Reckless Driving Accident Lawyer in Phoenix

Reckless drivers violate the duty of care that is expected of all licensed drivers in Arizona. This means that you as the injured party (the plaintiff) have the right to seek recovery for damages such as medical bills, lost salary, pain and suffering, and other damages.

An injury lawyer for accidents caused by reckless driving in Phoenix works on a contingency basis only. You do not pay attorney fees unless and until we successfully get you the compensation you may be entitled to receive.

For a free, confidential consultation at your home or the hospital, please call Zanes Law at 866-499-8989

Reckless Driving Injuries Can Change Your Life

While car accident statistics focus on fatalities, they often do not grasp the impact of an injury on the life of an accident victim. Thousands of other people each year are injured in reckless driving accidents throughout the state. When someone suffers injuries in a car accident, it can uproot their entire life. Car accident injuries can keep them from working and enjoying life as they did before the accident.

Reckless driving can impact anyone at a moment’s notice. All it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time around the wrong driver. You and your passengers have no control over what some other driver on the road does, but it can change your life in an instant. Someone else with no regard or concern for your safety can cause you serious injuries.

In fact, reckless driving accident injuries can be far more serious than in the average car accident. When someone else is driving recklessly, you have far less of an ability to try to take defensive measures. Usually, you end up in a collision at high speed or when you least expect it. The other driver’s actions raise the danger level for you based on a choice that they made. You have no control over the situation. The other driver’s selfishness and lack of regard for anyone else can place you and your family in danger.

Types of Car Accidents Caused By Reckless Driving

When someone is driving recklessly, they have far less control over their car. They cannot respond appropriately to prompts on the road, and they will be far more likely to injure others.

Here are some types of collisions that can happen due to reckless driving:

Head-on collisions – drivers can be reckless by trying to pass on a two-lane road, hitting a car in the oncoming lane.
T-bone collisions – when a driver runs a stop sign or a red light, they can hit a driver on the broad side of their car, causing serious injuries.
Rear-end collisions – traveling at high speeds can cause a driver to miss the fact that a car in front of them has stopped or is traveling more slowly.
Sideswipe accidents – an overly aggressive driver making a lane change can fail to see a driver in their blind spot and hit them on the side, or they can misjudge a lane change.

Reckless Actions Are Worse than Negligence

There is a difference between negligence and reckless driving. Negligence can involve “garden variety” carelessness. It does not even require any thought. An absent-minded driver can be negligent when they do something, such as not checking their blind spot before making a turn or not seeing a stop sign. Drivers can be negligent and not intentionally set out to do so.

Reckless driving is not necessarily intentional, but the driver chooses how they act.

In Arizona, reckless driving is:

“A person who drives a vehicle in reckless disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.”

Arizona Law Punishes Reckless Driving

Someone makes a conscious choice in how they drive when they are reckless. Even if they are not intentionally trying to place other people in danger, they are deliberately doing something that can endanger someone else’s life or property, no matter what their intention is beforehand.

Reckless driving is a Class 2 misdemeanor. When someone is convicted of reckless driving, they will lose their driver’s license for up to 90 days. If they were convicted twice within 24 months, they will serve a minimum of 20 days in jail.Zanes Law Holds Reckless Drivers Accountable

Phoenix car accidents are devastating to your physical, emotional, and financial health. Your life changes in seconds because a reckless driver did not obey the rules of the road. You have already been injured. You should not have to continue to suffer with bills and expenses that you cannot afford.

Zanes Law has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Some of our results include:

$1.3 million for victims of a drunk driver who ran a stop sign.
$1.1 million for a motorcycle rider struck by a careless driver.
$250,000 for a client rear-ended by a reckless driver.

Your situation may have a different outcome. However, an injury lawyer for accidents caused by reckless driving will protect your rights and allow you to seek recovery if you qualify.

The Responsible Driver Should Pay for Your Injuries

Even though reckless driving is a crime, it does not deprive you of your right to a financial remedy from the driver responsible for your accident. While there are some connections between the criminal and civil process (see below), you can receive financial compensation even if the other driver is not charged or convicted for their actions.

If the driver is convicted, it does not get them off the hook from having to pay damages. It is entirely legal that they face two penalties for what they did. Even if they went to jail for the crime, they must still pay you compensation. Their insurance company does not get to avoid paying damages because the driver was reckless. Their policy covers reckless and even drunk driving, and it should cover your injuries in full.

If the Other Driver Gets a Ticket, It Can Help Prove Your Case

One thing that will help your case greatly is if the police come to the scene of the accident and charge the other driver with reckless driving. If the other driver received a citation or faced criminal charges, a conviction will help prove your case that they are to blame for the accident.

Negligence per se means negligence on its own, and you need no further proof. If you can show that the other driver broke a traffic law, it is proof of their fault. After that, you will have to prove that their wrongful actions were the cause of your injuries. Here, you will still need to show that the other driver’s reckless actions were the cause of your accident to receive payment for your injuries.

Understanding Compensation in a Reckless Driving Accident

An injury attorney for accidents caused by reckless driving in Phoenix will seek compensation for your injuries and damages. Zanes Law will file a claim against the liable driver’s insurance coverage, not the driver personally.

Arizona requires minimum insurance on all motor vehicles that drive on public roadways. These mandatory insurance levels include golf carts, motorcycles, and mopeds.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the state’s minimum levels of coverage are:

$15,000 bodily-injury liability for one person and $30,000 for two or more people
$10,000 property-damage liability

Hopefully, your injuries caused by the reckless driver are minor. You still deserve compensation. If you were severely injured, your health and ability to work can be forever altered. An injury lawyer with Zanes Law will work hard to get the compensation you deserve.

Please call our firm at 866-499-8989 to request a free, personal consultation at your home or the hospital.

Damages in a Reckless Driving Case

Your injury lawyer will negotiate a settlement with the insurance company. We do not recommend that you seek compensation on your own. Our firm understands Arizona’s liability laws and what kind of damages you be entitled to receive.

Here are damages that we have recovered for other car accident plaintiffs:

Medical bills, including co-pays, hospital bills, surgeries, medications, and outpatient treatment
Pain and suffering
Lost income
Loss of earning potential
Mental anguish
Property damage
Disability
Disfigurement or scarring
Loss of consortium
Wrongful death

Because reckless driving accident injuries tend to be more serious because of the speed involved, your claim may be higher than in other types of car accidents. This requires a lawyer to fight for you to get everything that you legally deserve.