Who Pays For Car Accident Compensation In Arizona?

There are different types of car accidents. But any one of them can leave you with a life-altering injury. It can take you months or even years to recover. Medical expenses can continue to mount. You may be unable to return to work, so you lose income. But the usual bills don’t stop coming in week after week, month after month.

It is your right to seek compensation, but it can be difficult to get. The Arizona car accident attorneys at  Israel & Gerity, PLLC have been helping car accident victims for years. We know how to navigate the complicated legal system to get you the compensation you deserve.

Arizona ‘fault’ insurance system

Arizona is a “fault” car insurance state. In general, this means that the driver who was at fault for the accident is considered responsible for paying the damages. Every driver in the state is required to buy car insurance with minimum liability limits:

• $15,000 per person for bodily injury liability
• $30,000 per accident when more than one person is injured in an accident
• $10,000 for property damage

However, these minimum amounts often aren’t enough to cover the true costs of an accident, so it’s a good idea to buy extra coverage.

There is also optional coverage you should consider adding. Medical payments (MedPay) coverage can give you additional compensation to help pay your medical bills, no matter who caused the accident. Collision coverage can help you pay the costs of repairing your car. And if you are injured in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, or a hit-and-run driver, UM/UIM coverage can help you pay the costs of medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.

Recovering compensation

When you’ve been injured in a car accident in Arizona, you have three options for recovering compensation:

• Filing a claim with your insurance company – If you were partially or fully at-fault for your accident, your insurance company can help pay the costs of the damages.
• Filing a claim with that at-fault driver’s insurance company – Be aware that the insurance company is only interested in settling with you quickly and cheaply. Their initial offer won’t come close to covering the true cost of your accident. Our attorneys know how to negotiate a better settlement that works for you.
• Filing a lawsuit against the at-fault driver – If the insurance company won’t settle, or insists you were to blame for the accident, we will fight them in court. Our legal team knows how to build strong cases that get results. A lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of the accident.

The state of Arizona uses a comparative fault rule. This means you could be found partially at fault for the accident, but can still collect damages. So if it is determined that you were 20 percent responsible for the accident, your damages would be reduced by 20 percent. As a result, if you settlement was worth $100,000, you would only receive $80,000 since you were 20 percent at fault.

Israel & Gerity, PLLC can challenge such claims and help you recover maximum compensation for your car accident. Call us at (888) 900-3667 to set up a free consultation. We’ll go over your options so you can make an informed decision on what to do next. Learn more about how we can help you.