The multiplier method with New Jersey's actual rules applied — modified comparative — 51% bar, a 2-year filing window — every statute cited and linked, every line of arithmetic shown.
Based on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice — every claim is different.
You recover if your negligence is not greater than the defendants' combined (≤50%), reduced by your share. — N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.1
2 years for personal injury — N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2. The clock is jurisdictional — one day late and no court will hear the case.
Choice no-fault: PIP medical benefits default to $250,000 (electable down to $15k, but the $250k floor still applies to catastrophic injuries), and most drivers elect the cheaper 'limitation on lawsuit' (verbal) threshold — which bars pain-and-suffering claims unless the injury is death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury. — N.J.S.A. 39:6A-4; 39:6A-8
Minimum liability coverage: 35/70/25 — $35,000 per person, $70,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage (for policies issued or renewed on/after Jan 1, 2026; 25/50/25 applied 2023–2025). — N.J.S.A. 39:6B-1 — policy limits are the practical ceiling on most settlements, which is why identifying every available policy (including your own underinsured-motorist coverage) matters.
New Jersey's pivotal fact isn't the crash — it's the checkbox on your declarations page. The 'limitation on lawsuit' election most drivers take for the discount forfeits pain-and-suffering recovery unless the injury fits a verbal-threshold category (displaced fracture and permanent injury being the workhorses), with a physician certification deadline attached. Find your election before valuing anything. — N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8
The same multiplier method used everywhere — (medical bills + lost wages) × a 1.5–5× severity multiplier + property damage — then New Jersey's fault rule is applied: You recover if your negligence is not greater than the defendants' combined (≤50%), reduced by your share. The calculator on this page runs exactly that math and prints every line.
2 years for personal injury (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2). Miss the deadline and the claim is barred permanently, no matter how strong it is — and claims against government entities often have much shorter notice requirements.
Choice no-fault: PIP medical benefits default to $250,000 (electable down to $15k, but the $250k floor still applies to catastrophic injuries), and most drivers elect the cheaper 'limitation on lawsuit' (verbal) threshold — which bars pain-and-suffering claims unless the injury is death, dismemberment, significant disfigurement or scarring, a displaced fracture, loss of a fetus, or a permanent injury.
Compensatory damages: No caps. Punitive damages: Greater of 5× compensatory or $350,000 — with exceptions including drunk-driving convictions and bias crimes.