On November 10, 2026, a 1997 Volvo dump truck was traveling in the northbound lanes of Route 208 in Fair Lawn when it failed to stop for traffic, causing it to hit the back of a 2025 Jeep. The Jeep then struck the back of a 2025 Kia containing three passengers which collided with a 2025 Nissan. Reports indicate that the chain reaction collision caused the occupants of the Jeep and the driver of the Kia to be transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The collision occurred approximately five hundred feet south of the Maple Avenue exit. Photographs taken at the accident scene show the violent nature of the crash causing significant property damage to the Jeep and dump truck.
According to reports by Fair Lawn Police Sgt Eric Eleshewich, the dump truck was driven by a 55-year-old Paterson who was unable to stop his truck causing it to crash into the Jeep.
Although the driver reported that he attempted to stop the dump truck, others may be legally responsible for this collision. On its face, the cause of the collision appears to be negligence on the part of the dump truck driver. However, considering that the dump truck was of a 1997 vintage, its repair and maintenance history may hold others accountable for the collision.
The primary job of police at an accident scene is to provide aid to the injured and clear the roadway. They also investigate and gather facts to determine if there were violations of New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Statutes. If so, their remedy is to issue summonses resulting in court-imposed fines. Law enforcement does not investigate negligence beyond the acts or omissions of a driver. In this case, a deeper investigation into the cause of the collision would benefit from the services of a personal injury lawyer experienced in representing people injured by truck accidents.
Truck accident litigation is unique because trucking companies and their insurance carriers vigorously defend personal injury claims primarily because of their required large insurance policy coverage. Furthermore, they also know that a skilled truck accident lawyer will dig deeply into the following areas:
- Speeding
- Truck Drivers driving history
- Truck Driver medical records
- Improper training or licensing
- Vehicle maintenance
- Tire and brake inspection
- Company Inspections and Repairs
- Negligent repairs by outside garages
- Overloading or cargo
- Dispatcher negligence
- Violations of New Jersey or DOT laws and regulations
- Roadway conditions.
For that reason, a skilled personal injury lawyer with an expertise in truck accident litigation will immediately serve upon the defendants a letter referred to as a “Spoliation Notice” for the defendants to preserve the truck and records until the plaintiffs’ experts can inspect, evaluate and reconstruct the accident itself. Here, a skilled accident reconstruction expert may be able to determine the exact speed of impact by examining the vehicle, skid marks, and other factors. Frequently other drivers including commercial vehicles such as rideshare UBER and LYFT vehicles capture helpful dashcam footage of the actual event which aids in determining the cause of the crash and velocity of the at fault vehicle.
According to Marc C. Saperstein, a founding partner of Teaneck, New Jersey personal injury law Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., “The key to winning a truck accident case is legal action to preserve and protect valuable information that proves driver fault and negligence on the part of their employers and others.” Saperstein, a former President of the New Jersey Association for Justice, and member of APITLA, The Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, knows and understands Trucking Litigation. During his career he represented the family of a man killed in Sussex County, New Jersey by an overloaded dump truck. However, his real passion for trucking litigation derived from a personal tragedy when his long-standing legal secretary was killed by a tire that rolled off a trailer axle and crashed into her windshield. Saperstein went on to sue the driver, employer, leasing company and challenged the design of the “trailer axles, all of which contributed to the avoidable death of Michele, his secretary.
Saperstein further commented, “Every tragic death or injury caused to my clients by avoidable truck accidents causes me to think of Michele, whose memory inspires me to hold those responsible accountable.”
Marc C. Saperstein has secured numerous seven- and eight-figure settlements through trial proceedings, mediations, and settlement negotiations. A sample of Marc Saperstein’s cases include a 2018 Route 80 Paramus school bus accident causing serious injuries to children; a wrongful death of a client caused by a gas tank explosion from a violent rear end collision; the tragic death of the parents of a 4 year old girl when a load shift of a trailer carrying bricks caused its contents to dump on to a passenger car resulted in a Route 80, and the violent death of nurse whose vehicle exploded when rearended by a tractor trailer.
“It’s been an honor and privilege through the years to help truck accident victims” said Saperstein, who is also certified and recertified several times as a Civil Trial attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, a distinction held by less than two percent of all of New Jersey’s licensed attorneys. Marc Saperstein can be reached at (201)907-5000 or by email to marc.saperstein@dsslaw.com.
For over 35 years, the partners and lawyers of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C have represented people injured by the negligence of others and have won over one billion dollars in combined settlements and verdicts. All consultations are free and confidential. All injury cases are accepted by the firm on a contingent fee basis.
