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One minute you’re commuting to or from the office, then suddenly your car gets rear-ended. This scenario happens to countless people around Arizona daily, yet not everyone involved in an accident knows what kind of damage they can collect. Compensation from a car accident can go far beyond getting repairs for your vehicle. You could collect damages for your injuries, pain, and suffering as well. This article will detail all the ways you can secure compensation for your car accident.
Were you the victim of a reckless or negligent driver? Then you may be entitled to car accident compensation, which is the money you can receive after suffering an injury due to the accident. Compensation from a car accident may cover anything from medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and beyond. The total amount you receive will be determined by factors like the severity of your injuries, the extent of the damage, and who is at fault.
Any person injured by a negligent driver in a car accident—including passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists—may be eligible to receive car accident compensation. If the accident leads to the death of a victim, their family members can still receive compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Arizona law requires all drivers to carry at least $25,000 per person in uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage and $50,000 per accident in underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage. This means that even if the negligent driver does not have insurance, you can still seek compensation from your auto insurance provider.
Wondering how the insurance company totals your accident compensation? First, the insurance company will calculate the economic damages for things like medical expenses, property damages, lost wages, and more. These damages are typically easier to calculate; however, they don’t cover all the suffering you have suffered.
The second part of the calculation is for the non-economic damages that are a little harder to determine. These things include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium. To calculate non-economic damages, the insurance company will assign a multiplier between 1 and 5 based on the case. This multiplier can be negotiated by your attorney to ensure you receive fair compensation.
1. Medical Costs
Car crashes have caused Americans to spend over a million days in the hospital according to the CDC. An accident can mean an extensive hospital stay, ambulance ride, various medications, appointments, treatments, and more. All of these can rack up quite the medical bill—something a car accident victim should not be responsible for. Don’t shy away from seeking compensation for any related medical expenses.
2. Property Damage
Car accidents can total a vehicle or at least leave some structural damage. Filing a car accident claim may include compensation to cover damage to your vehicle. This compensation could include towing fees and rental car expenses.
3. Wage Losses
A car accident can leave you with debilitating injuries, making it impossible for you to work. Just because you can’t work doesn’t mean your bills will suddenly stop. Car accident compensation may cover the lost wages you experienced as you recovered from your injuries.
4. Pain and Suffering
Car accidents don’t just harm you physically. They can take an emotional toll on you as well. This is especially true if a loved one perished as a result of the accident. Crash victims can recover non-economic damages that impacted their enjoyment of life, hurt their earning capacity, or caused them to lose companionship.
You deserve fair compensation after suffering injuries from a car accident—so how do you collect it? The first thing you should do is contact a personal injury attorney in Scottsdale. The next step is filing a personal injury claim with the at-fault party’s insurance provider. Your claim will have to prove:
To improve the odds that you receive fair compensation, you and your attorney will collect evidence of the accident, the other party’s fault, and the damages you suffered. You can accomplish this by gathering photos of the car accident, keeping any bills or related receipts, and seeking treatment for your injuries. You should also collect information from any witnesses and record how the accident impacted your life.
It’s not always totally clear who was at fault for an accident. There are times when both drivers’ actions may have influenced what happened. If you were responsible for part of the collision, you may still receive partial compensation. In Arizona, the comparative negligence laws allow an injured party to recover even if they are 99% at fault. However, the plaintiff’s compensation will be reduced by the amount for which they are at fault.
If you or a loved one was injured or passed away as a result of a car accident, you should reach out to our attorneys to secure full and fair compensation. Money won’t fix all the pain and suffering you’ve gone through, but it can help you and your family move forward. Our team of attorneys in Scottsdale and Phoenix knows how a car accident can disrupt your life—and we’ll fight for justice on your behalf. Our phone lines are open 24/7. Don’t hesitate to call us at (480) 725-2250 for your free consultation.