The most expensive part of a crash is rarely the dented metal. It is the hospital bills, the missed paychecks and the slow work of putting a routine back together. Knowing how Arizona law handles those losses can make the weeks ahead easier to plan.
Types of compensation after a crash
Compensation in a car accident claim falls into two groups: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages repay losses you can count in dollars. This can include your medical costs, lost wages and property damage done to your car.
Non-economic damages address harm that does not come with a receipt. This compensates you for factors such as the emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life you face when an injury sidelines your daily routines and hobbies.
Courts may also award punitive damages when a crash involves extreme conduct, such as impaired driving. The Arizona Constitution bars laws that cap personal injury compensation, so no preset ceiling limits what a jury can award in a serious case.
Laws on fault and insurance
The state uses an at-fault system, so the driver who caused the accident must pay for the harm that follows. That payment usually comes through liability insurance, since the state requires each driver to carry minimum coverage amounts on the road.
Those minimums sit at $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per collision and $15,000 for property damage. A severe collision can produce losses far beyond those figures, so the details of each policy matter during a claim.
Fault also shapes the size of a recovery. Under the Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act, Arizona applies pure comparative negligence.
A driver who is 20% to blame, for example, may still recover 80% of their damages. Adjusters weigh police reports, witness accounts and physical evidence when they assign those numbers.
Steps toward a stronger claim
A few measured actions can help preserve evidence and record your losses:
- Seek medical care promptly, even when injuries seem minor at first
- Report the crash to law enforcement and request a copy of the report
- Photograph vehicle damage, the scene and any visible injuries
- Gather contact and insurance details from other drivers and witnesses
Thorough records give an adjuster or a court a clear picture of what the injury cost you. Gaps in treatment or missing paperwork, on the other hand, can leave room for doubt about how badly you were hurt.
Options for the road ahead
Most claims start with a demand to the at-fault driver’s insurer and settle through talks. When that driver carries little or no coverage, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist policy may offer another source of payment.
When those talks stall, a lawsuit keeps the claim alive. Arizona allows two years from the date of the accident to file in most cases. Claims against a city, county or state agency follow much shorter notice deadlines.
If you are weighing your next move, a consultation with Harris, Powers & Cunningham PLLC can clarify what your claim may be worth. Counsel can also speak with the insurance company on your behalf while you focus on healing.