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Car accidents are at best frustrating and at worst devastating. No matter the extent of a car accident’s damage, every car accident has the potential to be very expensive. When vehicle and property damage is considered in combination with medical expenses, lost wages, and other injury costs, victims of car accidents often have significant claims for compensation in Mesa personal injury lawsuits.
Our team at Hastings and Hastings has handled a countless number of Mesa car accident cases in our more than 40 years in business. We’re ready to assist you and your family – contact our firm today.
Below are some examples of successful car accident cases we’ve handled. You can see more of our case results here.
“Hastings and Hastings is the best! Thank you so much for all the hard work you did but most of all, for just being there when I had questions.” -Solit
Hastings and Hastings is a personal injury law firm with deep roots in Mesa and the surrounding Arizona community. With significant experience, an extensive knowledge base, and a demonstrated commitment to our clients, we offer legal representation that exceeds the services offered by most personal injury law firms in the area.
Personal injury lawyers usually take cases on a percentage fee basis, meaning that no matter how much compensation is recovered on a plaintiff’s behalf, the lawyer takes the same percentage – often, one-third or 33 percent. While these fee arrangements have been standard for many years, the truth is that they put a lawyer’s interest above the client’s. At Hastings and Hastings, we’re committed to putting our client’s interests first and foremost in every respect – including fee arrangements.
For that reason, we pioneered a new system that we call the Discount Fee Arrangement. Our fee arrangement includes no flat percentage rate and prioritizes ensuring that our clients keep as much of their own money as possible. However, a Discount Fee doesn’t mean that you receive discount representation. Our clients receive top-notch legal work and the same type of zealous advocacy that they should expect to receive.
The Discount Fee arrangement, unique to Hastings and Hastings, merely ensures that our clients’ interests are put first – where they should always remain.
Most importantly, Discount Fees include our No Fee Promise, which ensures that we don’t get paid unless you do. That means that being represented by Hastings and Hastings comes at no upfront cost at all. Our clients never have to worry about retainer fees, hourly rates, and expensive lawyer bills. If we don’t obtain a settlement or a verdict from your case, we don’t get paid.
Experience Backed Up by Client SatisfactionOur team has been representing Mesa car accident victims for more than 40 years, and our injury lawyers have more than 90 years of combined experience. In that time, we’ve won countless settlements and verdicts for our clients and their families, and our track record is supported by our clients’ support for our firm. On Google, Hastings and Hastings has more than 500 five-star reviews from verified past clients, and we have more than 600 handwritten testimonials to support the quality of our work.
In short, you can rest assured that our Mesa legal team will work hard to receive the most important endorsement we can get – your satisfaction as our client.
The law provides that a car accident victim can recover compensation in an amount that fully and fairly compensates them for the injuries they sustained due to the wrongful actions of another driver. As previously stated, these injuries can take many different forms and will depend greatly on the specific facts of each case. But in general, the types of damages available after a car accident include the following:
Car accidents cause injuries of all types and affect every part of the body – including mental and physical injuries. Frighteningly, some injuries that arise from car accidents don’t manifest symptoms until a significant amount of time following the accident. For that reason, it is always essential that you seek medical attention as soon as possible after a car accident, even if you don’t think you have an injury.
Among the most serious types of injuries associated with car accidents include the following:
Each of these types of injuries presents significant and lasting damage to a person’s body that greatly affects their quality of life. Injuries can be even more severe and costly in truck accident claims, due to the size and weight of commercial vehicles.
The law accordingly affords motor vehicle accident victims with the ability to recover compensation from the parties who caused these injuries, and victims should seek that compensation to the fullest amount possible. If you tragically lost a loved one in a car accident, contact our Mesa wrongful death attorneys.
Car accidents are rarely straightforward, especially when it comes to determining who was at fault, and who is thus legally liable for causing the accident. Oftentimes, we think of lawsuits and legal disputes as a “winner takes all” event, with one side losing and one side winning – but in truth, most cases end somewhere in the middle.
Importantly, though, Arizona is a “fault-based” state when it comes to car accidents and car insurance. That means a victim of a car accident has the right to sue the person who caused their injuries, regardless of their own insurance status. In “no-fault” states unlike Arizona, a person’s own insurance company covers their personal injuries and property damage, no matter who caused the accident. Arizona’s “fault-based” status makes personal injury lawsuits more important for plaintiffs, who are accordingly entitled under the law to seek compensation for their injuries caused by an at-fault driver.
After a lawsuit is filed, proving who is at fault can be a complicated endeavor due to a different set of Arizona laws that establish a “comparative negligence” system. Comparative negligence accounts for the idea that one party is rarely 100 percent at fault for causing an accident. Arizona law thus recognizes that while it is possible for a plaintiff in a lawsuit to have contributed to an accident occurring, the plaintiff nonetheless should be allowed to recover for their injuries.
Thus, the state’s comparative negligence laws provide that when a plaintiff is responsible for an accident in some amount, their damages are reduced by that amount, which has to be determined by a jury. If a jury determines that a plaintiff was 15 percent negligent in causing an accident, which can be otherwise attributed to the defendant in 85 percent, then the plaintiff’s damages award would be reduced by 15 percent. In short, comparative negligence rules are complicated, and an experienced Mesa car accident attorney can assist you in sorting out how they may impact your claim for compensation.
But above all else, it’s important to note that comparative negligence is not a complete bar to recovering compensation. In Arizona, even if a plaintiff’s own actions contributed to an accident that was otherwise caused by a defendant’s bad acts or omissions, that plaintiff can (and should) still seek and recover compensation.
Drivers in Arizona are required to carry car insurance, and for that reason, it is almost certain that dealing with an insurance company is going to be part of being involved in a car accident. But as previously stated, Arizona is a “fault-based” jurisdiction for car crashes – meaning that only the at-fault driver’s insurance company is on the hook to pay for damages, and the other driver’s insurance is completely off the hook.
Thus, car insurance companies in Arizona are generally quick to assess liability, and where possible, they will look to avoid liability to save money. Keeping that in mind, you should always be suspicious and aware of an insurance company’s intentions. Commonly, insurance company representatives will reach out to car accident victims to take a statement. These representatives may express sympathy, ask about your well-being, and seem to be generally concerned for you, but you should never provide a statement to an insurance company without consulting with a Mesa car accident lawyer.
Insurance companies will frequently use a victim driver’s statements against them to avoid paying a claim for liability. As soon as you are represented by counsel, it is unethical (and potentially illegal) for an insurance company to reach out to you directly. You should accordingly consult with an experienced Mesa car accident attorney as soon as possible after being involved in an accident, who can speak to the insurance company on your behalf and advocate for your interests effectively.
Speaking to a car accident lawyer may seem unattractive to you because you hate the idea of having to go to court. We understand that – going to court and being in front of a judge seems unappealing to most people.
But you might be surprised to learn that the vast majority of car accident lawsuits result in settlements without ever going to court – let alone going all the way to trial. In most car accident cases, an insurance company is the defendant, and insurance companies want to end lawsuits quickly, and at as little cost as possible. In many cases, the cost of settling – paying out a claim before going to trial – ends up being less than defending a case to trial. Insurance companies are accordingly eager to settle lawsuits, and obtaining a settlement often happens faster than many plaintiffs expect. Your Mesa injury attorney will help you navigate this process.
However, merely receiving a settlement offer doesn’t mean that it should be accepted. Our team at Hastings and Hastings understands that a car accident victim has the right to recover compensation that fully compensates the victim for his or her injuries. Because of our experience in these cases, we know when an insurance company brings a lowball offer versus when they’re serious about making a deal.
Our Mesa car accident lawyers are prepared to use their experience to aggressively advocate for your interests – which includes negotiating settlements with insurance companies. In the event a settlement process isn’t fruitful, we’re equally prepared to take cases to trial.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, there were more than 120,000 car crashes on Arizona roads and highways in 2021 alone. Among those, more than 35,000 caused injuries, and more than 1,000 caused deaths, with the others causing property damage. Those numbers are staggering, and as such, it’s no surprise that car accident cases are among the most common types of personal injury lawsuits.
While the factors that contribute to a car crash are wide-ranging and include weather, road conditions, and other factors beyond a driver’s control, many accidents are caused by a driver’s negligent or reckless behavior.
The most common car accident causes that give rise to a Mesa personal injury lawsuit include the following:
Here we answer some FAQs that clients ask us about car accident cases.
Hiring a lawyer for a car accident claim can be highly beneficial for several reasons:
Overall, having a lawyer on your side levels the playing field, protects your rights, and enhances your chances of obtaining fair and just compensation for your injuries and losses resulting from the car accident.
In Arizona, the statute of limitations for filing a car accident claim is two years from the date of the accident. This means that you have two years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver and any other responsible parties. If you wait longer than two years to file your lawsuit, you will likely be barred from recovering any compensation for your injuries.
There are a few exceptions to the two-year statute of limitations. For example, if you were a minor at the time of the accident, you have until your 20th birthday to file a lawsuit. Additionally, if you were injured by a government entity, you may have a shorter statute of limitations.
It is important to note that the statute of limitations begins to run on the date of the accident, not the date of your injuries. This means that even if you did not discover your injuries until later, you still have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.
If the other driver involved in your car accident doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover your injury expenses, you may be able to file a claim against your own insurance company for uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. UM/UIM coverage is a type of insurance that pays for your medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages if you are injured in a car accident by an uninsured or underinsured driver.
The amount of UM/UIM coverage you have will depend on your insurance policy. In Arizona, the minimum UM/UIM coverage is $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident. However, you may want to consider purchasing more UM/UIM coverage, especially if you have a high-value car or if you are a high-income earner.
To file a claim for UM/UIM coverage, you will need to contact your insurance company and provide them with a copy of the police report from your accident. You will also need to provide them with medical records and other documentation of your injuries.
Your insurance company will then investigate your claim and decide whether to pay it. If your claim is approved, your insurance company will pay for your medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages up to the limits of your UM/UIM coverage.
If your claim is denied, you may be able to appeal the decision. An attorney can help you with your claim.
Setting up a free consultation with a Mesa car accident lawyer from Hastings and Hastings is always offered at no cost and no risk. At your free consultation, one of our licensed Arizona car accident attorneys will listen to your story, take information about your case, and assess whether you have a valid claim for legal compensation. When you schedule a Hastings and Hastings consultation, we guarantee that you will speak with a fully licensed and experienced Arizona attorney in our office – not an outsourced customer service agent located somewhere far away.
Our commitment to our clients demands that we put our clients first, and we make that commitment from the initial consultation all the way through the conclusion of a case.
If our law firm is able to take your case, we’ll enter into a Discount Fee agreement and begin working hard on your behalf – along with our No Fee Promise. We only get paid if we’re able to obtain compensation for you and your family.
Contact Hastings and Hastings today to set up an appointment with a Mesa car accident lawyer on our team.
“I would highly recommend Hastings and Hastings to anyone I know. I was in a car accident a few months ago and could not be happier with the outcome. Sean Hennick, my attorney, along with all the other staff at Hastings and Hastings, were extremely professional and helpful. Having Hastings and Hastings by my side made this process seem easy. I would highly recommend Hastings and Hastings to anyone I know.” -A.L.
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