Accidents happen in Gilbert and across Arizona every day, some of which are unavoidable, but when someone is injured or killed in a preventable traffic accident, premises liability accident or workplace accident and another person or a company is to blame, the negligent party should be held accountable for the losses that result. After any kind of accident in Gilbert, if you or a member of your family suffered an injury, property damage or any other losses, you will want to be informed of your options for recovering “damages,” or financial compensation from the at-fault person or party, and our legal team at Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC can help. Our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients in Gilbert and the surrounding area recover the compensation they deserve for injuries and fatalities caused by negligence, and when you hire our firm, we will put our personal injury expertise to work for you.
Knowledgeable Personal Injury Attorneys
If you were injured or suffered any other kind of harm because of the actions of another person or party, you have legal recourse to seek compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and suffering, and if you plan to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the negligent party, you need an attorney you can trust to handle your case and help you recover the full extent of your damages. The state of Arizona has laws in place that give injured victims the right to pursue monetary damages against negligent individuals and companies by filing a personal injury claim, and our legal team at Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC will fight for your right to fair and timely compensation, so you can concentrate on dealing with your physical and emotional injuries. Keep in mind that in Gilbert, your legal right to file a claim against the negligent person or party expires after a certain period of time, so don’t wait to hire our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys to represent your case.
Types of Personal Injury Accidents in Gilbert
Our skilled attorneys have experience handling all types of personal injury cases in Gilbert and throughout Arizona, and we can help you and your family recover the compensation you deserve for injuries and other losses resulting from the following accidents and more:
- Traffic accidents – Our legal team represents victims of motor vehicle accidents, including accidents involving passenger cars and trucks, commercial trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, buses and trains in Gilbert and the surrounding area.
- Workplace accidents – Workers in Gilbert have the right to be reasonably safe from harm when they are at work, but when unexpected accidents occur on construction sites or in the workplace, the consequences can be devastating or even deadly.
- Dog bite accidents – Dog owners are obligated to take reasonable care to prevent their dogs from attacking or biting others, and when a dog owner fails to do so and you are injured as a result, our attorneys can hold the owner liable for your damages.
- Premises liability accidents – Premises liability accidents can occur at any time and nearly anywhere – at the grocery store, in the mall parking lot or at a public swimming pool, for example – and when someone is injured because a negligent or careless property owner failed to repair or warn about a dangerous condition on their property, the injured victim may be entitled to compensation.
- Products liability – If a dangerous, malfunctioning or defective product causes you to suffer injuries at home, at work or in a public place, you may be able to hold the company that designed, manufactured, sold or marketed the product liable for your injuries.
- Personal injury – Individuals who suffer serious injuries because of the negligence, carelessness or recklessness of another person or company in Gilbert can pursue damages by filing a personal injury claim.
- Wrongful death – Our attorneys can help you pursue compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit if your loved one was killed in an accident caused by another person or party’s negligent or careless actions.
Examples of Personal Injuries
Personal injuries resulting from accidents in Gilbert can vary from minor scrapes and bruises to serious and catastrophic injuries that can change the course of the rest of your life. The following are some examples of the types of injuries that can be caused by accidents in Gilbert:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Head and neck injury
- Back injury
- Broken bones and fractures
- Internal bleeding
- Severe lacerations
- Permanent disfigurement
- Spinal cord injury
- Paralysis
- Amputation
- Permanent scarring
- Organ damage
- Permanent disability
- Sprains and strains
- Wrongful death
Seeking Compensation for Personal Injuries and Wrongful Death
Some of the injuries that typically result from car accidents and other personal injury accidents in Gilbert require hospitalization and/or costly medical treatment, and some accidents may also prevent victims from returning to work and earning an income, which can pose a considerable financial burden for victims and their family members. Others still are fatal, and while no amount of compensation will make up for the death of a loved one, filing a legal claim and proving negligence can help you hold the responsible party legally liable for his or her actions. Our attorneys strongly believe that no one should ever be made to suffer the consequences of another person’s carelessness or recklessness. Unfortunately, many of the accidents that take place in Gilbert and throughout Arizona occur because someone acted in a careless or reckless manner, with zero regards for how their actions might affect others, and when this is the case, the person who caused or contributed to the accident is legally responsible, or liable, for the victim’s injuries and any other losses stemming from the accident. Even if the negligent party’s actions were unintentional, if you suffer any injuries or lose a loved one, you may be entitled to damages for the following:
- Lost wages
- Past and future medical expenses
- Funeral and burial costs
- Property damage
- Emotional trauma
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of the ability to earn an income
- Loss of financial support
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship/consortium
In Arizona, there is no cap on the amount of damages you can receive in a personal injury or wrongful death case, which means you are entitled to the full amount of compensation awarded by the court for your injuries and losses.
Statute of Limitations for Gilbert Personal Injury Claims
When it comes to seeking compensation for personal injuries or wrongful death in Gilbert, Arizona has established a strict statute of limitations, which dictates the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit after suffering injuries or losing a loved one in an accident caused by negligence. Under this statute, you generally have only two years from the date of the injury or wrongful death to bring a claim against the negligent party or parties, or else lose your legal right to compensation. Any time you have been injured or lost a loved one in a Gilbert accident, your first course of action should be to contact an experienced personal injury attorney, because there are certain circumstances that can shorten the statute of limitations, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity to recover the compensation you deserve. For instance, if your claim is against a government agency or public entity, you may have only one year to bring a lawsuit, rather than two years, and only 180 days to file a Notice of Claim, which serves to notify the agency or entity of your intent to file a lawsuit.
Proving Negligence in Your Personal Injury Case
The concept at the center of most personal injury cases in Gilbert is negligence, a legal theory that can be loosely defined as the failure to use reasonable care, resulting in injury or harm to another person. In the state of Arizona, as in other states, individuals, companies, government agencies and public entities owe others a duty of care, meaning they are legally obligated to use reasonable care to avoid causing injury or harm. Any person or party in Gilbert who fails to act in accordance with this duty, thereby causing injury or harm to another, violates the legal standard of care, and this can give rise to a claim of negligence. Liability for negligence in Gilbert is not a criminal matter, but a civil one, and proving negligence in a Gilbert personal injury case means establishing these four key elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care,
- The defendant violated his or her duty,
- The defendant’s actions caused your injuries, and
- You suffered compensable damages as a result.
Understanding the Law of Comparative Negligence
Some states follow the law of contributory negligence, which prevents accident victims from recovering any damages at all if they contributed in any way to their own injuries, even if they are found to be only 1% at fault for the accident. Arizona, on the other hand, follows the law of comparative negligence, which allows injured parties to recover damages in a personal injury case even if they share blame in the accident. In fact, under Arizona’s comparative negligence law, an accident victim is entitled to damages for any injuries and losses sustained in an accident caused by another person’s negligence or carelessness, even if he or she is 99% at fault for the accident; the total damages award would simply be reduced by the injured victim’s percentage of fault. For example, if you are injured in a Gilbert construction accident and you file a claim against a negligent third party (i.e. an equipment supplier, another worker or any other third party whose negligence or recklessness caused or contributed to your injuries), and that party claims that you are partly to blame for the accident, Arizona’s law of comparative negligence would come into play. If you are entitled to $50,000 in damages and you are found to be 30% at fault for the construction site accident, your total damages award would be reduced by $15,000.
How a Skilled Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Personal injury claims often appear to be simple at first glance, and many people feel confident enough in their claim to pursue compensation on their own, without guidance from an attorney. However, there are many issues that can complicate personal injury claims in Gilbert, and if you move forward without the help of an experienced personal injury attorney, you could end up losing your case or settling your claim for less than you deserve. For instance, you may think that the insurance company handling your claim is on your side, but insurance companies have one simple goal in mind – to protect their bottom line and pay out as little as possible, and that often comes down to denying a legitimate claim, offering a lowball settlement, or dragging a claim out over a long period of time in hopes that the injured victim eventually gives up and settles. At Personal Injury Attorneys PLLC, we believe that injured victims and their loved ones should be adequately compensated for the losses they have suffered due to someone else’s negligence, and we will go above and beyond to help you recover the compensation you are entitled to, whether that means negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf or taking your case to trial. Our personal injury attorneys are experienced in all areas of personal injury law and we can help you navigate the legal process of pursuing damages through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit in Gilbert.
Contact Our Gilbert Personal Injury Firm Today
Whatever the cause of your injuries – an unrestrained dog that bit you, a motorist who sped through a red light and hit you, or a falling object on a construction site that struck you – your right to compensation depends on your ability to prove that someone else was negligent. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident in Gilbert due to the negligence or carelessness of another party, you may be able to recover damages for the medical expenses, lost wages and other losses you incurred as a result of the accident. Our skilled car accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys have represented clients in Gilbert and the surrounding area for years, and we are committed to helping injured victims and families harmed by the negligence of another party hold that party accountable for their misconduct. Contact Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC as soon as possible to find out how you can recover the monetary damages you deserve for your Gilbert accident injuries and losses.
