash report manual, which tells officers how to fill in the form:
Boxes 24 and 54 (Policy Number) and Boxes 25 and 55 (Insurance Code): the insurance details for each vehicle. The manual tells officers to put an asterisk (*) in the insurance code box when the insurer cannot be determined or the vehicle is suspected to be uninsured, and explain it in the narrative. An asterisk is your early warning that you may need UM coverage or the Fund.
Box 145 (Crash Description/Narrative): the manual says officers should summarise the accounts of all drivers, pedestrians and witnesses and document each witness's name, address and phone number. If a witness spoke to the officer but is not in Box 145, call the department and ask whether a supplemental report (NJTR-1A) exists.
This matters because police coverage is high but witness capture is low. In our data, 89% of crashes had police at the scene and only 28% of callers had a witness's details. The report is often the only place that witness is written down.
03First 24 hours
Call your own insurer and open the PIP claim
New Jersey is a no-fault state for medical bills. Under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4, a standard New Jersey auto policy must include personal injury protection (PIP) that pays medical expenses "without regard to negligence, liability or fault". So your own insurer pays your treatment first, whoever caused the crash. PIP also covers members of your household, and it can cover you as a pedestrian hit by a car.
On the first call, get a claim number and ask for your current declarations page by email. That one page answers the questions that decide almost everything that follows: your PIP medical limit and deductible, whether your health plan is primary, your UM/UIM limit and your lawsuit option. Use the declarations page decoder below to read it. For how your own UM coverage steps in when the other driver has none, see this explainer on uninsured motorist claims in NJ.
04First 24 to 72 hours
Call a doctor, and give every provider your PIP claim number
Tell the front desk it is a car crash and give them the auto claim number and insurer, so the bills go to PIP and not to your health plan by mistake (unless your health plan is primary). Tell the doctor about every symptom, including headaches, sleep problems and fear of driving. Things you leave out of the first visit are hard to add later.
J., New Jersey (from a car-accident survivors' support group, paraphrased): hit head-on by a drunk driver, J. developed nerve pain and whiplash. After an independent medical exam (IME) arranged by the insurer, PIP stopped paying, and J. ended up paying for treatment out of pocket.
If PIP cuts you off after an IME, ask for the decision and the IME report in writing, show it to your treating doctor, and do not stop treating without a medical reason. A denial is the point where a short call with a lawyer is worth it, because PIP disputes have their own process and timing.
05First week
Call or email your employer
Put it in writing: the crash date, that you are under medical care, and the days you expect to miss. Keep pay stubs. The Buyer's Guide describes PIP "income continuation" as paying lost wages if your crash injuries stop you working, less any New Jersey temporary disability benefits, up to the amount you selected. Lost wages can also be part of an injury claim against the at-fault driver. Either way you will need proof of every day missed, and an employer email from week one is the cleanest proof there is.
06When they call you
Talk to the other driver's insurer, briefly
The other driver's insurer will often call within days. You can report the claim and arrange your car repair. What you say about the crash and your injuries is a different matter: their adjuster works for the other driver.
Fine to sayYour name and contact details. The date, time and place. Where your car is. Your own insurer and claim number. "I am still being treated and will not discuss injuries yet." Do not say or do"I'm fine." Guesses about speed, distance or who saw what. Agreeing to a recorded statement on the first call. Signing a blanket medical authorisation. Accepting a quick cheque before you know how badly you are hurt.
A quick question to ask them: "Do you confirm coverage for your insured on this date?" In our data, 36% of callers did not know whether the other driver was insured at all. A "we are still investigating coverage" answer, together with an asterisk on the NJTR-1, is your signal to look at your own UM coverage now.
07Any time, 24/7
Call NJ 211 for the non-legal problems
A crash breaks more than a car. Missed shifts become late rent, no car means no way to get to physical therapy, and the fear does not stop when the bruises heal. In the survivors' group sample we coded, 34 of 36 posts described emotional fallout: flashbacks, driving anxiety, survivor guilt, isolation.
NJ 211 is New Jersey's statewide information and referral service for things like housing, food assistance, health care and disaster help. It says it is available 24/7 by phone, chat, text and web, and reports serving over 284,600 residents in 2025. To reach it: dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 898-211, or go to nj211.org.
If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). In an emergency, call 911.
08Before the clock runs out
Make the deadline calls
Three New Jersey deadlines end claims outright, and each has a different trigger. The next section sets them out with the statute text.
Your declarations page (the "dec page") is the summary at the front of your auto policy listing what you bought. Insurers lay it out differently and use their own wording, so the table below shows what to look for by coverage, with the options New Jersey's Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) lists in its 2026 Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide. It is the fastest way to answer the question 42% of callers in our data could not: do I have UM coverage, and how much?
Policy type: Standard or Basic: What it does Sets which coverages are even possible.; Options in the DOBI guide Standard is what most drivers choose. Basic costs less, meets the legal minimum and has limited benefits.; What to check on yours If it says Basic, you have no UM/UIM and you have the limited right to sue.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM): What it does UM pays you when the at-fault driver lacks the legally required insurance. UIM pays the difference between your UIM limit and the at-fault driver's lower limit.; Options in the DOBI guide Standard: a minimum amount is required, up to your liability limits. Chart options: $95,000 or $100,000 (cost less), $300,000 (what most choose), $500,000. Basic: none.; What to check on yours A dollar figure on this line, not "rejected", "none" or a blank.
PIP medical expense limit: What it does Pays your medical bills regardless of fault.; Options in the DOBI guide $15,000, $50,000, $75,000, $150,000, or $250,000 (what most choose); some insurers offer more. Up to $250,000 for certain serious injuries regardless of the limit chosen. Basic: $15,000.; What to check on yours The limit per person. If it shows $15,000, ask about raising it at renewal.
PIP medical deductible and co-pay: What it does What you pay before PIP pays.; Options in the DOBI guide $250 is what most choose; $500, $1,000, $2,000 or $2,500 cost less. A 20% co-pay applies between the deductible and $5,000.; What to check on yours The deductible amount. Budget for it plus up to 20% of the next bills.
Health insurance as primary for PIP: What it does Your health plan pays first, PIP second.; Options in the DOBI guide Most consumers do not choose it. Medicare and Medicaid cannot be used for it.; What to check on yours If selected, give providers your health card first and the PIP claim number second.
Extra PIP package: income continuation, essential services, death and funeral benefits: What it does Lost wages (less temporary disability benefits), help with chores you cannot do, death and funeral benefits.; Options in the DOBI guide You can decline the package; most consumers choose it; higher amounts may be available.; What to check on yours Whether income continuation is included and the amount you selected.
Lawsuit option: What it does Whether you can sue for pain and suffering for any injury, or only for listed serious injuries.; Options in the DOBI guide Limitation on Lawsuit (what most choose) or No Limitation on Lawsuit. Basic includes the limited option. If no choice was made on the coverage selection form, the limited option is imposed by law.; What to check on yours Which option is shown. It applies to you and relatives living with you who have no auto policy of their own.
The guide says it is general information and the policy language governs. If your dec page is unclear, ask your insurer to explain it in writing.
QUESTIONS FOR MY AGENT (fill in the blanks from your dec page)
1. My policy is Standard / Basic / not sure. If Basic: what would a Standard policy with UM/UIM cost me at my next renewal?
2. My UM/UIM limit is $____ / not shown. Does it apply to me as a pedestrian or passenger in someone else's car?
3. My PIP medical limit is $____. Which injuries qualify for the up-to-$250,000 coverage regardless of that limit?
4. My PIP deductible is $____. What is my 20% co-pay on the first $5,000 likely to be?
5. Is my health insurance primary? If yes, does my health plan cover auto-accident injuries?
6. Do I have income continuation? Weekly amount $____, total $____.
7. My lawsuit option is limited / unlimited / not shown. Did I sign a coverage selection form? Please send me a copy.
8. Please email the dec page and the coverage selection form to ____.
90 days: Applies when A public entity or public employee may share fault: a town or county vehicle, a state agency, NJ Transit, a dangerous road the government maintains.; What the law says N.J.S.A. 59:8-8: the claim must be presented "not later than the 90th day after accrual". Miss it and you are "forever barred", subject to 59:8-9.
1 year: Applies when You missed the 90 days.; What the law says N.J.S.A. 59:8-9: a Superior Court judge may allow late notice within one year of accrual, on a motion showing "extraordinary circumstances", if the entity is not substantially prejudiced. Discretionary, not automatic.
6 months wait: Applies when You filed a public-entity notice.; What the law says Under 59:8-8 you may sue only after six months from when the notice was received. Plan backwards from the 2-year line.
180 days: Applies when Claims paid from the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund, including hit-and-run where nobody is identified.; What the law says N.J.S.A. 39:6-65: notice of intention to claim within 180 days after the accident, with exceptions for people physically unable to give notice and for insurer disclaimers (notice within 15 days of the disclaimer).
2 years: Applies when Every personal injury lawsuit, including against public entities.; What the law says N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2: actions for injury "shall be commenced within two years". 59:8-9 adds that no suit against a public entity may be filed later than two years from accrual.
The two-year rule trips people up in a predictable way. An open insurance claim is not a lawsuit, and adjusters negotiating with you do not stop the clock. If you are near the line, this plain-English breakdown of when the two-year clock starts in New Jersey is worth reading.
There are three routes, and which one you have depends on your own policy.
The Buyer's Guide describes uninsured motorist coverage as paying you if you are in a crash caused by a driver without the minimum insurance New Jersey law requires; underinsured coverage pays when the at-fault driver has less coverage than your UIM limit. A standard policy must carry a minimum amount. The Basic Policy carries none. Your policy, not a statute, sets the notice and proof rules for a UM claim, so read the UM section of your policy, or ask your insurer to send it, in the first week.
The Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund can pay medical expense benefits to a qualified person hurt as a pedestrian, or in a New Jersey-registered car with no PIP in force, up to $250,000 per person per accident, subject to a $250 deductible and a 20% co-payment between $250 and $5,000 (N.J.S.A. 39:6-86.1; the 180-day notice rule in 39:6-65 still applies). Income continuation through the Fund is capped at $100 a week and $5,200 in total. The "association" that handles Fund claims is defined in N.J.S.A. 39:6-62 as the New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association (NJ PLIGA).
N.J.S.A. 39:6-78 lets a qualified person sue the association when the vehicle, owner and driver cannot be identified, but only if the court is satisfied that the 180-day notice was given and that "all reasonable efforts" were made to identify them. The statute also excludes a claimant who owned or registered an uninsured vehicle at the time. That "reasonable efforts" test is another reason the 911 call, the police report and the witness phone number matter.
C., member of a US survivors' group (paraphrased): T-boned and left with herniated discs, C. learned that the at-fault driver had little insurance and no money, and that C.'s own policy had no UM coverage. With nothing to collect from, the lawyer dropped the case.
The fix for C.'s situation cannot happen after the crash. It is a coverage check you can make today: in our data 21% of injured callers knew they had no UM and 42% did not know.
Not necessarily that fast, but do not wait until month five either. The data cuts both ways: the most common reason calls were turned away was lateness, yet signing in a hurry has its own risk. In the survivors' group sample, 5 of 36 posts complained about lawyer silence, one describing seven weeks with no callback.
V., member of a US survivors' group (paraphrased): hit by a red-light runner, V. signed with a lawyer on the day of the crash. Afterwards came radio silence, and V. felt trapped by the fee contract and regretted signing so quickly.
Spend 20 minutes with two firms before you sign anything, and ask the same questions to both.
Who will actually handle my file day to day, and what is their direct phone number or email?
How often will you update me, and how fast do you return calls? Can we agree that in writing?
What is the fee percentage, is it taken before or after case costs, and who pays costs if we lose?
Can I have a signed copy of the agreement today? What happens to the fee if I later move to another lawyer?
Which deadlines apply to my crash (2 years, 90-day public entity notice, 180-day Fund notice), and on what date will you file?
Have you checked my UM/UIM limit and the other driver's coverage yet? If not, when?
A good firm will answer all six without being annoyed. If it will not commit to a contact person and a date, keep looking.
Copy this into your phone's notes app now, so it is there the day you need it.
CRASH DATE / TIME:
LOCATION (road, direction, cross street or exit):
POLICE DEPT + OFFICER + BADGE + CASE NO:
OTHER DRIVER: name / phone / plate / insurer / policy no:
WITNESS 1: name / phone (texted? y/n):
WITNESS 2: name / phone (texted? y/n):
EMS: took me to / refused at (time):
MY INSURER + PIP CLAIM NO:
MY UM LIMIT / LAWSUIT OPTION:
PUBLIC VEHICLE OR ROAD INVOLVED? y/n (if yes: 90-day clock)
If anyone is hurt, or one person's property damage is over $500, yes. N.J.S.A. 39:4-130 requires the driver to notify police by the quickest means. If you are unsure whether damage passes $500, call anyway: a report you did not need costs nothing.
Usually your own auto policy's PIP coverage, regardless of fault, under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4. If you chose the health care primary option, your health plan pays first. If you have no auto policy, the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund may pay, but the notice must reach it within 180 days.
Two years from when the claim accrued for personal injury (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2). If a public entity is involved, you must also present a Notice of Claim within 90 days (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8). Late notice is possible up to one year only with court permission.
No. NJ 211 connects people with community services such as housing, food and health care. It is a good call when a crash puts your rent or groceries at risk. It does not give legal advice about your claim. This website is separate from NJ 211.
The NJTR-1 manual tells officers to put an asterisk in the insurance code box when the insurer cannot be determined or the vehicle is suspected to be uninsured. Ask the other driver's insurer to confirm coverage, check your own UM limit, and note the 180-day Fund notice date if you have no policy of your own.
Answer a few short questions about your crash and see what your next call should be. It takes about two minutes.
Sources: New Jersey statutes cited above (via Justia); NJ DOBI Auto Insurance Buyer's Guide; NJTR-1 Crash Report Manual (NJDOT); NJ 211. "Our data" means anonymised aggregates of 584 car and injury intake records sent to a New Jersey injury firm, 2023 to 2026, and 36 coded posts from a 4.6K-member car-accident survivors' support group shared with consent. Stories are paraphrased and identified only by first initial. Last reviewed November 2026.
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