TucsonPersonal InjuryLawyers

A Tucson personal injury lawyer provides legal representation to individuals injured due to another party’s negligence or misconduct. These lawyers handle cases such as car accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, or workplace injuries. Their role includes negotiating settlements, filing lawsuits, and securing compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Our team of dedicated Tucson personal injury lawyers has a deep understanding of the complexities involved in personal injury law. We are committed to helping you and others who have suffered injuries due to others’ negligence.

Our extensive experience allows us to handle a wide range of personal injury cases, including:

• Tucson Truck accidents: Large trucks present significant dangers on the road and often result in serious collisions that a Tucson truck accident lawyer can help with.
• Tucson Motorcycle accidents: Riders are vulnerable in crashes and may sustain severe injuries from accidents with vehicles. If you’ve been injured, a Tucson motorcycle accident attorney can help you recover compensation.
• Tucson Pedestrian accidents: People on foot can be seriously injured if struck by a moving vehicle outside of crosswalks. If you’ve been injured as a pedestrian, our Tucson pedestrian accident lawyers can help you.
• Tucson Premises liability: Injuries may occur due to unsafe conditions, poor maintenance, or other negligence on someone’s property. If you’ve been injured due to someone’s negligence on their property, a Tucson premises liability lawyer can help you.
• Tucson Slip and fall injuries: Accidents caused by wet floors, debris, uneven surfaces, or other tripping hazards can lead to impacts. Our Tucson slip and fall lawyers can help you recover damages. 
• Tucson Bicycle accidents: Bike riders lack protection in shared roadways and may be hit by opening car doors or during collisions. If you’re an injured biker, our Tucson bicycle accident lawyer can help you.
• Tucson Swimming pool accidents: Drowning or impact injuries may happen when proper safety precautions are not taken around pools. A Tucson swimming pool accident lawyer can help you if you’ve lost a loved one in a drowning accident.
• Tucson Shooting injuries: Gun violence in public spaces can cause catastrophic physical harm or even loss of life. If you’ve suffered a gunshot wound, our Tucson accidental shootings attorney can help you.
• Tucson Worker’s Compensation: On-the-job incidents like falls, burns, or industrial accidents deserve compensation for lost wages. If you’ve suffered injuries at work, our team of Tucson workers’ compensation lawyers can help you.
• Tucson Product Liability: Defective or improperly designed items may injure consumers during normal usage. If you’ve suffered injuries due to a faulty product, our Tucson product liability lawyer can help you recover damages.
• Tucson Dog bites: Pets can turn aggressively, and their teeth easily cause puncture wounds or infected lacerations. Our Tucson dog bite lawyers can help you recover compensation if you’ve suffered a dog bite.
• Tucson Construction accidents: High-risk projects involve dangerous equipment, falling hazards, and more than warrant liability oversight. If you’ve been injured on a construction site, our Tucson construction accident lawyers can help you.
• Tucson Nursing home abuse: The elderly may experience neglect, malnutrition, or even intentional harm in long-term care facilities. If one of your loved ones has suffered abuse in a nursing home, our Tucson nursing home abuse lawyer can help.
• Tucson Wrongful death: Tragic incidents resulting in loss of life require answers and aid grieving family members left behind. If you’ve lost a loved one, our team is sorry for your loss, and our Tucson wrongful death lawyer is ready to help you.

No matter the type or complexity of your personal injury case, our Tucson lawyers are dedicated to providing you with personalized, effective legal representation. We believe in fighting for justice and helping our clients rebuild their lives after accidents and other personal injuries.

Zanes Law has been in business since 2003 and has a proven track record of successful case results. Our experience allows us to bring firsthand trial knowledge to your case. If you’ve been harmed due to someone else’s negligence or intentional acts, we can stand by your side throughout the legal process.

How We Help Clients Injured in Accidents

Our approach to each case must be individualized because there are many personal injury accidents. That said, we have a general strategy we implement when taking on your case. It’s our job to make sure you feel supported and that your claim, upon submission, defends your position and demands financial compensation. That’s why when you come to our team with your losses, we:

• Support your claim with evidence found at the scene.
• Reconstruct your accident to establish liability.
• Communicate with court officials and the defense on your behalf.
• Update you within 24 hours of new case developments.
• Negotiate your settlement after calculating your rightful compensation.
• Prepare you for discovery and time in court, as applicable.
• We operate on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t have to worry about the cost of hiring a lawyer.

During your initial case consultation, we can elaborate on our services and provide legal advice. When we accept your case, our Tucson personal injury attorneys will tailor our offerings to your needs and fight for compensation on your behalf.

Available Compensation in a Tucson Personal Injury Case

In a Tucson personal injury case, the goal is to help you by seeking compensation for the harm and losses you’ve endured. Understanding the types of damages available in your case is essential to pursuing the full value of your claim.

Here are some common damages you may be eligible to recover:

• Medical expenses: This includes all costs related to your medical treatment, such as hospital bills, doctor’s visits, surgeries, prescription medications, physical therapy, and future medical needs resulting from the injury.
• Lost income: If your injury has caused you to miss work or decrease your earning capacity, you can seek compensation for your lost income, including future earnings.
• Pain and suffering: These damages represent your physical and mental suffering. In Arizona, you can sue for emotional distress damages. This category may include compensation for pain, anxiety, depression, and the overall impact the injury has had on your quality of life.
• Property damage: If your personal property, such as a vehicle, was damaged in the incident that caused your injury, you can seek reimbursement for repair or replacement costs.
• Loss of consortium: These damages cover the harm your spouse endured due to your injury, such as loss of companionship, emotional support, and the inability to maintain a typical marital relationship.
• Loss of enjoyment of life: If you sustain a catastrophic injury, you may suffer various losses beyond physical pain and suffering. One such loss is the ability to enjoy life.
• Wrongful death damages: If your loved one has tragically passed away due to someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover damages for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and the emotional toll of losing a family member. Our team can help you recover a settlement for wrongful death if you’ve lost a loved one.

It’s essential to consult with an experienced Tucson personal injury attorney to evaluate the specific damages applicable to your case. One of our experienced lawyers will work to maximize your compensation by meticulously assessing your losses, gathering evidence, negotiating with the responsible party’s insurance company, and pursuing litigation if necessary.

Don’t hesitate to seek legal representation to ensure you receive a settlement or court award that fully addresses your injuries and losses.

Determining the Cause of Your Accident

Several parties can be liable for your personal injury accident. While your first thought may be to target a driver, a shop owner, or another individual with your lawsuit, that’s not always the best course of action. Sometimes, the liability for your accident lies with a larger entity.

It would be best to not let corporations or other institutions scare you out of legal action. These parties are as responsible for your well-being as an individual may be. You should, however, prepare to bring sufficient evidence to go up against a corporation or governing body.

Large businesses and government entities have legal teams; we’re ready to stand up to them.

Potentially Liable Parties

The parties we most often list in our personal injury claims include the following:

• Individual drivers
• Trucking companies
• Property owners and landlords
• Public entities
• Rideshare corporations
• Construction crews
• Businesses (small or large)
• Automotive manufacturers and mechanics
• Product manufacturers

When you bring your case to our office, we can follow the evidence and ensure your complaint targets the right party.

Arizona Time Limit for Filing a Personal Injury Claim

If you plan to bring a personal injury lawsuit, you must do so within the time allotted by the state of Arizona.

According to A.R.S. § 12-542, Arizona generally gives you two years to file your personal injury claim. That timespan may, however, be modified by the circumstances of your accident. For example, you have considerably less time to file if you want to hold a government entity liable for your losses.

You can discuss your filing deadline with one of our attorneys. However, it is in your best interest to get in touch as soon as possible, regardless of how the statute of limitations might impact your case. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can gather information to build your case.

What Should You Do Immediately After an Accident?

You must ensure you are safe and call first responders immediately after an injury accident. They can provide emergency medical care that you and your loved ones need.

Calling 911 allows you to report the incident to local law enforcement. They can also help you exchange insurance information with the other party if they are uncooperative.

Once you are out of danger, you should jot down the details of your accident. If you or someone with you is physically able to do so, take photographs of the scene and gather the names of nearby witnesses. This evidence will later help our team recreate your accident as necessary.

How Can a Consultation Help You?

During your free consultation, our Tucson personal injury lawyers will discuss the injuries you have sustained and the factors that contributed to them. We will evaluate the circumstances of your injuries, the medical services you’ve received, and the evidence we need for your case.

Throughout this process, we can also examine the following:

• The insurance claims we might create
• The estimated duration of the process
• Photos or videos of the accident scene
• Witness testimony
• Medical evidence

If you’re unsure whether you have a case, meeting with our Tucson personal injury lawyers will help us build one and determine how best to defend your position in negotiations and court (if your case goes to trial).

How Is Fault Determined in a Negligence Case?

When it comes time to assign fault in a personal injury case, we must consider negligence’s role in your losses. Both intentional acts and accidental negligence can lead to a person or institution being held liable for your losses.

To show negligence, you must assess a particular party’s behavior and establish the following components:

• The defendant owed you a reasonable duty of care.
• They breached that duty of care by not acting as a reasonable person would.
• You suffered an injury.
• You would not have suffered the injury had it not been for the defendant’s conduct.
• If you can establish with evidence that the party you’ve named in your complaint was, in fact, negligent, your case may move forward.

What Documentation Can Help Prove Damages?

Insurance companies and juries request documentation to prove you’ve sustained the losses you are claiming. With that in mind, you can provide the following documents:

• Information about your earnings, such as pay stubs or tax returns
• Complete medical diagnoses with the level of documentation necessary to know what you face in the future
• A log of your experience since the accident
• Receipts to show costs incurred for medical treatment
• Information about the valuation of the property that was damaged in the accident

Do You Need to Pay Tax on an Insurance Settlement or Award?

It is rare for you to have to pay taxes on a personal injury settlement. Fortunately, I.R.S. laws favor personal injury claimants. When your compensation stems from physical injuries, the only thing you may need to pay taxes on is punitive damages, which are rare in personal injury cases.

You should always consult with an accountant if you receive a settlement. Make sure to discuss your earnings long before tax season approaches so that you can prepare your finances accordingly.

Are There Any Limitations on Damage Recovery?

Arizona is one of the few states in the country that allows plaintiffs to recover for their injuries, even when they are the majority at fault. This means that you can recover damages for your accident even if:

• You suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash while not wearing a helmet.
• A car struck yours when you were making an illegal turn or speeding.
• You were not looking where you were going when you slipped while walking down a store aisle.

Don’t assume you don’t have a court case just because you may be held responsible for a percentage of your losses. Instead, talk to an attorney about comparative negligence and what compensation your accident might still entitle you to.

Will Your Case Go to Trial?

Your personal injury case may not go to trial, even if you begin the initial discovery process. While a court hearing can be useful, these processes also add more time and risk to the legal process.

Instead, your attorney will negotiate with the defendant and their insurance company while preparing for a possible trial. Because an insurance company must consider its bottom line, adjusters will likely become more open to negotiating as the court date gets closer.

What Determines if a Case Goes to Trial?

There are a few key factors that personal injury attorneys consider when determining whether a case should be settled out of court or taken to trial. These include:

• Liability of the defendant: Cases with clear evidence strongly establishing the defendant’s negligence and role in causing the incident have good prospects for settlement. Disputed liability raises trial risks.
• The severity of injuries: Defendants may fight less serious claims harder knowing a court award would be relatively small. Severe and permanent injuries improve settlement odds.
• Damages documentation: Thorough evidence supporting claimed economic and non-economic damages enables accurate settlement calculations and discourages trial gambles.
• Settlement negotiations: How far apart the plaintiff’s demand and the defendant’s offer are, along with a sense of the other side’s rigidity, indicates if both parties may meet at a compromise.
• Legal environment: Understanding the presiding judge and local jury pool tendencies regarding similar case types helps forecast trial uncertainties.

Our Tucson personal injury attorneys consider these factors in determining if pursuing a settlement or preparing for trial provides the best path to resolving a client’s case.

What to Do if the Insurance Company Offers You a Settlement

Don’t accept or decline a settlement offer without consulting with an attorney. Insurance companies often lowball their first settlement offer in hopes you’ll accept and sign away your right to additional compensation.

A personal injury lawyer in Tucson can evaluate the merits of your case and determine if the settlement offered properly reflects your damages. We will review all medical records, bills, lost wages documentation, and other evidence to perform an independent valuation.

We can calculate an appropriate settlement range based on your specific injuries, expenses, and future needs. An experienced attorney is familiar with past jury verdicts and knows the reasonable values for different types of harm.

If the initial offer is insufficient, we can send a demand letter to the at-fault driver’s insurance detailing the full extent of your losses, including long-term impacts, and request a revised offer that adequately compensates you for past and future consequences of your accident.

Factors that Determine the Worth of Your Personal Injury Case

There are several important factors that our attorneys consider when determining the value of a personal injury case. These include:

Damages Suffered

The economic and non-economic damages you have suffered have a significant impact. Economic damages encompass financial losses like medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle or property damage. Non-economic damages cover things like pain and suffering. Higher proven damages will increase a case’s worth.

Liability of the At-Fault Party

Strong evidence that the defendant violated their legal duty of care and directly caused the injuries through negligent or reckless conduct strengthens liability. Factors like intoxication in a vehicle accident increase the at-fault party’s negligence and could mean your case is worth more.

Severity and Permanency of Injuries

Cases involving more serious or long-lasting physical and psychological consequences from the trauma have higher settlement and award potential. Injuries resulting in permanent impairment, disability, or disfigurement justify increased compensation.

Our experienced Tucson personal injury attorney can accurately gauge a case’s defensibility, negotiate optimal value from insurance, or litigate compellingly in court by comprehensively analyzing each facet based on experience with settlements and verdicts.

Can You Afford a Tucson Personal Injury Attorney?

You can afford one of our lawyers for your personal injury case, even if you have nothing in your bank account. Our Tucson personal injury attorneys get paid on a contingency fee basis. That means there is no obligation to pay us unless we are successful in your case.

With Zanes Law, you never pay anything upfront or out of pocket. We won’t ask you for a retainer or bill you hourly. If you don’t win, you don’t owe us anything. If you prevail, your lawyer receives a percentage of your final settlement or jury award.

Whether you’ve suffered losses in an auto accident, a slip and fall incident, or another way, our personal injury attorneys in Tucson, AZ, are here to help. We can represent you throughout your recovery and help you hold the negligent party accountable for the harm they’ve caused.

Helping Clients Injured in Personal Injury Accidents

Because there are so many personal injury accidents, our approach to each case needs to be individualized. That said, we have a strategy we put into play when taking on your case. It’s our job to make sure you feel supported and that your claim, upon its submission, defends your position and requests financial support.

That’s why when you come to our team with your losses, we:

• Support your claim with evidence found at the scene
• Reconstruct your accident to establish liability
• Communicate with court officials and the defense on your behalf
• Update you within 24 hours of new case developments
• Negotiate for your settlement after calculating your possible compensation
• Prepare you for discovery and time in court, as applicable
• Operate on contingency to protect your financial future

We can elaborate on the services available to you during your initial case consultation for legal advice. From there, our Tucson personal injury attorneys can hone our offerings to your needs and prioritize your fight for compensation.

Examining Witness Reports

When you become our client, our Tucson personal injury lawyers will immediately create a list of witnesses and obtain detailed witness statements. We can interview these witnesses during the trial if our law firm does not obtain a settlement for you in negotiation.

We will highlight various sections of the reports that clearly describe the causes of your accident. We will emphasize the seriousness of your injuries, the negligence that increased the risk of your accident, and the reactions of people involved in the situation.

If certain witness statements contradict each other or seem incomplete, our attorneys may interview those witnesses again to get additional clarifying details. We’ll also review whether any witnesses have bias or reliability issues that could undermine their testimony. Overall, we do a comprehensive evaluation of all witness reports to identify those most useful in proving liability and damages for your case.

Furthermore, if important witnesses can’t be located, we may request help from an investigator to track them down. Our goal is to fully utilize all witness accounts to present the strongest possible case on your behalf during settlement negotiations or in the courtroom.

How do Lawyers Determine if a Witness Has Bias or Reliability Issues?

There are a few key things personal injury attorneys will look for to determine if a witness may have bias or reliability issues. Our Tucson personal injury lawyers look for:

• Relationship to parties: Witnesses with close familial or financial ties to the plaintiff or defendant could be biased in their favor.
• Inconsistent statements: Contradictions between a witness’s initial statement and any subsequent interviews or deposition raises credibility questions.
• The motive to lie or exaggerate: Witnesses with their stake in the case’s outcome, like other potential defendants, warrant extra scrutiny.
• Perception or memory issues: Witnesses who were impaired, not paying full attention, or long removed from the event could inaccurately recall details.
• Corroborating or non-corroborating evidence: Statements contradicting facts like timed records or undisputed injuries undermine reliability.
• Character or reputation: A witness’s general tendency to be untruthful or dishonest, as our Tucson attorney knows, could influence how their testimony is perceived.

Assessing Emotional Distress and Other Losses

In the wake of a personal injury accident, your losses can come in many forms. While property damage and medical bills are often part and parcel of the experience, you may also find yourself contending with non-economic or non-quantifiable losses.

These losses, including your post-accident stress and pain and suffering, can still make their way into your request for compensation. Personal injury attorneys in Tucson can refer to legal precedents to determine their economic value. Your insurance provider does something similar by adding a multiplier to the physical damages your claim notes that you endured.

You can add the value of your non-economic losses to your bills and fees to generate your desired accident compensation. So long as you have the evidence you need to back your claim, you have a chance of moving your request for that support forward.

Preparing You for the Legal Process

The civil process begins after you file a complaint with your local county clerk. How you choose to proceed from this point is up to you. If your injury complaint moves forward, you gain the right to summon your allegedly liable party to either a traditional trial or settlement negotiations. A personal injury attorney in Tucson can help with either.

Regardless of whether or not you’d like to pursue a trial, the defendant has the opportunity to bring forward arguments against your initial complaint. You can elaborate on those arguments during negotiations. In some cases, you may have to sacrifice some of your desired compensation to come to a resolution, but negotiations tend to resolve faster than trials.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, our team of Tucson personal injury lawyers understands that you may have several questions. Here are some of the most frequent questions we get from our clients:

What Happens If Someone Died in an Accident?

The families of accident victims can file a wrongful death claim against the party responsible for the death if it qualifies as wrongful death. There are two types of damages that families can recover after their loved one has died in an accident:

• What the family lost from their loved one’s death
• What their loved one experienced before they passed away

The family can receive payment for the lost wages their family member would have earned had they lived. They can also receive compensation for the loss of support from their loved one and their emotional trauma from the loss.

Arizona has a wrongful death law that dictates who has priority to sue. The rule of thumb is that the surviving spouse will always be the one to file the personal injury case. But if there’s no surviving spouse, the right to sue will progress down the deceased family member’s line.

Can I Get Medical Care Without Health Insurance?

If you have been injured in an accident and are uninsured, our Tucson personal injury lawyers can help you obtain medical care. We want to minimize your pain and suffering as much as possible. Our vast experience enables us to recommend medical centers and hospitals that offer services specific to your situation.

In turn, your receipt of medical care can help us establish evidence supporting your claims regarding the extent of your injuries. Not only do you get to recover fair compensation, but you can also protect your future request for compensation.

How Should I Deal With a Minor Injury?

If you sustain a seemingly minor injury in an accident, you should still contact the Tucson personal injury attorneys at Zanes Law. Certain injuries initially have minor symptoms that become more severe and impact an individual’s mobility.

Numerous medical reports show that certain seemingly mundane injuries eventually necessitate surgical procedures because the symptoms worsen within three months.

How Will Personal Injury Lawyers Evaluate Unsafe Conditions that Have Caused An Injury?

If hazardous conditions directly contribute to your injury, our experienced Tucson personal injury lawyers can review video footage as evidence showing unsafe conditions. We might analyze reports from people who witnessed the dangerous conditions and their effects.

We can also evaluate any negligence that might have caused your injury. If there were no warning signs indicating that you were in danger, the owner of the property you were on may be liable for your losses.

What Happens if Someone Died in an Accident?

Not every injury lawyer and client pairing is a great match. For starters, you need a lawyer with the experience and knowledge to handle your case.

The right attorney for you should be able to gather your evidence, address your witnesses, and regularly update you on the progress of your case. When you first schedule a consultation with our team, we can introduce you to our staff and make sure you have access to the professional representation that best addresses your needs.

Call Today After a Personal Injury Accident in Tucson

No two personal injury accidents look the same. Whether you’ve suffered losses in a car accident or after a slip and fall, though, Zanes Law’s personal injury attorneys in Tucson, AZ, are here to help. We can work with you throughout your recovery and help you seize the legal opportunities presented to you.

To learn how to begin building your personal injury suit, contact us online or in the office. We can discuss our services during your initial case consultation.