The term “personal injury” has to do with a situation in which someone has suffered physical or emotional injuries or has been killed in an accident caused by the wrongful or negligent acts of another person or party, and a “personal injury claim” is a civil claim brought by the person who was injured or harmed, in order to receive the financial compensation he or she is entitled to for that harm. In New River, virtually any type of accident can result in personal injury or wrongful death, including a car accident, a construction accident, a slip and fall, or a pedestrian accident, and Arizona personal injury law recognizes the right of injured victims to seek compensation when their injuries have been caused by the negligence or carelessness of another person or party. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a New River accident, don’t hesitate to get qualified legal help. Contact our team of knowledgeable attorneys at Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC today to discuss your legal rights and options for recourse.
Professional Personal Injury Attorneys in New River
No matter what type of accident you have been involved in, speaking with a knowledgeable New River personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the accident can significantly improve your chances of obtaining the maximum recovery you are entitled to for the injuries or harm you have suffered. A good attorney can not only help you review your claim, but can also collect evidence in support of your case and determine who is at fault for the accident, so that person or party can be held liable for your damages. Arizona’s personal injury laws make it easier for plaintiffs to win their cases than the laws in other states do, and as an injured accident victim in New River, you are in a good position to recover the damages you deserve by filing a personal injury lawsuit, even if you were partly at fault for the accident. You just need the expertise of a local personal injury attorney to help you win your case.
Accidents Causing Personal Injury
There are countless types of accidents in New River that can result in serious and catastrophic personal injury or wrongful death. Some of the most common cases our personal injury attorneys handle include the following accidents:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Train accidents
- Construction accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Premises liability accidents
- Dog bite accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
Types of Personal Injuries
Our personal injury attorneys have experience representing individuals who were injured in a wide variety of accidents in New River and across Arizona, as well as the loved ones of those killed in fatal accidents. Some common types of injuries that victims of New River accidents may sustain are as follows:
- Head and neck injuries
- Whiplash
- Concussion
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brain damage
- Loss of limb
- Broken bones and fractures
- Severe lacerations and bruising
- Internal bleeding
- Damage to internal organs
- Permanent paralysis
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Permanent disability
- Wrongful death
What to Do if You are Involved in an Accident
Being involved in a serious accident in New River can be devastating for you and your family, especially if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, and unless you are familiar with the personal injury process in Arizona, you may not know what to do or where to turn after the accident. There are steps you can take in the aftermath of any injury-causing accident in New River, to protect your legal rights and ensure that you have all the information you need to file a claim and prove your injuries. Whether you have been involved in a car accident, a motorcycle accident, a train accident, or any other kind of accident in New River, you should take the following steps to protect yourself and maximize your monetary recovery after the accident:
- Seek immediate medical care. Even if you don’t think you have sustained any serious injuries, you should see a doctor as soon as possible after the accident. Painful, potentially chronic injuries like whiplash, neck and back pain, or internal bleeding may not be immediately noticeable, and to avoid missing out on fair compensation for the injuries you have sustained, you should always have a doctor clear you after an accident.
- Keep a record of how the accident occurred and who caused it. If your accident was caused by another person, you should try to find out who is at fault. Call the police and request an official report, especially if someone else is to blame. Write down the contact information and insurance information for everyone involved in the accident, as well as the contact information for any witnesses.
- Talk to your insurance company. If you were involved in a car accident, review your auto insurance policy and report the accident to your insurance company. Your own insurance policy may come into play if the other driver is uninsured or if his or her coverage isn’t enough to adequately compensate you for your injuries and losses (uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage).
- Document your injuries. Any time you are injured in an accident caused by the negligence or carelessness of another person, company, government entity or party, it is imperative that you document your injuries so you can be fairly compensated.
- Keep track of your expenses. Serious injuries may require costly medical care and force you to take time off work, which can result in a crippling loss of income, not to mention the other expenses you may incur as a result of the accident.
- Hire an experienced personal injury attorney. The best way to protect your rights and improve your chances of recovering the compensation you are entitled to for your accident injuries and losses is to hire a skilled personal injury attorney who has extensive experience handling cases like yours in New River.
Seeking Compensation for Personal Injuries in New River
Once you have seen a doctor, documented your injuries and expenses, and hired a personal injury attorney to represent your case, you are ready to file a claim and hold the at-fault person or party accountable for your damages. In general, you may be entitled to the following damages for your accident injuries and losses:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Property damage
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
- Permanent disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Funeral and burial expenses
Unlike other states, where there is a limit on the amount of money an injured victim can recover in a personal injury case, Arizona has banned caps on damages in personal injury cases. That means you can receive the total amount of compensation awarded by the court.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?
In most personal injury cases in New River, the injured victim (the plaintiff) must prove negligence, meaning the at-fault person or party (the defendant) acted in a careless or negligent manner, thereby causing the injured victim to suffer harm. Successfully proving negligence in a New River personal injury case requires the expertise of an attorney who can establish the following four elements of negligence:
- Duty of care – The at-fault person or party owed you a duty of care to ensure your safety and avoid causing you harm,
- Breach of duty – The at-fault person or party failed to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing you harm and therefore breached this duty,
- Causation – The injuries you sustained were a direct result of the at-fault person or party’s failure to exercise reasonable care to ensure your safety, and
- Damages – You suffered damages as a result of the at-fault person or party’s negligence.
If your attorney can prove these elements, you have a much better chance of winning your personal injury case and recovering the compensation you deserve for your injuries and losses.
Arizona’s Law of Comparative Negligence
In some New River personal injury cases, the defendant isn’t the only one at fault, which is where things can get a little complicated. If you are partly to blame for the accident that caused your injuries, you may think that your contribution to the accident means you aren’t entitled to compensation. On the contrary, when it comes to personal injury claims, Arizona follows the law of pure comparative negligence, which allows injured victims to seek damages even if they are 99% at fault for the accident that caused their injuries. Under this law, the total amount of damages the injured victim is entitled to is simply reduced by his or her percentage of fault. For instance, if you are involved in an accident with a big rig in New River and you are found to be 40% at fault for the accident – because, while the truck driver blew through a stop sign and hit you, you were distracted and didn’t see the truck coming – the total amount of compensation you are entitled to for your injuries and losses would be reduced by 40%. There is one important exception to this rule – if you intentionally caused or contributed to your own injuries, you would not be entitled to any damages.
New River Statute of Limitations
Perhaps the most important thing to understand about pursuing compensation through a personal injury claim in New River is that Arizona law sets the statute of limitations, or the deadline to file a civil claim, for most personal injury cases at two years. That means you only have two years from the date of the personal injury or wrongful death to file a lawsuit against the at-fault person or party, or else lose your right to compensation altogether. Two years may seem like a long time, but the time will go by very quickly, especially if you are recovering from serious injuries, and in some cases the statute of limitations is even shorter than two years, so don’t wait to speak to a personal injury attorney after your accident.
How Our New River Attorneys Can Help with Your Claim
After being injured or suffering harm in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, it can be difficult to know the true value of your personal injury claim, especially when it comes to calculating non-economic damages, like loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and pain and suffering, but knowing what your claim is worth is the key to getting the money you need to get past the accident and move on with your life. Our legal team at Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC is committed to helping you get the full amount of compensation you are entitled to for your injuries and losses, either from the insurance company or at trial. We are familiar with the tactics insurance claims adjusters use to deny legitimate personal injury claims or offer injured victims low-ball settlements, and we will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to get you the compensation you deserve. However, if the insurance company refuses to offer you a fair settlement amount, we are prepared to take your case to trial to recover your damages in court. Our New River personal injury attorneys understand how physically, emotionally and financially devastating it can be to sustain serious injuries in an accident through no fault of your own, and we will work tirelessly to help you win your case and maximize your recovery.
Consult Our New River Personal Injury Attorneys
As an accident victim in New River, you have important rights, including the right to seek financial compensation if you have been injured or suffered some other kind of harm due to another person’s negligent or careless actions. However, if you are like most people, you probably aren’t familiar with the law in Arizona and therefore aren’t able to protect your rights and your best interests. Our New River attorneys at Personal Injury Attorneys, PLLC have years of experience representing clients in all types of personal injury accidents in New River and throughout Arizona, and we have a proven record of success when it comes to obtaining maximum recovery in personal injury lawsuits. Contact our personal injury law firm today to find out how we can help you and your loved ones.
