Single Vehicle Car Crashes In Arizona


How To Proceed When You Didn’t Collide With Another Vehicle

Our Mesa, Arizona Personal Injury Team Discusses How to Proceed When You Didn’t Collide with Another Vehicle. Read on to learn more regarding car crashes in AZ.

Your primary concept of a car crash is probably one that involves more than one vehicle, but approximately 18% of car crashes in Arizona in 2020 were single vehicle accidents. However, single vehicle crashes accounted for about 32% of fatal car crashes in 2020 in Arizona. It may seem like in a single vehicle accident, the driver is always at fault, but this isn’t always the case. If you’ve been in a single car accident, you still should have your case reviewed by a personal injury attorney in case anyone else was at fault, and potentially liable for your damages.

How To Proceed When You Didn’t Collide With Another Vehicle In Arizona

Avoiding Another Driver

Sometimes, a single vehicle crash occurs because the driver is avoiding an accident with someone else who was driving recklessly or negligently. For example, if you are driving off the road, and someone is coming towards you driving in the wrong lane, you might swerve off the road and hit a tree or sign rather than be in a head on collision. These situations are unfortunate because not only did you get in a car crash because of someone else, but it can also be hard to track down the person at fault if they drive away from the scene. If you don’t remember any details about the vehicle, you can check nearby intersections and businesses to see if they have surveillance footage of the accident.

Defective Vehicle

Another reason you might get in a single vehicle accident that isn’t your fault is because there was a defect with your vehicle. For example, if your brakes or steering suddenly go out, you could end up colliding with something besides another vehicle. However, the issue needs to have come about unexpectedly- that is, it shouldn’t be a mechanical problem you were aware of but had procrastinated going to the mechanic. The same logic applies if you ignored a manufacturer’s recall for the part of your vehicle that malfunctioned.

Unreasonable Road Conditions Or Road Hazard

If the road you were driving on during your car crash was negligently maintained, you might have a claim against the municipality responsible for maintaining those roads. This type of argument will only prevail if you were driving extremely carefully, if the road conditions were truly that dangerous. You should retain an experienced injury attorney if you plan to initiate a claim against a local municipality for negligent road maintenance. Another consideration to remember here is that while the statute of limitations for an injury claim is typically 2 years from the date of the accident, many local municipalities have shorter statutes of limitations, such as 6 months. If you were in a single vehicle accident due to unreasonable road conditions, you should be consulting with injury attorneys as soon as you can after your accident.

Personal Injury Claim Damages In Arizona Auto Accidents

If you’re unfamiliar with the personal injury process in general, you might not know what types of damages you can pursue in your claim. Of course, many of these will be dependent on your case’s specific facts.
Damages that you can collect in a personal injury claim include:
  • Medical expenses:

    If someone is responsible for your accident and injuries, they are liable to pay your medical bills stemming from the accident. If your health insurance paid for your medical expenses, they will need to be compensated out of your award through a process known as subrogation.

  • Future medical expenses:

    If your injuries are serious, you may need medical treatment well beyond the 2-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. This type of damage can be extremely complicated to calculate. You will need to figure out your approximate lifespan and confer with potentially several of your medical providers to estimate the cost of your future care.

  • Lost income & wages:

    If you have to take off work to attend doctors’ appointments and recover from your injuries, you could be entitled to recover your lost wages in a personal injury claim. This can be more difficult to estimate if you don’t have a set salary or you run your own business.

  • Lost earning potential:

    Your injuries could be serious enough that it will prohibit your ability to advance in your career. If so, you can be compensated accordingly in your personal injury claim. You may also need education or training compensation so that you can embark on a new career path that isn’t impeded by your injuries.

  • Pain & suffering:

    Serious injuries from an accident will cause pain, stress, trauma, and inconvenience in your life. Pain and suffering is damage that includes the broad range of pain and emotions you will experience due to your injuries. It is usually calculated by summing up the rest of the damages described above. That sum will then be multiplied by a number that is based on how severe your accident and injuries were. This number is typically between one and five.

What To Do After a Single Vehicle Crash In Arizona

Obviously, the first thing you should do after any car accident is assess yourself, determine if you need emergency services, and get your car and yourself somewhere safe. If another driver who contributed to the accident pulls over, exchange insurance information with them. If they don’t stop, try to take a picture or mental image of their vehicle and license plate number. Therefore, if there is any property damage, you should try to locate the property’s owner to notify them. Take pictures and/or videos of the accident scene.

In some instances, the police may come to the scene of a single vehicle crash. If someone else on the road driving negligently caused your crash, you can let the police know if they issue a police report. You may want to visit a doctor for a medical exam even if you don’t feel injured, as some injuries such as whiplash can take weeks or even months to appear. And while this may already sound like a lot on your plate, you should consider consulting with personal injury attorneys in your area. If you have a viable claim, they will handle all the legal aspects of it on your behalf and only get paid if you win.

Arizona Injury Attorneys With Great Results & Low Prices

Succeeding in a personal injury claim after a single vehicle crash can be highly complicated and difficult. You will need an attorney who has experience in specialized issues, including bringing claims against public entities. Our Arizona injury attorneys have just that, and have spent several years helping our clients achieve ideal outcomes from their personal injury claims.

You may be wondering, with all the expenses you’ve been incurring after an accident, how exactly you’re expected to pay for a personal injury attorney on top of it. The good news is that at My AZ Lawyers, and at many other personal injury firms, you can pay on a contingency basis – your lawyer gets a set percentage of your award, but only if you obtain a settlement or win your case. And while many of our competitors will take 33% or more of your final award, our Arizona Injury Lawyers, charge a guaranteed discount rate of 25%! Get started today with your free consultation using our online form or by calling 602-600-6001.

Learn More About the Arizona Injury Attorneys 25% Injury Lawyer Advantage.

Mesa Injury Lawyer

1731 West Baseline Road Suite #103
Mesa, AZ 85202

Tel: 602-600-6001
Enail: [email protected]
Website: injurylawyersmesa.com