Famed former American Idol judge Simon Cowell ended up in the hospital in January 2022 with a broken arm, severe facial wounds, and a possible concussion after a crash on his e-bike. While he was able to head home later that day, this wasn’t his first time getting hurt while riding a motorized bicycle.
Continue Reading Simon Cowell Suffers Second Round of E-Bike Crash Injuries
With the wind on your face, cruising at a speed that feels like flying, few things feel better than riding a bike down your neighborhood street.
Bicycling often gives riders a sense of free-wheeling freedom, but it’s easy to forget that the risks are real. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of preventable deaths from bicycle transportation incidents increased by 44%. And of the 1,260 bicyclist deaths in 2020, 806 died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, compared to 454 in other non-traffic incidents. These rates typically peak during the summer.
Continue Reading Avoiding Common Causes of Fatal Bike Accidents on U.S. Streets
A recent surge of electric bike fires in NYC has brought new attention to the dangers of lithium battery fires and increased scrutiny of safety compliance. Although electric bikes, also known as e-bikes, are subject to federal and state regulations, fires can still occur due to improper maintenance, faulty construction, or regulatory noncompliance on the part of manufacturers.
Continue Reading Causes of E-Bike Fires and What to Do When They Happen
The city of Woodbridge, NJ is conducting an investigation after more than 100 former students and staff at the local Colonia High School were found to have developed brain tumors over a three-decade period.
Continue Reading Potential Brain Cancer Link Investigated at New Jersey’s Colonia High School
It’s springtime! We made it through another cold winter. Now, the days are growing longer, daffodils are in bloom and many people are gearing up for weekends in the yard. Gardening and landscaping can be rewarding ways to spend some time outdoors this time of year. One of the things I often notice in the spring but rarely spend much time thinking about is mulch. To the very limited extent I consider mulch, I register how it smells when first put down. I think it looks nice spread over garden beds. I appreciate its weed-blocking capabilities. But I have to admit, when I looked at piles of mulch in the past, I never thought DANGER! Maybe I should have.
Continue Reading Mulch Fires: What You Should Know Before Starting Your Spring Gardening
In August of last year, the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill intended to create safer conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians on New Jersey roads.
The New Jersey Safe Passing Law adds additional requirements for drivers when passing cyclists, pedestrians, and those driving motorized scooters or wheelchairs.
Get the word out: check your Health Insurance policy language to make sure it covers you if you are injured in a motorcycle crash. Every day I meet new clients who have been injured by an irresponsible driver and every day I have to explain, to their surprise, that they do not have the proper insurance to cover their medical bills. All too often they don’t have any coverage or only have minimal insurance.
Continue Reading Does Health Insurance Cover Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
If you own a vehicle in New Jersey, you are required to carry auto insurance. For many people, it is as simple as that, and they try to obtain the cheapest policy possible to meet the legal requirements. But sadly, many motorists in New Jersey are unaware that while your automobile insurance covers damages you may cause in an accident, your policy can also protect you and your loved ones.
While there are many parts to an auto insurance policy, here we will only look at two major components of a policy: Liability Coverage, also known as 3rd party coverage, and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, also known as 1st party coverage. Both liability and UM/UIM generally have both bodily injury and property damage components. We will be dealing only with the bodily injury component for our purposes here. Continue Reading What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage and Why Should You Care?
I was recently speaking with a former client who mentioned he went out for a ride on a really cold Sunday. He decided to take his bike to go see his mom. We talked about how cold it was and we even discussed why he chose to take his bike out. He said he hadn’t been on it and he needed to go for a ride. He dressed warm but admitted that it was extremely cold. We both ultimately concluded, beware of the cold on a long ride!
You may feel comfortable when you initially get on your motorcycle but without warning, your body (including your arms, hands, fingers and feet) may stiffen up during a long cold ride. When you decide to pull over, exit a highway or make a turn, your hands and fingers will not react the way you expect them to. Your movements may be slower and less decisive. Give yourself plenty of extra distance and time to make maneuvers you would not give a thought to if it were warm out. When riding with others, consider also giving yourself a little more distance between each other case one of your fellow riders has not adequately planned for the.
While it may not have received a lot of mainstream media coverage, the recent passage of the New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act (“NJIFCA”) was a huge victory for those injured in car crashes in New Jersey. The law was signed into effect by Governor Murphy on January 18, 2022, over the boisterous objection of the insurance companies and lobbyists here in New Jersey. In the past few months, you may have even received a letter from your insurance company asking you to contact your legislators and tell them to vote against the bill.
Continue Reading New Jersey Enacts an Insurance Bad Faith Statute for Auto Insurers