Being rear-ended while driving can be both emotionally traumatic and physically debilitating, especially if the collision happens while your car was stopped and the one that hit you was traveling at high speed. As is the case with most other types of auto accidents, you may have grounds after a rear-end car accident in Glendale to take legal action against the person who hit you and demand civil compensation for the harm they have caused you, either in addition or as an alternative to recovery through insurance.
That said, filing suit over this sort of wreck is rarely as simple or straightforward as injured people would like it to be, and it can be even more challenging to get a good result from a claim like this if you are not very familiar with how personal injury law in Arizona works. Fortunately, you have help available from a knowledgeable car accident lawyer who has spent decades helping families like yours around the Phoenix metro area and can dedicate all their experience and expertise towards getting you the best possible case result. Call Phillips Law Group today to find out more.
When Can Someone Sue Over a Rear-End Wreck?
It is worth noting that while rear-end car crashes in Glendale and throughout Arizona certainly can result in serious injuries, they sometimes do not cause any harm beyond damage to the vehicles involved, and a scenario like that may not be serious enough to justify civil litigation. If a wreck like this results in any injury requiring any kind of professional medical care, though, the injured person may have standing to file suit if they can prove the person behind them was legally “negligent” — in other words, that they directly caused the wreck by committing a traffic violation or otherwise acting irresponsibly behind the wheel.
Importantly, the subjective “severity” of someone’s negligence while driving has no bearing on an ensuing civil claim, and a person who rear-ends someone because they glanced away from the road at just the wrong second is equally liable for damages compared to someone who causes a rear-end wreck because they were speeding and driving drunk. On that note, it is possible to incorporate both economic and non-economic damages into a comprehensive claim, including:
- Medical bills and car repair/replacement costs not covered already by insurance
- Lost work income and/or working capacity
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Psychological trauma and suffering
- Lost enjoyment of life, costs of assistive equipment, and other effects of permanent disability
An attorney can go into more detail about what losses a particular person may be able to recover for during a private initial consultation.
Filing Deadlines for Auto Accident Litigation
Legal counsel can also provide crucial help with building and filing a strong civil claim over a rear-end car crash in Glendale within applicable filing deadlines. For most people, the deadline for filing a personal injury claim is two years after they initially sustained harm, in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes §12-542.
Someone who waits longer than two years to file suit after being rear-ended will generally have their case thrown out of court for being “time-barred.” However, there may be exceptions to the usual two-year filing deadline under certain unique circumstances — for instance, if a wreck leads to a child under 18 getting hurt.
Contact a Glendale Attorney for Help With a Rear-End Car Accident Claim
Regardless of how, where, or why it happens, you deserve fair financial restitution for any harm you suffered in a traffic wreck someone else negligently caused. Even if you are sure another person is to blame for your crash, though, getting all the compensation you need for your damages can be prohibitively difficult to accomplish alone.
With that in mind, contacting capable legal counsel should be among your top priorities following a rear-end car accident in Glendale. Call Phillips Law Group today to discuss your possible claim during a free initial consultation with a trusted local legal advocate.
Our team is ready to help! Please consider reaching out to discuss your situation in more detail now to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you and to helping you secure the justice you deserve.
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