Drivers must know and obey the rules of the road that determine which vehicle has the right of way. Failing to observe these rules is negligent and can lead to accidents that cause injuries.
The legal team at Phillips Law Group represents people who were injured in failure to yield car accidents in Flagstaff. We can investigate the accident, collect evidence of negligence, and hold the responsible parties liable for your injuries.
How Failure to Yield Accidents Happen
Accidents often occur when drivers do not respect another vehicle’s right of way. When a driver gets a ticket for failing to yield, a Flagstaff attorney could use the citation as evidence of the driver’s negligence.
Failure to yield accidents often happen at intersections. A driver may attempt a turn in front of oncoming traffic or hit a pedestrian trying to cross. These accidents can also occur in parking lots when a driver pulls out of a space into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Roundabouts are another site of failure to yield accidents, as drivers may not be familiar with the rules and might enter or exit the circle without yielding the right of way to drivers already in the lane. These accidents also can happen on highways when traffic lanes merge.
Act Quickly to Preserve Your Rights
There are time limits restricting the period in which an injured person can bring a claim for injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. In most cases, the law requires an adult to bring a personal injury claim within two years of the accident. Some events toll or stop this statute of limitations, so it is always worthwhile to contact a legal professional rather than assume the time to act has expired.
When a minor sustains injuries in a vehicle accident, they have two years from the date of their 18th birthday to bring a claim. However, the best results are usually achieved when a parent or guardian sues on a child’s behalf soon after the accident occurs.
Special Rules for Government Defendants
Poor road design, faulty traffic control devices, or inadequate signage warning of merging traffic can cause failure-to-yield accidents. In that case, the state or a local government could share liability for the wreck. A unit of government could also be liable when a public employee is at fault for the accident and it occurred while they were working.
Arizona Statute §12-821 requires an injured person to file a notice of claim with the appropriate government agency within six months of the accident. If the claim is denied or there is no response within 60 days of the notice, the injured person must file a lawsuit within one year of the accident date. A Flagstaff failure to yield car accident attorney can ensure that the notice of claim and a lawsuit, if necessary, are filed timely.
Obtaining Fair Compensation After a Crash
Arizona has a fault-based system for handling vehicle accident claims. The driver who caused the accident pays the losses of anyone injured in the crash. The at-fault driver’s insurance company is responsible for compensating an injured person for their medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
However, insurance companies always try to pay as little as possible. They may try to shift blame to the injured person, reducing their compensation. A skilled Flagstaff attorney can anticipate these tactics when negotiating on behalf of someone injured in a failure to yield accident and present evidence to counter them.
Successful negotiations with a car insurance company require skill, legal knowledge, and leverage. Seeking legal representation immediately after the crash provides the best chance of obtaining fair compensation. A skilled attorney can file a lawsuit and prove the case before a jury if negotiations do not result in an acceptable settlement.
Work With a Flagstaff Attorney to Get Compensated After a Failure to Yield Crash
Failure to yield accidents cannot happen unless someone does not follow the rules. When another driver causes an accident that results in injuries, you deserve compensation.
For more than 30 years, the attorneys at Phillips Law Group have been securing compensation for people injured in failure to yield car accidents in Flagstaff. Reach out to schedule a free consultation today.
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