Study: New Jersey Personal Injury Cases Among Highest In America

Even though the foundation of Tort Litigation back in the 1600's with the establishment of the Common Law Doctrine Res Ipsa Loquitur (the thing speaks for itself), Personal Injury Law has evolved the most over the last 30 years.

The 1990s saw three lawsuits that changed the trajectory of Personal Injury Law and laid the groundwork for thousands of civil cases over the years:

-The famous Liebeck vs. McDonald’s case in which 79-year-old Stella Liebeck claimed that her 3rd Degree burns resulted from McDonald's making their coffee too hot. The lawsuit revealed over 700 complaints about McDonald's that the company had previously ignored.
-The General Motors Auto Defect Case awarded a total of $1.2 Billion in damages to customers whose gas tanks exploded. The lawsuit revealed numerous Automotive Defects that GM and other companies were liable for because they never disclosed the information to the public or tried to fix the issues.
-In 1998, the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement forced the industry to comply with new guidelines and restrictions. Along with the court establishing a legal connection between Tobacco use and medical liability, numerous states instituted Tobacco Taxes as a modern application of the United States' original "Excess Tax" from over 220 years ago.

Today, the United States has approximately 39.5 million Personal Injury Cases annually on average. Some states see more Civil suits filed each year compared to others in America.

How Does New Jersey Compare To Other States In America?

The Schiller Kessler Group researched Personal Injury Cases in each state in America. States with a high number of Personal Injury Cases can impact Legal Strategy, Wait Times, and chances for Settlement.

In a press release about their research, they ranked the states with the Highest Percentage of Personal Injury Cases. New Jersey landed in second place with 74.62% of pending Civil Cases being Personal Injury Legal Action.

New Jersey's Dense Population opens the door for a higher number of people who could be impacted by Car Accidents, Work Related Injuries, and Unforeseen Incidents. NJ has the highest percentage of Civil Lawsuits that are Personal Injury Cases of any state in the Northeast.

All of the other Nine States in the Northeast are below 44 percent of the Civil Cases being Personal Injury Legal Action. New Jersey's neighboring state, Delaware, landed third lowest in the rankings with just 4.57% of Civil Court Dockets featuring Personal Injury Cases.

Here are the Top 7 States with the Highest Percentage of Personal Injury Cases in 2024:

1. Florida
2. New Jersey
3. South Carolina
4. Mississippi
5. Illinois
6. Ohio
7. Minnesota

According to a recent study, 52% of Personal Injury Cases are the result of Car Accidents. These are some of the roads you need to be careful driving around New Jersey: