Best Car Accident Lawyer in Long Branch

Long Branch carries more traffic than its geography suggests.

Broadway runs through the heart of the city’s commercial district, lined with restaurants, shops, and residential buildings that generate foot traffic at all hours. Route 36 connects Long Branch’s waterfront neighborhoods to the broader Monmouth County road network, carrying highway-volume traffic through a corridor where pedestrian crossings are frequent and infrastructure often falls short of demand. Ocean Avenue and Pier Village draw significant seasonal surges from Memorial Day through Labor Day, multiplying the number of unfamiliar drivers on roads that locals navigate daily.

The consequences are documented at the highest level of local government authority.

On the evening of May 1, 2026, Jennifer Perez-Martinez, 19, of Long Branch, was operating her vehicle while impaired in a designated school zone on Broadway when she struck Armindo A. Vieira, 57, of West Long Branch, as he attempted to enter his parked vehicle at 258 Broadway. Vieira was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:38 p.m. Perez-Martinez then left the scene. The investigation — conducted jointly by the Long Branch Police Department, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident Unit, and the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART) — resulted in charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin J. Sidley of the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau.

On October 27, 2025, at 6:17 p.m., Fernando Pinho, 74, attempted to cross Route 36 from the southbound to the northbound side of traffic near Branchport Avenue when a collision with a BMW SUV occurred. Pinho was transported to Monmouth Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased at 8:58 p.m. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago confirmed the investigation, which involves the Prosecutor’s Office, SCART, and the Long Branch Police Department, and remains active and ongoing.

These are not background statistics. They happened on Broadway and Route 36 — roads Long Branch residents drive and cross every day.

If you or someone you love was hurt in a Long Branch car accident, the choices you make in the first days after a crash determine what recovery looks like. The Law Offices of Raffi T. Khorozian P.C. has been representing Monmouth County accident victims since 1993 from our office at 279 Broadway, Suite 400G, Long Branch, NJ 07740 — on the very corridor where the May 2026 fatal crash occurred.

We charge only 25% — not the 33⅓% standard at most New Jersey personal injury firms. On a $150,000 settlement, that is $12,500 more that stays with you.

📞 Call (732) 428-2818 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.

Long Branch’s Most Dangerous Roads — What Official Records Show

Long Branch’s accident environment is shaped by three distinct corridors, each generating a different category of risk.

Broadway is the city’s primary commercial artery and Long Branch’s most recently documented fatal crash location. The May 2026 crash at 258 Broadway occurred in a designated school zone — a detail that carries legal weight, since impaired driving in a school zone carries elevated charges under New Jersey law. Broadway’s combination of on-street parking, pedestrian activity, retail traffic, and vehicles moving at urban arterial speeds creates conditions where driver impairment has catastrophic consequences. The MCPO Major Crimes Bureau’s involvement — not just the local police — signals the seriousness with which this corridor’s most serious crashes are treated.

Route 36 at Branchport Avenue is Long Branch’s most documented fatal pedestrian corridor. The October 2025 crash there reflects a persistent structural problem: Route 36 carries highway-volume traffic at speeds that are fundamentally incompatible with pedestrian mid-block crossings, yet pedestrians attempt those crossings because the alternative — walking to a formal crossing — adds significant distance. When a 74-year-old pedestrian is killed crossing Route 36 and the Monmouth County Prosecutor personally announces the investigation, that signals both the severity of the outcome and the official acknowledgment that this corridor demands scrutiny.

Ocean Avenue, Pier Village, and the shore zone carry extreme seasonal traffic surges from late May through September. Unfamiliar visitors navigating new roads, distracted drivers looking for parking, and pedestrians and cyclists sharing corridors with moving vehicles create conditions that produce crashes concentrated in the summer months.

Which Court Handles Long Branch Car Accident Cases

Personal injury cases arising in Long Branch are filed at the Monmouth County Superior Court, Civil Division, 71 Monument Park, Freehold, NJ 07728.

Attorney Raffi T. Khorozian has appeared before Monmouth County Superior Court judges for over 30 years, with direct experience in vehicular homicide civil claims, pedestrian accident cases, and personal injury litigation arising from Long Branch’s specific road environment.

New Jersey Insurance Rules — What Long Branch Victims Need to Know

No-fault PIP coverage pays initial medical expenses after a crash regardless of fault. But it does not cover pain and suffering, future medical costs beyond your policy limit, or permanent disability compensation.

Vehicular homicide and impaired driving claims. When a driver is charged with vehicular homicide and driving while impaired — as in the May 2026 Broadway case — the criminal record supports the civil claim directly. Evidence of intoxication can also support punitive damages, which are available in addition to compensatory recovery when conduct is extreme. A first-degree vehicular homicide charge is exactly the type of finding that puts punitive damages in play.

Hit-and-run claims. Perez-Martinez left the scene before police arrived. In cases where the at-fault driver flees, New Jersey’s uninsured motorist (UM) coverage and the parallel criminal investigation both become tools for the civil claim. We pursue UM coverage immediately while coordinating with the criminal timeline.

Pedestrian rights. Pedestrians struck by vehicles are entitled to PIP benefits from the at-fault driver’s policy. Where a named driver is later charged — as in both the Broadway and Route 36 cases — the criminal investigation record becomes direct civil evidence.

The serious injury threshold. Fractures, herniated discs, permanent limitation, significant scarring, or substantial medical costs allow you to step outside no-fault and pursue full pain and suffering damages against the at-fault driver.

90-day Tort Claims Act notice. If a government vehicle contributed to your crash, a Notice of Claim is typically required within 90 days of the accident. Missing it can permanently bar recovery from that entity.

Two-year statute of limitations for standard personal injury claims from the accident date.

Why Our 279 Broadway Office Matters

We are located at 279 Broadway, Suite 400G — on the same commercial corridor where the May 2026 fatal vehicular homicide occurred and where the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau and SCART conducted their investigation. We know Broadway because we work here.

The 25% fee means more stays with you. On a $150,000 recovery, you keep $12,500 more than with a firm charging the 33⅓% industry standard. On a $300,000 case, the difference is $25,000.

Vehicular homicide cases demand early civil strategy. The criminal proceedings and civil claim run simultaneously, but on different timelines and with different evidentiary rules. We build the civil case to use what the criminal investigation produces — without waiting for it to conclude.

Pedestrian crash investigations require immediate evidence preservation. SCART reconstruction data, surveillance footage from Broadway businesses, and witness accounts all degrade quickly. We move the day you call.

We handle all insurance communications. In serious crash cases, insurance adjusters engage quickly and strategically. Nothing is said without us.

Frequently Asked Questions — Long Branch Car Accidents

The driver who killed a family member on Broadway was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide. How does that affect our civil case? Significantly. A vehicular homicide charge — particularly first-degree, as filed in the May 2026 Broadway case — creates a criminal record documenting impairment, the crash mechanics, and the driver’s conduct that directly supports your civil claim. Evidence of intoxication also puts punitive damages in play, which can increase total recovery substantially beyond compensatory amounts. Civil and criminal cases proceed on parallel tracks and one does not delay the other.

My family member was killed crossing Route 36 near Branchport Avenue. What legal options do we have? Surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and the conscious pain and suffering the victim experienced before death. Where an ongoing investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and SCART is active — as in the October 2025 Route 36 crash — that investigation can produce crash reconstruction evidence and witness accounts that directly support the civil case. We coordinate with that process appropriately.

The at-fault driver in a Broadway crash fled the scene. How does that affect my claim? New Jersey’s uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is the primary recovery mechanism when the at-fault driver flees before being identified. Where the driver is later charged — as occurred when Perez-Martinez was charged weeks after the May 1, 2026 crash — the criminal proceedings produce additional evidence. We pursue both the UM claim and the civil liability claim from the day you call.

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Long Branch, NJ? Two years from the accident date for standard personal injury claims. If a government vehicle was involved, a Notice of Claim under the NJ Tort Claims Act may be required within 90 days — a deadline that permanently bars recovery if missed. In wrongful death cases involving ongoing criminal investigations, contact us immediately: evidence preservation timelines are short regardless of the legal filing deadline.

Armindo Vieira died on Broadway. Fernando Pinho died crossing Route 36. These crashes happened on streets within a half-mile of our office at 279 Broadway.

When something this serious occurs on these streets, you deserve a lawyer who knows exactly where that is, understands the investigation process, and will fight without compromise for what you and your family are owed.

📞 Call (732) 428-2818 — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 📍 279 Broadway, Suite 400G, Long Branch, NJ 07740 💻 Or complete the contact form on this page.

Free consultation. No upfront costs. Only 25% — not 33⅓%. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.