If you or a loved one has been hurt in a motor vehicle accident with a driver who was street racing, you could be eligible to recover compensation from the at-fault driver and their insurer. Drag racing is a criminal offense in Arizona, and those who partake can be held liable for any injuries or property damage they cause in the process. Zanes Law is a Tucson personal injury firm that fights for the rights of injured victims. We can help you recover compensation for your car accident injuries.
At Zanes Law, our Tucson street racing car accident attorneys want to make the process easy for you. We believe you should focus on recovering from your injuries and not on all the minutiae to be done after an auto accident. That is why we offer a free case evaluation and come to you at your convenience. We also never charge a fee until we recover money for you. To find out more, call our injury lawyers for accidents caused by street racing in Tucson, AZ, today at (520) 777-7777.
Accidents Caused by Street Racing in Tucson, AZ
Any driver who engages in a drag race in the Tucson area is guilty of a criminal offense and can be held financially responsible for any damage they cause. According to Arizona legal code 28-708, “A person shall not drive a vehicle or participate in any manner in a race, speed competition or contest, drag race or acceleration contest, test of physical endurance or exhibition of speed or acceleration or for the purpose of making a speed record on a street or highway.” Violation of this statute results in a class 1 misdemeanor.
Drag racing is illegal for a simple reason: it is a highly dangerous activity in a public setting that substantially increases one’s chances of causing a serious accident with major bodily injuries. Zanes Law has helped clients recover damages for the following types of accidents caused by street-racing drivers:
Side-Impact (T-Bone) Collisions
Many street-racing accidents occur at intersections when the racer runs a red light or stop sign. Since the car in the street race is typically moving much faster than the car driven by the innocent person they hit, the victim’s car—and body—often sustains the brunt of the impact.
If you were hit from the side by a street racer who disregarded a traffic control device, Zanes Law will hold them accountable and help you collect money from them and their insurer.
Rear-End Collisions
Street racers sometimes strike other vehicles from the rear because they are going too fast or are too engaged in their race to slow down in time. A rear-end collision can lead to major spinal damage, broken bones, concussions, and a host of other serious injuries. Zanes Law will hold the person who caused those injuries accountable.
Head-On Collisions
Some drag races involve one driver taking the “suicide lane,” meaning against oncoming traffic. As you can imagine, such behavior is asking for a head-on collision, which can lead to catastrophic injuries and even death. Our attorneys will fight to hold the driver liable for this irresponsible and reckless behavior.
Other Drag Racing Accidents
The above list is far from comprehensive, as there are countless ways in which a street-racing driver can pose a danger to those around them. No matter how your accident occurred, if it involved a street racer, we can hold them accountable and make sure you recover fair compensation. To get started today with a free, no-obligation case evaluation with an injury lawyer for accidents caused by street racing in Tucson, AZ, at Zanes Law, call us at (520) 777-7777.
For a free legal consultation with a street racing accidents lawyer serving Tucson, call 866-499-8989
Choose Zanes Law to Fight for Your Rights in Tucson
Why choose Zanes Law to fight your street-racing car accident injury claim? Here is what you can expect when you work with one of our Tucson attorneys:
Aggressive Representation
Zanes Law aggressively takes on the at-fault driver and their insurer. While the insurance company may try to reduce or deny your claim, we will go toe-to-toe with them to make sure they pay you the fair amount you deserve for your injuries and property damage.
Immediate Help
Why wait days or weeks to secure the services of an experienced, skilled attorney? With Zanes Law, you can sign up in one call and be done with it, and your attorney will immediately get to work fighting for you.
We Come to You
After a car accident, you should be at home resting, not trekking across town to meet with a prospective attorney. At Zanes Law, our attorneys will come to you for a free case evaluation when and where it is convenient. That could be in your home, at your office, in your hospital room, or even over the phone.
Tucson Street Racing Accident Lawyer Near Me 866-499-8989
Count on Zanes Law to Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
Zanes Law takes on the insurance company and makes sure you get compensated fairly for your car accident injuries caused by a street-racing driver. Your settlement or award may include money for the following and more:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and inconvenience
- Loss of enjoyment of life
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The Arizona Statute of Limitations
In Arizona, car accident victims typically have two years to take legal action, though, this timeline can increase or decrease based on extenuating circumstances. Zanes Law will review your case and let you know what to expect. If necessary, we can file a quick lawsuit to keep your claim active.
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Serious Injuries From Street Racing Accidents
Street racing crashes tend to happen at high speeds since drivers are often in the middle of a race or other stunt driving. If you are in another vehicle or are an unknowing bystander in the vicinity of a street race, a speeding car can collide with you and result in serious traumatic injuries.
At Zanes Law Injury Lawyers, we take on street racing claims involving severe and catastrophic injuries, and some injuries we see firsthand include:
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injuries often occur in street racing accidents when vehicle drivers or occupants hit their heads during collisions. A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury, and even those that doctors classify as “mild” due to their initial presentations can have significant long-term effects. In the most serious cases, victims of traumatic brain injuries can have permanent cognitive, physical, or behavioral impairments that affect nearly every aspect of their lives.
Back and spinal cord injuries
The impact of a speeding car can cause a violent jolt to your body, and this can often result in injury to your back or spine. Back injuries can lead to chronic pain and the need for extensive rehabilitative therapy, medication, time off work, and possibly even surgery. Spinal injuries can involve herniated discs, fractures, or even damage to the spinal cord itself. Spinal cord injuries require hospitalization and can cause temporary or permanent paralysis for victims.
Fractures
Fractures are common injuries, so many people do not take them seriously. However, many fractures from high-speed crashes will need more medical treatment than the standard broken arm on the playground.
Some serious fractures include:
- Compound or open fractures, which need emergency surgery
- Fractured ribs or pelvis
- Fractured collarbone or spine
- Broken jaw, nose, or cheekbones
Even the simplest fracture needs medical attention, and recovering from more severe broken bones can be costly and keep you out of work for a long time.
Soft tissue injuries
While soft tissue injuries might not sound as severe as a brain or spinal injury, these conditions can cause serious pain and long recovery time. Sprains or strains of muscles, tendons, or ligaments can cause restricted motion and require ongoing physical therapy. Soft tissue tears often need surgery to repair, and they might limit your activities moving forward, such as playing certain sports.
Internal injuries
In many cases, victims of high-speed crashes suffer damage to their internal organs or might have abdominal hemorrhaging. The main problem with such injuries is that they are not visible to the human eye, so many people might have a delay in treatment. If you feel any pain or something out of the ordinary after an accident, always play it safe and get a medical evaluation to identify any possible internal injuries. Such conditions often require surgery and, without proper treatment, they can be life-threatening.
No matter what injuries you suffered and what treatment you received, you likely have a pile of medical bills from your providers. Combine these bills with any income lost due to missing work for your recovery, and your financial losses due to street racers can be extensive.
Our firm helps clients with a wide range of injuries, from strained muscles or dislocations to catastrophic conditions that change your life. Contact us to discuss your injuries and losses from your accident today.
Who Might be Liable for Street Racing Injuries?
When you think of liability for street racing crashes, you might immediately assume the speeding driver who hit you should be the one to blame. While this is accurate, there also might be other parties that share liability, such as street race organizers.
Often, these races or stunt driving events happen because someone or a group of people organized them. These parties can share liability if you can show that the race would not have happened if they did not play a role in organizing it.
Some evidence you might present to prove such liability is:
- Witness testimony, if you can find people willing to talk about how the organizers advertised and spread the word about the racing event
- Social media posts, emails, or other communications about the event
- Video surveillance footage or cell phone videos that indicate someone was in charge of the event
Further, in some cases, police officers will arrest those who organized the race, as well as the racers themselves. If the organizers receive criminal convictions, you can use that as evidence that they acted against public safety laws and should share in the liability for any harm that resulted. The same goes for individual drivers who receive criminal convictions for street racing.
Criminal Charges vs. Injury Claims
As mentioned, street racing crashes can result in arrests and criminal charges against reckless drivers and others involved. You might assume that the criminal cases will also take care of your losses, though you would be mistaken.
The criminal justice system does allow judges to order offenders to pay restitution for harm they caused, though the following are usually true:
- The restitution ordered is rarely close to the value of your full past and future losses.
- The chances that a defendant will be able to pay restitution might be slim, especially if they receive a jail sentence.
These reasons are why injured crash victims need to take their own action to recover the full compensation they deserve,
A street racing injury claim is completely separate from a criminal case, though there can be some overlap in evidence. First, your attorney will file insurance claims, which do not involve the court system at all initially. Often, when there is clear evidence of liability on the part of the street racing driver, an insurance company will offer to settle the case favorably without the need for court involvement. Your attorney can engage in negotiations to obtain a suitable offer directly from the insurance company whenever possible.
If you do need to escalate the matter to a lawsuit, you will not file it in criminal court but in civil court. Your claim will be seeking financial recovery for a civil wrong, which is different from a prosecutor seeking a conviction and penalties against an offender for a crime.
However, if there was a criminal case against one or more liable parties, your lawyer can use information from that case to prove your injury claim. When someone violates a law or regulation for public safety, they are automatically negligent and liable in the eyes of the law. A conviction of a crime is evidence of such a violation, so you would not need additional evidence of negligence if a conviction occurred.
Even if there was not a criminal conviction, you could still prove your injury claim since civil burdens of proof are significantly lower than criminal standards. Your attorney might be able to obtain evidence the prosecuting office has to help prove your claim.
What Is the Value of Your Street Racing Claim?
When you file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, you must demand a certain amount of compensation from the liable parties for your losses. You should never simply guess, as this can result in much less compensation than you deserve, especially if your injuries are severe.
Some people without legal help assume they simply add up their past medical bills and lost hours from work and seek that amount. This usually results in a demand that is far too low.
Consider:
- Are you still undergoing medical treatment for your injuries? How long will your treatment last, and how much might it cost?
- If you are still unable to return to work, how much more income will you lose? Will you be able to go back to your previous job, or will you need to take a lower-paying position or rely on disability?
- Did your injuries cause you physical or emotional pain and suffering? Did you suffer from PTSD or other mental trauma that required treatment?
- Are you experiencing permanent impairments, disabilities, or disfigurement from your injuries?
- Will your injuries prevent you from engaging in activities you loved, such as recreational sports or exercise?
All of these are legitimate losses that most people do not know are compensable. Further, they might have no idea how to go about calculating future or intangible losses.
In rare car accident cases, victims might also receive punitive damages. These damages aim to punish a wrongdoer, and case law in Arizona only allows such damages when the liable party acted with an evil mind.
In street racing cases, the racing driver knew they were putting others in serious danger with their unlawful conduct. Depending on the circumstances, some street racing claims might qualify for a punitive damages award.
One of the most important jobs of our legal team is assessing the value of your claim. We have no idea what a claim might be worth until we dig into the details of your injuries and their effects.
However, we represent many car accident victims and recover extensive settlements and awards for them, including:
- $1,320,000 after a drunk driver injured a young couple and their nine-month-old daughter
- $260,000 for herniated discs following a car crash
- $250,000 for knee and shoulder injuries from a rear-end crash at a red light
- $245,000 for a brain injury and herniated disc from a parking lot crash
- $210,000 for a high-speed rear-end collision resulting in severe back injuries
These, of course, are not guarantees of results in your case, but they demonstrate the dedication we have to helping car crash victims recover full compensation.
Do You Need a Lawyer for a Street Racing Case?
If you are like many accident victims, you may not be sure as to whether you need to retain an attorney to represent you. If the other party’s insurance company has conceded liability, it may seem like you can handle your case on your own and that retaining a lawyer will just cost you extra money.
The fact is that all victims of serious accidents should retain an attorney as soon as they can. Auto insurance is a business, and that business involves collecting premiums each month and paying out as little as possible when people make claims – and your claim is no different. The insurance company you are dealing with will do everything possible to pay you as little as they can to settle your case.
Some of the more common tactics auto insurers use to minimize settlements include:
- Misrepresenting your rights as a victim
- Making unreasonably low first offers
- Pressuring you to provide a recorded statement
- Advising you not to retain a lawyer
- Making an offer before you have a chance to seek legal counsel
Thankfully, an attorney who has experience handling auto accident claims can protect your rights and ensure that the insurance company doesn’t take advantage of you. In fact, once you have representation from a lawyer, your attorney will handle all communications with the insurance company, allowing you to focus on your recovery and ensuring you do not say anything that could hurt your claim.
Some of the specific ways that a lawyer can help you after a street racing accident include:
- Identifying all potentially liable parties
- Evaluating your economic and non-economic losses, including your pain and suffering
- Filing your claim paperwork and a demand letter
- Representing you in negotiations with the insurance company
- Filing a lawsuit on your behalf
- Representing you in court
Can You Afford a Car Accident Lawyer?
So, it’s pretty clear that you need an attorney after a street racing accident – but can you afford one? Lawyers have a reputation for being expensive, and taking on additional expenses after an unexpected accident may seem like a bad idea.
Fortunately, everyone can afford a car accident attorney. At Zanes Law Injury Lawyers, we use a contingency fee arrangement with all of our injured clients, which means we only get paid if we successfully secure a settlement or award on your behalf. Any legal fees that we collect will come out of your settlement, so you never have to pay anything out of pocket. This means that anyone can afford our car accident lawyers after a street racing crash injures them.
Call Today to Set Up Your Free, No-Risk Case Evaluation
The Zanes Law injury lawyers for accidents caused by street racing in Tucson, AZ, is ready to get to work for you today. We will help you recover the damages you deserve for your car accident caused by a street racer. Our attorneys will come to you when and where it is convenient for a free case evaluation. You will not pay us a fee until you recover money. To get started immediately, call our Tucson office at (520) 777-7777.
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