Vehicle accidents can be confusing experiences for those involved. This is particularly true for any party who sustains an injury or property damage as a result of the incident. The severity of vehicle accidents that occur throughout Arizona varies widely. Some vehicle accidents result in life-threatening injuries, while others result in relatively minor injuries or even no injuries at all. Here, our experienced car accident lawyers want to discuss whether or not a car accident victim can file a lawsuit if they do not sustain any injuries.
The overriding factor when determining whether or not a person should file a lawsuit after a vehicle accident is whether there were any injuries. The reality is that a personal injury lawsuit cannot exist if a victim was not actually harmed.
On that note, we do need to point out that many accident injury signs and symptoms do not appear until days or even weeks after a crash occurs. We always recommend that accident victims seek immediate medical care, even if they do not think they were harmed as a result of the incident. A doctor needs to conduct a complete evaluation of a crash injury victim in order to determine whether or not there are any hidden injuries the victim may not be aware of.
Under no circumstances should a crash injury victim decide not to pursue a claim until they know whether or not they have any hidden or delayed injuries. If an injury victim speaks to insurance carriers the day after a crash occurs and tells them that they are not injured, it will be very hard to go back and try to secure compensation for any delayed injuries that may appear in the days and weeks that follow.
Even if there are no injuries involved in a crash, a victim may still need to file a lawsuit in order to recover compensation for their property damages. Property damage claims are a way for a crash victim to recover compensation for any damage sustained in an accident caused by another party. Usually, the at-fault party’s insurance carrier will be responsible for paying for these damages.
However, there are times when insurance carriers offer inadequately low settlement offers for property damage. In these cases, a property damage lawsuit can be filed in Arizona civil court. Please understand that there is a time limit involved in these cases. The Arizona property damage statute of limitations is two years from the day the incident occurs. This means that property damage victims have a two-year window with which to file a lawsuit against the alleged negligent party, or they will not be able to recover compensation.
Property damage in these situations includes damage to a vehicle as well as damage to any other property inside of the vehicle when the collision occurs. This can include computers, mobile devices, tablets, glasses, and more.
If you or somebody you care about has sustained property damage as a result of a vehicle accident in Arizona, you may need to seek assistance from an attorney. A Phoenix personal injury lawyer will be able to help handle a property damage claim on your behalf. They can use their resources to fully investigate what happened and help evaluate the total expected losses.
