CNJ+ May 2024

Dr. Wayne A. Aldredge Advanced Treatment of Gum Disease and Loose or Missing Teeth ARTHRITIS INSTITUTE M.A. Abidi MD, FACR. Board Certified Rheumatologist Proudly Serving Ocean & Monmouth Counties for over 15 years • Osteoarthritis • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Osteoporosis • Lupus • Psoriatic Arthritis • Gout • Ankylosing Spondylitis I CAN SAVE YOUR TEETH Board Certified * Comfort Focused * Sedation Available Convenient In Office Injectables and IV Therapy Treatments Joint Injections Performed Under Ultrasound Guidance to Increase Accuracy and Efficiency New Cutting Edge Treatment: Platelet-rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) for Arthritis Dental Implants (All-on-4® ) One-Visit Gum Correction (Pinhole®) Advanced Laser Treatment (LANAP®) Gum and Bone Restoration Second Opinions

DO YOU NEED A LAWYER IN MUNICIPAL COURT? BY JOHN BAZZURRO As indicated on our website, there are numerous charges that are heard in the Municipal Courts in the State of New Jersey. These range from low level motor vehicle violations such as going through a stop sign, careless driving, failure to maintain your lane and other charges that generally carry very low fines and two or less motor vehicle points. If you have been charged with any motor vehicle violation that carries more than two motor vehicle points upon a conviction, we suggest that you obtain the advice of counsel before going to court. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with some information as to whether or not they need legal representation in Municipal Court on a low-level motor vehicle violation that carries two or less motor vehicle points. As most citizens of New Jersey know, municipal prosecutors will, generally, as a matter of course offer a “no point” or “zero point” violation as part of a plea bargain if you are charged with one of these low-level motor vehicle violations. The monetary cost of these “no point” or “zero point” violations are rather excessive in that you are required to pay a $250.00 surcharge for this “privilege.” The statute which provides this “no point” plea is called the unsafe driving statute. The basic theory in accepting a “no point” or “zero point” plea bargain is to potentially avoid motor vehicle points on your license in order to keep your auto insurance premiums lower and, potentially, to avoid the suspension of your driving privileges where you are in danger of accumulating 12 motor vehicle points which will result in a temporary suspension of driving privileges. However, it should be pointed out that there are a number of situations in which your acceptance of such a “no point” or “zero point” plea bargain may adversely affect your rights without your knowledge. One such situation is where you have already previously pled guilty to unsafe driving on more than one occasion. Your third guilty plea to unsafe driving within a certain period of time will subject you to four motor vehicle points when you may be under the mistaken belief that you will not be receiving any motor vehicle points. Another such situation where you potentially will need legal representation is where the low-level motor vehicle violation is the result of a motor vehicle accident. The bottom line is that, regardless of what type of motor vehicle violation you are charged with, you should seek the advice of an attorney before appearing in Municipal Court by yourself and entering into a plea bargain which may subject you to other legal ramifications of which you were not aware. Typically, when we receive a call for a motor vehicle violation, we initially attempt to obtain as much information as possible from the potential client to determine whether or not they will require legal representation given their individual circumstances. Accordingly, please feel free to contact us to discuss your individual situation to determine whether or not legal representation is required. DOES 15 MINUTES REALLY SAVE YOU 15% ON CAR INSURANCE? By John Bazzurro The purpose of this article is to inform the public about a phenomena that I have come across in my personal injury practice concerning the “bargain” automobile insurance companies that advertise “discounted” insurance rates. Did you ever wonder how these “bargain” insurance companies allow consumers to save “15% or more” on car insurance? Well, it has been my experience in my handling of a number of cases in my personal in jury practice that the insurance coverage these companies are providing for the lower premium is really not the same insurance coverage that you may have had with your prior insurance company. Specifically, what I have seen on numerous occasions is that these “bargain” automobile insurance companies reduce the medical expense benefits coverage on these newly opened policies from the “normal” coverage in the State of New Jersey of $250,000.00 for medical expenses arising out of the motor vehicle accident to only $15,000.00 in medical expense coverage without specifically advising the insured individual or family members. Thus, al though they are providing insurance coverage at reduced premiums, they are not providing the same insurance coverage that you may be giving up and this can be detrimental to those injured in a motor vehicle accidents. What this means is that, in the event of a motor vehicle accident where you or a family member require medical attention, you will only have medical coverage available for you or family members in the amount of $15,000.00 as opposed to the “normal” coverage of $250,000.00 . As you can imagine, given the high costs of medical treatment, the $15,000.00 in medical cov erage does not go a long way in providing much needed treatment and, as such, individuals injured in auto accidents who have this minimal medical coverage often have no means of obtaining medical treatment. Obviously, unless you have a motor vehicle accident and require med ical treatment, you will not even realize that your medical expense cov erage has been reduced from your prior policy limits of $250,000.00 to the minimal medical expense coverage of $15,000.00. This scenario (the absence of a motor vehicle accident for which you need medical atten tion) is exactly what these bargain insurance companies are banking on so that you never find out that they have reduced your coverage without informing you of same. Accordingly, in light of the above, it is important for you to insure that the policy limits in your new “bargain” insurance policy are the same pol icy limits that you had in your prior policy. Of course, it may be difficult for a layperson to decipher exactly what coverages are contained in their new or old policies. I invite anyone to submit their new and old declara tion pages for my review so I may advise you accordingly. A quick review of your automobile insurance policy now could save a great expense later. JOHN T. BAZZURRO, Esq. David P. Levine, Esq. Of Counsel to the Firm Michael B. Shaw, Esq., Associate Attorney 200 Meco Drive, Millstone Twp., NJ jtbazzurro@bazzurrolaw.com • BAZZURROLAW.COM Slip and fall accidents By John Bazzurro As the weather turns bad, many store owners and landowners begin to ask what their responsibility is with respect to clearing ice and snow from their walkways, parking lots and sidewalks. Similarly, people begin asking whether they have a viable personal injury case where they have sustained an injury after slipping and falling on an ice and snow condition. Typically, landowners (whether they be a homeowner, shopping center owner, parking lot owner, mall owner or storeowner) have a duty to make their land or premises safe for the general public and individuals that they invite on their land. Under general landowner liability principles, a landowner must take reasonable steps to protect people coming onto their property from being injured as a result of a slippery condition caused by ice or snow. This generally includes snow removal and salting or sanding to prevent slippery conditions from existing. However, the law only requires landowners to do what is reasonable under the circumstances to clear the ice and snow. With respect to the existence of ice and snow on property that causes someone to slip and fall, the reasonableness or unreasonableness of the landowner’s action or inaction will be determined, in part, by the length of time that the ice and snow existed prior to person’s fall, the location of the ice and snow, whether any actions had been previously taken by the landowner to remove the ice and snow and whether other conditions of the land contributed to the existence of the ice or snow. In addition to the landowners, other entities may also be responsible for the continued existence of ice or snow. These entities include tenants on the premises under certain circumstances, snow removal contractors and even those entities which may have designed or built the premises. Only attorneys trained in such matters will be able to properly determine the appropriate parties to investigate in that these cases are generally depend on the facts of each individual situation. In these types of cases, it is important to preserve the evidence with respect to the existence of the ice and snow if possible. This may be done in many ways including, but not limited to, taking photographs, advising the manager of the store or facility of the fall and the condition at the time it occurs, and obtaining the names of witnesses if possible. Because the existence of ice and snow can be easily and quickly corrected (by shoveling or salting and sanding), it is imperative that the evidence be preserved as soon as possible. If you or a family member have been injured as a result of a slip or fall on ice or snow on someone else’s property, it is imperative to seek advice of a competent personal injury lawyer to protect your rights as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact our office for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case. Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney Member of New Jersey and New York Bars JOHN T. BAZZURRO, Esq. JARED SPARNROFT, Esq. 200 Meco Drive, Millstone Twp., NJ jtbazzurro@bazzurrolaw.com • BAZZURROLAW.COM

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AREAS OF PRACTICE: • Municipal Court Practice, Including Defense of DWI, Traffic Tickets and Non-Indictable Offenses • Workers Compensation

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Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney Member of New Jersey and New York Bars Jared Sparnroft, Esq. 200 Meco Drive, Millstone Twp., NJ Email: jtbazzurro@bazzurrolaw.com 732-410-5350 • www.bazzurrolaw.com

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