Have you been injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence? The legal team at Phillips Law Group has represented many car accident victims, helping them recover fair compensation for their injuries and damages. Some of our recoveries include $4,000,000 for an accident victim who became paralyzed and $3,100,000 for a client who suffered brain trauma after a crash, and if you need a Lake Havasu City car accident lawyer, we can help.
Our award-winning founder Jeffrey Phillips is a member of the Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers Association — Top 25 and a Leaders Forum member of the American Association for Justice.
For help with your claim, contact a Lake Havasu City car accident lawyer from our firm for a free consultation. Our consultations come with no risk or obligation to take legal action. There are no upfront fees if we represent you and we only get paid for our legal services if we help you obtain a recovery.
Reach out anytime, night or day, at 602-222-222 .
How Can I Be Sure I Have a Case and Need a Lake Havasu City Car Accident Lawyer?
To determine if you have a viable case for compensation, several factors must be considered. This may include:
- Details of the accident
- Photographic evidence of the scene, property damage, and your injuries
- Police or accident reports filed
- Eyewitness statements
- Liability
This is not an easy task to handle alone. That is why we recommend hiring an experienced Lake Havasu City car accident attorney.
Our attorneys are prepared to help pursue compensation for your damages if the crash was caused by the other driver’s negligent actions. The four elements of negligence include:
- Duty of care was owed — The other driver owed you a legal duty to act reasonably to prevent harm to you and others sharing the road. For instance, all drivers have an obligation to not speed or run through a red light at an intersection because it can increase the likelihood of a side-impact collision.
- Duty of care was breached — The other driver breached this duty of care by acting carelessly and not how a reasonable person in the same situation would have acted. For example, a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol is breaching his or her duty of care to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
- Causal link — There must be a connection between the breach of duty of care and your injuries. Our attorneys must directly link these two together. Without this breach, you would not have been harmed. This could include obtaining medical reports from doctors to show the cause of injury.
- Damages suffered — The injuries you sustained from the accident must have resulted in physical or financial hardships, such as hospital bills for medical care and lost wages from missed time at work.
Our licensed attorneys have decades of experience building negligence cases against other drivers. If you are unsure if you may have a case, contact our legal team at 602-222-222 to schedule a free consultation.
What is My Car Accident Case Worth?
Calculating an accurate value on a car accident claim requires a detailed understanding of all the contributing factors that led to the accident.
You may be eligible to recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the measurable losses or out-of-pocket costs created by your injuries. An example of this is the medical expenses you have already incurred and will incur in the future, such as bills for the following:
- Hospital stays
- Emergency services
- Transportation costs
- Imaging tests
- Surgical procedures
- Medications
- Follow-up doctor visits
- Rehabilitation
- Physical therapy
- Assistive equipment
These damages could also include loss of income and loss of earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from working to treat your injuries or working in the same capacity as before. You may even be eligible for compensation if your car was damaged in the accident, such as the reasonable costs to repair your vehicle, pay for a rental car while your vehicle is in the shop, or the reasonable fair market value of your vehicle if it is totaled.
Non-economic damages are the physical pain, emotional distress, or psychological trauma experienced due to the car accident. These damages are more difficult to measure and require looking at the following factors:
- Severity and extent of your injuries
- Overall pain and discomfort related to your injuries
- Impact of your injuries on your life, work, and relationships
- Medical treatment acquired to treat your injuries
- Length of time for your injuries to fully heal
- Additional surgeries, therapy, or future care needed to treat your injuries
Loss of quality of life, affection, or companionship may also qualify. Arizona does not have a cap or limit on the amount of damages (economic and non-economic) you can recover in a personal injury case, so car accident victims with a viable case may be able to recover the full value of their damages.
What If I Share Some Responsibility for the Crash?
You may still be eligible to pursue compensation even if you share some responsibility for the crash. However, any award amount you receive will be reduced by your percentage of fault. This is in accordance with Arizona’s comparative negligence rule.
For instance, if a jury awards you a total of $120,000 for your damages, but you are found to be 40 percent responsible for the accident, your award amount would be reduced by 40 percent or $48,000.
A knowledgeable Lake Havasu City car accident lawyer from our firm can discuss this issue in more detail and answer your other legal questions. Contact Phillips Law Group for a 100 percent free consultation.
What Does Car Insurance Cover After an Accident?
Like most states, Arizona requires all drivers to maintain a certain amount of car insurance coverage in order to operate a vehicle legally on state roads and highways. The minimum requirements include:
- $10,000 for property damage liability coverage
- $15,000 per person for bodily injury liability coverage
- $30,000 per accident for bodily injury liability coverage
However, drivers often purchase more than the minimum coverage. If you have a valid claim, our attorneys are prepared to pursue the full value of your claim, up to the limits of the other driver’s insurance policy.
Our legal team has years of experience reviewing insurance policies to determine what may be covered and how much coverage is available.
Insurance Claims Against Uninsured/Underinsured Drivers
If you are injured in an accident with an uninsured driver, you may be wondering how your damages will be covered. Even if the at-fault driver has some insurance, it may not be enough to cover all of your damages. These are both valid concerns that should be discussed in detail with one of our experienced lawyers.
You may be able to pursue compensation for your damages by filing a claim with your own uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage. The required minimum by law is $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident for this type of coverage.
Insurance claims are often complex. At Phillips Law Group, we are well-versed in Arizona’s insurance requirements and welcome the opportunity to review your situation and determine your legal options.
Contact our offices at 602-222-222 to schedule a free consultation.
How Long Do I Have to Find a Lake Havasu City Car Accident Lawyer and File?
Arizona has a statute of limitations that limits the amount of time in which to file a car accident case. Generally, you have two years from the date of the accident and once that two-year deadline passes, you will likely be barred from court and unable to recover compensation for your damages.
However, no two car accident cases are the same. There could be exceptions that may extend or shorten this deadline. For instance, if an accident victim was unaware of his or her injuries after the crash, perhaps sustaining a traumatic brain injury that did not materialize until days or weeks later, the deadline may not start until the victim reasonably knew or should have known about the injury.
If the accident victim is a minor, the deadline may be extended to two years from when he or she turns 18 years old.
If you are unsure if your time to file has passed, we encourage you to contact a Lake Havasu City car accident lawyer at Phillips Law Group today.
Why You Should Seek Legal Representation
Obtaining legal representation often results in accident victims recovering more compensation. Our reputable attorneys have over two decades of experience representing clients in a variety of car accidents, including vehicle rollovers, rear-end collisions, side-impact crashes, head-on collisions, and more. We dedicate our skills and resources to try to ensure that our clients receive fair compensation or proceed to trial if necessary.
Should you have a case and decide to move forward, we are prepared to investigate the accident scene, gather the evidence needed to help prove negligence, determine the driver or drivers responsible for your injuries, and communicate and negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf.
How To Handle Questions From Insurance Agencies
After a car accident, you will likely be contacted by the other driver’s insurance company. The insurance company will ask you questions about what caused the accident and injuries. It is important to be prepared to answer these questions because what you say to an insurance agent could be used against you.
An insurance company’s bottom line is to save money. They are not looking out for the best interests of accident victims. The insurance agent will want to hear your version of events in hopes that you admit fault, apologize or say something that could be misconstrued in an effort to pay out as little as possible.
If you speak to an insurance agent, be honest and provide only the basic details of what happened. Do not make assumptions, offer opinions or provide information that you are not sure about. If you do not know how to respond to a particular question or do not fully understand what is being asked, simply say that you do not know. The last thing you want to do is say something that could devalue your claim or cause the insurance company to deny it altogether.
Delayed Injuries Following a Collision
Car accidents can cause serious injuries. Even if you feel fine immediately after the collision, it is important that you seek medical care in an emergency room or from your treating physician. Certain injuries may not appear until several days or even weeks afterward.
Delayed injuries can vary, but some of the most common include:
- Concussions — These happen during car accidents when the head sustains a blow. Although considered a mild traumatic brain injury, it can result in serious consequences if left untreated.
- Whiplash — When the neck snaps back and forth in a crash, whiplash can happen. The injury can extend to the neck’s nerves, joints, and muscles. Many symptoms of whiplash are the same as those of a concussion, including headaches, dizziness, and changes in sleep patterns.
- Abdominal swelling — Pain or swelling in the abdomen could be a sign of internal bleeding. If left untreated for several days after a crash, it could be potentially life-threatening.
- Back pain — Back pain could be a sign of sprains, strains, or herniated disks. It could also lead to a serious spinal injury if you start to experience numbness, tingling, or weakness in the area of injury.
- Emotional trauma — Some accident victims experience psychological issues, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This type of trauma can develop as a result of the accident or injuries. Changes in behavior and difficulty controlling emotions can also slowly manifest over time and may be related to a concussion or another head injury.
It is important that you see a doctor as soon as possible if you have experienced any of these delayed injuries. After receiving treatment, whether at Kingman Regional Medical Center or another area hospital, consider contacting our firm.
Call a Lake Havasu City Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Having our Lake Havasu City car accident lawyers guide you through the legal process can be an important part of your recovery. Phillips Law Group has represented more than 155,000 clients and recovered millions in compensation for accident victims throughout Arizona.
We know what it takes to build a strong case to pursue maximum compensation on behalf of our clients. There are no upfront fees, so we do not get paid unless you do. Schedule your free consultation today.
Get started by calling 602-222-222 or filling out our free online form.