As the owner of Zanes Law, Doug Zanes is proud that his team of car accident lawyertestimonialss in Tucson helps injured people every day. These accident victims hire us to fight for them. In turn, we gather evidence to support click to contact of liability. We protect you from intimidation.
Above all else, we fight for the financial compensation you deserve after a car accident. But what does it take to begin the legal process after a car accident, though? Our team can walk you through the process of assessing your scene and building your initial complaint.
Our Car Accident Case Results
When you work with our team, you benefit from our combined eighty years of professional experience. Our Tucson, AZ, car accident lawyers have won our clients settlements of up to $265,000 for their car accident injuries. Our testimonials speak to our ability to serve our clients by addressing insurance claims, stubborn defendants, and even catastrophic losses.
If you have questions about what your car accident case may look like, you can schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys. We can assess your accident, help you estimate the value of your losses, and prepare you for the complexities of a civil car accident trial.
For a free legal consultation with a car accidents lawyer serving Tucson, call 866-499-8989
The Forces Behind Today’s Car Accidents
Every auto accident is unique. There are, however, common forces that often see drivers left to contend with significant personal injury or property damage. These including:
- Distracted driving
- Unsafe road conditions
- Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
- Malfunctioning vehicles
- Road Rage
You need to address the evidence found at the scene of your accident if you want to determine which of these forces contributed to your losses. Viable evidence can include physical signs of distress, damaged property, and behaviors brought forward in police reports.
For example, if you are involved in a car accident due to dangerous road conditions, document the scene to support your claim for compensation. Take photographs and videos of unsafe conditions, such as potholes, debris on the road, or poor lighting.
Because you need evidence to establish liability in a civil car accident case, it’s best to follow the symptoms of damage at the scene to their natural cause. Once you have all the appropriate evidence in hand, you can more effectively claim that a particular party violated the duty of care owed to you.
Tucson Car Accident Lawyer Near Me 866-499-8989
Reacting to a Car Accident
After you’ve had professionals look at your injuries and contact the police, it’s time to think about your legal approach to your car accident. You have a limited amount of time to gather some forms of evidence, as city clean-up and law enforcement can start to clear your scene within hours of your accident.
This is where car accident lawyers in Tucson distinguish themselves. Our attorneys take on the pressure of legally responding to a car accident for you. While you focus on recovering, we gather evidence to back your assertion of liability. We can even file a legal complaint while you’re still receiving essential medical care.
Above all else, we never force you to contend with an insurance adjuster alone. Adjusters are eager to use your shock to later hold certain words against you. If you’re not careful, you may talk yourself out of certain forms of compensation or even your right to legal action. Instead, let our team stand with you when you contact your insurance provider.
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Our Team Tackles All Elements of Your Car Accident Complaint
When you bring your post-car accident concerns to our team, we work through your losses together. We specialize in:
Naming Parties Liable for Car Accident Losses
In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, it’s natural to want to lay blame on one of the drivers on the road with you. While other drivers can be liable for your car accident, we follow the evidence. There are other parties that can be held liable for your losses, including:
- Corporations
- Automobile manufacturers
- Small businesses
- Tucson government officials
- Construction crews
- Trucking agencies
You can hold corporations like Uber and Lyft liable for your losses if you’re hit by an on-duty driver. You can do the same if you’re hit by a business’s vehicle, so long as you can prove that the driver in question was on the clock. Our team can help you assess the other driver’s circumstances and bring forward evidence to support your claim in court.
Estimating Your Car Accident Compensation
After questions of liability come questions of compensation. What kind of settlement should you look for after a car accident? Ideally, you’ll want one that covers the full cost of your losses. In most cases, the settlement you estimate in your initial car accident complaint can include:
- Damage done to your car and other personal property
- Medical bills related to essential post-accident car
- Ambulance fees
- Medical aids needed to restore your previous quality of life
- Cost of transport to the doctor’s office
- Lost wages or opportunities for employment
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and/or PTSD
- Wrongful death and the cost of a funeral/essential care
- Loss of consortium and/or companionship
Left-turn car accidents can be particularly devastating because they often occur at high speeds and can result in severe injuries or fatalities. If you survived the crash, we can help you recover compensation for accident-related losses. We also extend our legal services to surviving family members of deceased victims and offer to help ease the financial burden.
You can discuss which forms of compensation you can include in your case with our team.
Filing Your Complaint Within State Deadlines
If you want to take legal action after a car accident, you have to do so within Arizona’s state deadline. A.R.S § 12-542 permits all injured parties to take legal action within two years of the day their accident occurs. Your complaint must be on the desk of the county clerk within that two-year period if you want a court to consider your losses.
Failing to file your car accident complaint within this deadline denies you the right to legally pursue compensation for your losses. While you may receive some financial support from your insurer, you cannot request that the party allegedly liable for your accident take on your financial burden.
With that in mind, get in touch with an attorney as soon after an accident as you can. The faster you get in contact with our office, the faster we can submit a complaint on your behalf.
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The Rights Allowed to You By a Car Accident Complaint
When you file a civil car accident complaint, you request the right to address a liable party through a lens approved by the state judicial system. There is more than one way to go about this. Should a court approve your claim, you can choose to either pursue your settlement through negotiations or a civil trial.
More specifically, an approved complaint allows you to summon the allegedly-liable party to talks. You need to inform the named party that you intend to act against them and allow them, in turn, to respond to your concerns. Parties who ignore you can have their right to a response waived. However, parties who answer can contest the compensation you’ve requested.
Car accident settlement negotiations are not superior to trials or vice-versa. Rather, these options exist so that both you and the defendant can come to a satisfactory agreement in the conditions that suit you. You can discuss which process might suit your losses best with one of our car accident attorneys in Tucson, AZ.
Get to Know Our Team
Our personal injury attorneys have recovered tens of millions of dollars for our clients. Our efforts have helped clients who have been in automobile accidents that have left them with medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. We strive to offer you the same comprehensive services when you come to us after your auto accident.
From your initial consultation to the end of your trial, you can count on our team to:
- Identify evidence that can support your case
- Use evidence to craft the narrative of fault in your accident
- Communicate with the liable party on your behalf
- Prevent intimidation attempts from the defense and/or an insurance provider
- Prepare you for discovery and settlement negotiations
- Represent your best interests before a judge and jury
Above all else, Zanes Law does not contribute to your post-accident financial strain. We operate on contingency. You can look over our contingency fee agreements during your initial consultation. Upon signing, we can work with an area court to secure a percentage of your settlement – but only if we win your case. Win or lose, you’ll never have to write us a check!
Call Zanes Law for Car Accident Guidance Today
Doug Zanes has been practicing law since 1997. He began practicing law because he wanted to help other people. Nowadays, Zanes Law Injury Lawyers uphold that original goal. When you come to us after a car accident, a car accident lawyer in Tucson, AZ, can fight to get you back on your feet.
If you’d like more information about what a Zanes Law attorney can do for you, you can contact us over the phone or through our website. We can schedule your initial case consultation and answer any questions you may have about Arizona’s civil processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Most Dangerous Roads in Tucson?
What Are Some Risk Factors on Roads Near Tucson?
Why Is Medical Care Critical Right After an Accident?
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a Car Crash in Tucson?
What Happens if the Other Driver Violated the Law?
What Is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident?
How Much Is My Car Accident Worth?
Doesn’t the Insurance Company Have to Pay Me What I Deserve?
What Happens When You Receive a Settlement Offer?
How Long Will My Car Accident Case Take?
What Happens if I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Does Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit Guarantee a Trial?
Will I Have the Money to Pay My Attorney?
What Are the Most Dangerous Roads in Tucson?
I-19 between Tucson and Nogales regularly makes several of the country’s most dangerous road lists. It ranks 19th overall in the U.S. in terms of fatalities per mile. Because the road doesn’t always have barriers between its lanes of traffic, many drivers end up driving on the wrong side of the road on their way to and from Phoenix.
It’s not only roads that pose a danger to Tucson locals, though. The most dangerous intersections in Tucson, according to the American Automobile Association, include:
- Alvernon Way & Grant Road
- Grant Road & Swan Road
- Golf Links Road & Kolb Road
- Broadway & Wilmot
- 22nd Street & Kolb Road
While the city government is trying to make these intersections safer to navigate, environmental factors only contribute to a portion of the area’s car accidents. You can discuss whether an intersection or another driver’s behavior bears the most blame for your losses during your initial case consultation.
What Are Some Risk Factors on Roads Near Tucson?
Desert roads present challenges for drivers. While you can’t control other drivers’ behavior behind the wheel, you can keep an eye out for:
- The long stretches of straightaway roads that can dull drivers’ reflexes
- Overconfident motorists driving recklessly on isolated roads
- Motorists unprepared for urban congestion
- Distracted driving on long stretches of desert road
- An excess of trucks near manufacturing centers
Why Is Medical Care Critical Right After an Accident?
Even if you do not feel injured, it is always a good idea to get checked out after your accident. Early treatment can detect damage that you’re not aware of while also establishing the extent of your medical losses. You can subsequently document your visit to medical services and use the gathered information in your legal case.
The insurance company is always going to be looking for an excuse to pay you less or not pay you at all. One thing they may raise is that your injuries did not come from your car accident. The longer you wait after an accident, the more it gives them the opening to challenge your injuries.
Similarly, immediate medical care helps you establish a paper trail regarding your losses. Ask your provider to share detailed documentation of your injuries to elaborate on the extent of the damages. You can then reference this paperwork when estimating your possible compensation.
How Long do I Have to File a Lawsuit for a Car Crash in Tucson?
Arizona outlines its statute of limitations in A.R.S § 12-542. If you fail to file your lawsuit within this statute of limitations, you can lose your right to legal compensation.
The statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Arizona is two years. However, you should not take all that time to get the process started. You should have a lawyer well before then because it takes time to investigate and prepare your case. You will also want to allow some time for negotiation with the insurance company before you file a lawsuit.
Is Arizona a No-Fault State?
Arizona is not a no-fault state. This means that you must prove that someone else was responsible for your crash to receive compensation for your injuries. It does not mean that you are completely barred from recovery if you were to blame for the crash so long as the other driver bore some responsibility for the crash.
Sometimes, fault may be clear, like if one of the drivers ran a red light. In other cases, it may be more difficult to establish, and a thorough investigation may be required. Once fault is determined, the responsible party may need to pay for damages and injuries you incurred.
That said, an insurance company or a court may apportion blame in a car crash. Each one of the drivers can recover for the portion of the crash that was not their fault under Arizona’s contributory negligence policy. For example, if you suffered $100,000 in damages and you were 20 percent responsible for the crash, you could recover $80,000.
What Happens If the Other Driver Violated the Law?
In most civil car accident cases, you need to prove that another party’s negligence contributed to your losses. However, a misdemeanor conviction after a car accident can serve as proof of negligence. These charges tend to indicate that a driver engaged in some manner of unreasonable behavior, include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Texting while driving
- Making an illegal turn
This is why it is so important to get a police report after the accident. While you can’t use the police report in your case, you can use evidence of a ticket to argue that negligence contributed to your losses.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident?
When you come away from a car accident, you’re left with questions regarding your health and your upcoming bills. Instead of asking how much the average car accident settlement might net you, though, consider the question of financial support from an individualized perspective.
For example, your car accident could have been much more serious than the average crash. This means you could have suffered more losses. In turn, the settlement you can fight for is going to be more substantial than the one someone in a fender bender might request.
To determine the value of a possible car accident settlement, schedule a consultation with a Tucson car accident lawyer. We can calculate your non-economic and economic losses and then present you with an idealized compensation to shoot for.
How Much Is My Car Accident Worth?
The worth of your car accident depends entirely on the damages you suffered. Your case could be worth tens of thousands of dollars or millions, depending on the severity. Usually, high settlement checks apply to the most serious cases.
You have the right to receive payment for everything that you lost in the accident. This could include your health and your paycheck. Here are some of the elements of personal injury damages:
- Lost wages for time missed from work and a reduction in your earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Medical costs
- Emotional distress
- Wrongful death if your loved one passed away from their injuries
There may be damages available to you that you’re unaware of. Unfortunately, if you do not fight for these damages, you will not get them. Our team, however, will explore all possible avenues through which you can receive compensation when you come to meet with our team.
Doesn’t the Insurance Company Have to Pay Me What I Deserve?
You have a legal right to receive full compensation for your accident injuries. The core concept of personal injury law is that someone else must pay you when their negligent actions harm you.
However, the insurance company does not make this easy for you to request financial support. They think that by making you fight for every penny, you may accept less and be grateful for it. Don’t let that become your way of thinking. Be ready to fight the insurance company. At Zanes Law, this is why we come to work every day.
As a claimant, you must prepare for a difficult process to get your money. You may have to go to court to get what you deserve.
What Happens When You Receive a Settlement Offer?
Getting a settlement offer isn’t always a relief. If the settlement offer you receive is worth far less than you were expecting based on your own estimated compensation, the offer can feel like a slap in the face.
Fortunately, our team reviews any settlement offers you receive while using our service. You, like many other victims before you, are likely to reject your first settlement offer. Insurance companies know this! Afterward, we can work with you to draft a demand letter elaborating on the evidence you have asserting your right to additional support.
You can expect this process to be lengthy, even if your case never goes to trial. We’ll stand with you every step of the way and prevent an insurance company from trying to trick you out of your right to both compensation and legal action.
How Long Will My Car Accident Case Take?
It is impossible to know how long your car accident case will take to resolve. Most of it is out of your control. Your attorney would need to investigate and gather the evidence needed to support your claim before they file it. Then, the insurance company does their process, and that could take months.
While the average case settles in just under a year, your case may be far from average. Complicating factors could add to the standard unreasonableness of the insurance company. When you work with our team, though, we’ll keep you updated as to developments in your case and ensure you have access to the information you need to comfortably proceed.
What Happens If I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Many cases settle at the claims stage. Claimants, in turn, never become plaintiffs because they do not have to go to court. However, if the insurance company denies the claim, or they simply will not be reasonable in settlement negotiations, you may have no choice but to file a lawsuit.
This can be a lengthy process that could take up to two years to unfold. However, it will not automatically result in a trial. Instead, you can discuss your roads to compensation with a member of our team.
As we file a legal complaint and engage in discovery, we can also continue to arrange meetings with the defense. As such, we can continue to discuss settling outside of court even as you sit for a deposition. In short, we’ll work within our means to provide you with the legal experience that best suits your goals.
Does Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit Guarantee a Trial?
Filing a car accident lawsuit does not guarantee a trial. While many people associate a court case with a courtroom trial, that is actually a very rare outcome for legal action. The overwhelming majority of cases settle before they reach a trial, even if you already filed the complaint.
Will I Have the Money to Pay My Attorney?
You might assume that, in light of the bills related to your car accident, you can’t afford to pursue legal action against a negligent party. This is not the case.
Zanes Law Injury Lawyers operates on contingency. This means that you will never need to write our firm a check. Instead, when you first meet with our team, you can sign a contingency fee agreement. This agreement states that our firm will receive a percentage of your proceeds should you receive compensation for your accident.
To put it another way, we only receive compensation for our services if we win your case. You do not need to borrow money to afford our services. Instead, you can learn more about our contingency fee agreements during an initial case consultation.
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