Cars remain most peoples’ primary mode of transportation in the United States. This means that there are massive numbers of cars on the roads in Mesa and throughout the state of Arizona at all times. Unfortunately, this also means that it is almost inevitable that two cars will eventually collide. These collisions can often cause severe injuries.
If you were injured in an auto collision due to another person’s careless or reckless driving, an experienced personal injury attorney could help you pursue a claim for damages. A Mesa car accident lawyer could gather all possible evidence from the accident scene, meet with doctors and hospitals to determine the full-extent of your injuries, and demand fair payments from the at-fault party needed to make you whole again.
Determining Fault After a Motor Vehicle Wreck
Most collisions between cars are accidents. This means that neither driver intended to cause any harm. Nevertheless, harm did result from one or both parties’ negligence. Despite the fact that neither party intended to cause any harm, the laws say that responsible defendants must still provide payments for any damage that they cause.
To determine whether a party is to blame, Arizona state law require courts to use the concept known as pure comparative negligence. Under A.R.S § 12-2505, this means that juries must assign fault for an accident based upon who they believe is responsible. That same jury must reduce a plaintiff’s award by the percentage of fault that they attribute to that plaintiff’s own actions contributing to their injuries.
Often in auto collisions, there are many situations where the two drivers share the blame. For example, in a rear-end accident, the trailing driver is almost certainly to blame for the incident. However, the other driver may contribute to the crash by not having functioning taillights or coming to a sudden stop. A proactive Mesa car accident attorney could uncover the evidence needed to prove a defendant’s negligence was the primary cause of a wreck.
Who May Bring a Claim for Damages?
When most people imagine a car accident claim for injuries, they think about people who are driving their own vehicle who may suffer harm. Of course, drivers of cars are certainly eligible to demand compensation from negligent defendants.
However, a driver’s duties to prevent harm extend far beyond protecting other drivers. Driving places a person into a social contract. This contract creates an obligation, or duty, to not place other people at unnecessary risk of harm. In addition, this duty extends to not just other drivers but any person who the defendant may encounter while on the road.
As a result, passengers in the victim’s car may also make claims for damages. Since defendants’ actions may cause harm to these people, they have a similar right to seek financial recovery for their losses. Similar concepts apply to passengers within the negligent driver’s own car. Operators have the same obligation to provide protection to these people as they do to any other individual. A skilled car crash lawyer in Mesa could help any person who endures injuries because of the negligence of a driver pursue a civil lawsuit for damages.
Contact a Mesa Car Accident Attorney Now
Driving a car is a necessity for many to get to work, school, and to participate in other daily activities. Sadly, every day, numerous people suffer injuries in motor vehicle collisions that are another driver’s fault. These victims have the right to pursue monetary damages for their losses from a negligent driver and their insurance company.
A Mesa car accident lawyer could help you fight for the payments needed to make things right. This can include compensation for medical bills, lost earnings, and mental anguish. Call today to learn more.