Whether it happens in a busy intersection, a crowded parking lot, a hectic highway merge lane, or anywhere else, T-bone and sideswipe collisions can be traumatic experiences at best and life-altering ones at worst. Unfortunately, they can also make for complex personal injury claims, especially if it is not immediately clear how the wreck happened in the first place and who specifically is at fault for causing it.
Assistance from skilled legal counsel will almost always improve your chances of getting a favorable result from a personal injury lawsuit and obtaining fair compensation for the damages someone else caused you. In the wake of a side-impact / T-bone car accident in Glendale, though, a seasoned car accident lawyer’s support can be all but essential to enforcing your rights while navigating around common legal and procedural roadblocks in the litigation process. Learn more by reaching out to Phillips Law Group today.
Proving Fault for Specific “Compensable Losses”
To briefly summarize personal injury law and the legal principle of “negligence” in Arizona, someone is considered “at fault” for an auto accident in Glendale if they directly caused that accident to occur by doing something reckless, careless, and/or illegal behind the wheel. For side-impact wrecks in particular, “negligence” generally takes one or more of the following forms:
- Advancing through a red light
- Not stopping fully at a stop sign
- Failing to obey a yield sign or give the right-of-way properly
- Speeding, or not accounting for poor weather or road conditions
- Not checking “blind spots” before turning or switching lanes
- Driving while drunk, high, or overly fatigued
- Driving while distracted, especially by a cell phone
Anyone who injures someone else through legally negligent behavior may be made to pay financially for every past and future loss that the injury — and the accident as a whole — causes for the injured person. As our team can further explain, this may include both economic damages like medical bills and lost work income, and non-economic damages like physical pain and psychological distress.
Getting Around Obstacles to Civil Recovery
Importantly, proving that someone else was mainly at fault for a side-impact car accident in Glendale does not automatically make them 100 percent liable for all losses caused by the accident. If the injured motorist filing a claim was also negligent themselves in a way that contributed to causing their wreck, Arizona Revised Statutes §12-2505 allows a court — or an insurance company that understands how a court would rule on the matter — to reduce the total compensation available to that person in proportion to their share of “comparative fault.”
It should be noted as well that A.R.S. §12-542 sets a two-year filing deadline for personal injury claims in virtually every scenario, usually starting from when the injury in question first occurred. This deadline applies even in situations where the plaintiff has sustained permanent and debilitating injuries, which means it is often necessary to estimate the value of long-term losses well before they manifest — one of many things skilled legal counsel can provide crucial help with.
A Glendale Attorney Can Help After a Side-Impact / T-Bone Car Accident
Even if it seems obvious to you that another person is to blame for T-boning or sideswiping you, you should not make the mistake of assuming it will be easy to hold them civilly liable for your ensuing injuries. In fact, getting a positive result from a car crash lawsuit or settlement demand can be extremely difficult if you try to pursue your claim alone, regardless of how much evidence you may have on your side.
Fortunately, a car accident lawyer from a firm that has been locally owned and operated for more than 30 years is available to guide you through the legal process and fight tenaciously to get you paid what you deserve. Call Phillips Law Group today to discuss your options following a side-impact / T-bone car accident in Glendale. Our team is ready to assist you, and your initial consultation is free! Contact our firm today to find out more.
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