What You Should Know About Car Accidents in Arizona
If you can illustrate that someone else’s negligence is the cause of the accident in which you sustained life altering injuries, Arizona personal injury law empowers you to file a legal claim.
Our car accident injury lawyers at Brad Johnson Injury Law will look to a number of sources to help you determine who was at fault for your accident. This includes police reports, state traffic laws, citations issued and witness testimonies. If we determine fault on another driver involved and you sustained an injury as a result of the accident, we can help you get the largest settlement possible to cover medical bills and pain and suffering.
Do You Need a Car Accident Injury Lawyer in the Phoenix Area?
If you are injured in an auto accident in the Phoenix metro area and are not at fault, you may benefit from hiring a car accident injury attorney. The at-fault driver’s insurance company is not going to protect you or your rights. They are concerned about their insured driver and the shareholders they make money for, not ensuring you get the settlement you deserve.
Determining Who Is at Fault for a Car Accident
Legal claims from motor vehicle accidents are usually governed by the law of negligence. People who operate vehicles must exercise “reasonable care under the circumstances.” Failure to use reasonable care is considered negligence. As with other types of accidents, the driver at fault in a traffic accident is the one who was negligent.
Courts look to a number of factors in determining negligence, such as:
- Disobeying traffic signs or signals
- Failing to signal while turning
- Driving above or below the posted speed limit
- Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
- Common Causes of Car Accidents
The vast majority of vehicle accidents on Arizona roadways are caused by driver error. Although driver distraction has received increasing public awareness because of the gruesome crashes particularly those effecting teens, driver inattention is only one of many problems that plague people behind the wheel.
Driver Inattention – driver inattention includes any situation in which someone’s attention is pulled away from the task at hand. This can include changing the GPS or radio station, talking to someone else inside the vehicle, applying makeup, eating, texting, reading and sending emails and talking on the phone. All of these pull away the driver’s line of sight focus as well as driver’s cognitive focus and increase the chances of a life changing accident.
Drunk Driving – another unfortunate cause of far too many serious and fatal car accidents is drunk driving. Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs impairs your judgement and ability to control a car and can put others at risk if an accident ensues. Avoiding car accidents caused by drunk driving begins with realizing when you are above your limit and when you should not get in the car.
Aggressive and Reckless Driving Increasingly – driver aggressiveness or reckless behavior are being noted in police reports and insurance claims for accidents. Drivers who are frustrated by traffic or the actions of the other drivers may engage in aggressive behavior that actually compromises the safety of everyone. Reckless driving such as ignoring road signals and traffic laws, speeding, and cutting off other drivers can increase the chances of a multi-car pileup. When another driver’s aggressive or reckless behavior is a root cause of your injuries, taking action quickly with the help of a lawyer is strongly recommended.
Common Injuries from Vehicle Accidents
A car accident attorney can tell you that the injuries affecting victims in a car accident can run the gamut from minor to severe. Severe injuries include:
- Spinal Cord Damage
- TBIs
- Whiplash
- Broken Bones
- Chronic Pain
- and more.
You may also suffer chronic pain for weeks or months even when you have received appropriate treatment. For a car accident victim in Arizona, the requirements to address their medical treatments often extend well into the future and can be prohibitively expensive for a victim who was not at fault for the accident. This is why personal injury law allows victims and surviving family members to pursue personal injury claims with the help of an experienced attorney.
Determining Who Is at Fault for a Car Accident
Legal claims from motor vehicle accidents are usually governed by the law of negligence. People who operate vehicles must exercise “reasonable care under the circumstances.” Failure to use reasonable care is considered negligence. As with other types of accidents, the driver at fault in a traffic accident is the one who was negligent.
Courts look to a number of factors in determining negligence, such as:
- Disobeying traffic signs or signals
- Failing to signal while turning
- Driving above or below the posted speed limit
- Disregarding weather or traffic conditions
Contact Brad Johnson Injury Law for Help
Consulting with a lawyer is a valuable exercise because it can reveal your eligibility to pursue an injury claim and may help you figure out your next steps. If you think your injuries from an accident were severe, we’re here for you- call Brad Johnson Injury Law today to learn more about Arizona auto accident recovery.