New Jersey’s Sara’s Law Protects Those Seriously Injured In Crashes

It takes about an hour and a half to drive northeast of Burlington County to Sayreville. The city on the Raritan River was home to Sara Dubinin. New Jersey’s Next-of-Kin Registry was named for the teen when it was signed into law by former Gov. Chris Christie.

The registry is an online system that allows those who are at least 14 years old to submit emergency contact information through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Doing so can help officials contact family in the case of a motor vehicle accident in which there are serious injuries.

Sara Dubinin was just 19 when she was a passenger in a car that went off the road and struck a tree. Her parents learned of the crash about two hours later through a friend who called to ask about the teen’s condition.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, their daughter had slipped into a coma from which she never recovered. She died the next morning.

The Next-of-Kin Registry is used by law enforcement officials to obtain emergency contact information in the event that a person is in a traffic accident that renders her or him unable to communicate. The information in the registry is not made public.

“I think the police at the scene of a crash need as much information as possible to make immediate family notification,” Sara Dubinin’s mother said. “I always wonder if it would have made a difference if I was there and Sara had known I was there.”

Those who suffer serious injuries in a motor vehicle crash can pursue maximum compensation for all damages with the help of an attorney experienced in personal injury litigation.