Phoenix Car Accident Lawyer: Gage Mathers Law Group and Personal Injury Attorneys – Fighting for You Since 1967

It should cost you nothing to hire a car accident lawyer in Phoenix, AZ. Gage Mathers Law Group’s Phoenix Car Accident Lawyers will work for you on a contingency-fee-basis. This means we do not get paid unless we obtain a settlement or jury verdict in your favor.

We also offer free consultations, so you have nothing to lose. Find out how our legal representatives can help you today.

In most cases, the Arizona statute of limitations gives you two years to either settle your claim or file a lawsuit. However, you should not wait until the last minute to find a Phoenix car accident attorney because some cases require action by the injury victim in as little as 180 days.

If you were injured by a public entity (e.g., the State of Arizona, the Arizona Board of Regents, Police Department, or City or County) or a public employee of one (e.g., an EMT or health care provider, police officer, or teacher), you may only have 180 days to take legal action.  You will need to serve a Notice of Claim that complies with strict statutory requirements within 180 days of your car crash, with the claim needing to be settled or a lawsuit filed within one year of the date of the accident.  This is one of the many reasons you should contact our Phoenix car accident attorney soon after a crash instead of waiting.

The quicker you hire a lawyer, the sooner you will have someone looking out for your best interests. Hire an award-winning firm like Gage Mathers Law Group to protect your rights and fight to get you the compensation you deserve. This allows you to focus on more important things, like your health and family.

Claims have a wide range of values based on several factors. The value of your claim will depend on:

• The severity and duration of your injuries (including neck pain, back pain, and other injuries);
• Pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, and/or anxiety;
• Past and future medical expenses;
• Your loss of enjoyment of life;
• The impact your injuries had on your familial relationships;
• Economic losses like lost wages;
• Your age, lifestyle, and pre-existing medical conditions;
• The specific circumstances of the accident;
• The amount of damage to the vehicles; and
• The strength of your witnesses and evidence.

Insurance companies use various computer programs to compute a range of case values for every accident. This range of values is then used by the adjuster to settle your case.  We’ve created a settlement calculator to give you an idea of what your claim might be worth in Arizona.

The success of your claim will depend on the availability of evidence and the negligence or fault of each driver, which is why you should hire a lawyer soon after your crash. An experienced Phoenix car accident lawyer from Gage Mathers knows where to look for key evidence and how to get the evidence that will maximize your chances for a successful claim. You only get one opportunity to receive compensation after a crash and we know how to do it right. Contact us today for a free consultation.

You can maximize your claim by working with an experienced Phoenix car accident lawyer who:

• Understands you and the problems you face;
• Uses the latest technology to build your claim;
• Reviews all your documents (medical records, medical bills, insurance information, police report, witness statements, etc.); and
• Knows how to present your claim, including your injuries, financial losses, pain and suffering, in such a way as to maximize your claim’s value.

It is equally important that you:

• Comply with your health care provider’s treatment plan;
• Attend all scheduled appointments; and
• Do everything you can to get back to your pre-injury condition.

Failing to do any of these may decrease the legitimacy of your claim in the eyes of an adjuster, defense lawyer, and jury.

Car accident victims can pursue compensatory damages. Compensatory damages include both economic losses and non-economic damages.

Economic damages are financial losses you’ve suffered as a result of a crash, such as:

• Bills for medical care, including hospital bills, ambulance bills, rehabilitation, and therapies.
• Lost wages, past and future.
• Decreased earning capacity.
• Out-of-pocket expenses.

Non-economic damages are the types of losses you suffer that do not have a price tag, such as:

• Pain, discomfort, and suffering.
• Disability.
• Disfigurement and scarring.
• Anxiety.
• Mental anguish and emotional distress.
• Decreased enjoyment of life.
• Loss of love, care, and other pleasures of a marital or parent-child relationship.
• Punitive damages may also be available, but only in rare cases.

Our lawyers listen to you.

Gage Mathers Law Group’s experienced team will get to know you and your family, if necessary, to determine how we can maximize the compensation you receive.

We will listen to your story, problems you face, and goals in hiring a car accident lawyer. Lawyers should make time for you, and our lawyers will spend all the time you need to make sure you feel comfortable and confident having us represent you.

Our attorneys will investigate your case.

Our experienced attorneys thoroughly review every detail of your accident to determine what took place and who is responsible.

We use our extensive knowledge and resources to analyze all aspects of your car accident. We work hard to ensure we identify all individuals who can be held liable for your harms and losses. Then we use our legal skill to get you the maximum allowable compensation under the law.

Our lawyers uncover all forms of compensation.

In Arizona, it is very common for the at-fault driver to have insufficient coverage for your claim. Gage Mathers’s lawyers thoroughly investigate other ways to get you full compensation.

Our law firm employs experts.

When necessary, we enlist the help of medical, engineering, and economical professionals to investigate your crash, understand the mechanics of everything that happened, identify your past and future care needs, and calculate you past and future lost earnings.

Our lawyers negotiate with insurance companies.

Dealing with the insurance company is the last thing you should concern yourself with when you are recovering from an automobile accident.

Our legal team is highly skilled in negotiating with insurance companies and protecting clients from adjusters’ underhanded tactics.

Our experienced legal representitive strives to get you the maximum compensation you deserve, either through settlement or jury trial.

Our attorneys litigate cases in court.

In some cases, a personal injury lawsuit is the best option to receive maximum justice. We are experienced trial lawyers who regularly represent clients in court and are skilled in presenting cases to a jury.

Navigating the timeline of a claim is a unique journey, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. We understand that waiting for resolution can be challenging, and we want to provide you with some insights into factors that influence the duration of your legal process:

• Your health is of utmost importance. We’ll work with you to determine the time it takes for you to reach maximum medical improvement. It’s crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of your injuries and prognosis to accurately assess your damages. Prematurely settling your claim without knowing your future healthcare needs might mean missing out on essential compensation for aspects like rehabilitation and physical therapy.
• Another key aspect is the strength of the evidence supporting your claim. If there’s a need to gather more evidence, it might extend the timeline, but we’re committed to thorough and effective collection.
• Negotiations with the other party can take time. If reaching a fair settlement takes time due to back-and-forth discussions or if litigation becomes necessary, the process may be more extended. We’ll keep you informed every step of the way, ensuring transparency and maintaining open lines of communication throughout the process.

Your case is unique, and we’re here to support you through the entire journey, providing updates on the status of your case and addressing any concerns you may have. Let our Phoenix car accident lawyer guide you through this process.

What to do After an Auto Accident

What you do after a car accident can have significant ramifications on your health, safety, and ability to hold the responsible driver accountable for causing the crash.

1. Do NOT Exit Your Vehicle Until it is Safe

The moments after a crash can be confusing, not only for you but other drivers on the road. Since distracted drivers are becoming more common, it is possible another driver approaching your crash might not realize it right away, especially if traffic has not fully slowed down. Therefore, stay in your vehicle until it is safe. Look around and make sure no one is barreling towards you. Then make sure that you are okay enough to get up and walk. You might not realize you have a head injury, which could cause you to become dizzy or lose your ability to stand. If, after talking with the other driver, you decide to move your vehicles to a safer location, take photos of the crash before doing so. Moving your vehicle out of the roadway is much safer, especially at night. Either way, use your vehicle’s emergency lights, reflective emergency triangles, or flares if you have them.

2. Call the Police

In Arizona, state law requires you to immediately notify the local police, sheriff, or highway patrol if you are involved in an accident causing injury or death. It is also good to do because the responding officer will complete an Arizona Crash Report that identifies who was involved in the crash, who owns the vehicles, which automobile insurance companies are involved, and what happened in the crash. It will also include citations if any driver violated Arizona driver’s laws. This will help establish liability in your injury case.

3. Collect Information

You will need to provide a driver’s license and proof of insurance to the police, so make sure you have those on hand. Additionally, you should:

• Take a photo of the other driver’s license and insurance card, if you can. You want to verify the other driver’s name and address, and proof of insurance (including the name of their automobile insurance company and policy number). Avoid yelling at the other driver or antagonizing them. Trust us when we tell you that there is nothing to be gained by that, but if your case makes it to Court it could make you look bad.
• Take pictures of the scene, the vehicles, the people involved, and your injuries. Photographs help tell a story and are valuable pieces of evidence.
• Talk with any witnesses and take video, if possible, of them identifying themselves, their contact information, and their description of what they saw. This will be very helpful in proving the crash was not your fault. Memories fade, but video is forever. When you have a moment, you should also record your memory of what happened.
• The law requires drivers to have auto insurance and share this information with others involved in a crash. You will want to obtain the other drivers’ car insurance providers and policy numbers, and the make, model, color, and license plate of the other cars. If possible, get a copy of the other drivers’ license information. Most of this will be in the officer’s crash report or covered by the photographs you take.

4. Get Medical Care

Even a minor crash can cause serious injuries from muscle or ligament tears to concussions. With the initial adrenaline rush, you might not realize you were injured. Most people experience pain the night or morning after the crash. Some people also suffer emotional symptoms, including a fear of getting back in a car. This is all normal and it is all treatable. Before rushing back to work or school, or dealing with other issues in your life, you should see a doctor. Best case, the doctor tells you everything is okay and gives you peace of mind that there is nothing to worry about. Worse case, the doctor identifies something that requires additional attention. Listen to your doctor, but also listen to your body. If the doctor says you are fine but you are not feeling better, or if the doctor says you need treatment but you feel okay, see a different doctor for a second opinion.

5. Contact your Insurance Carrier

Promptly notify your automobile insurance company of the crash. Failing to do so could potentially leave you personally responsible for injuries and damages caused by the crash. Also, depending on the type of coverage you have, you might want your insurance company to handle the repair of your vehicle. Getting your car repaired is important to your future safety when using the car.

6. Keep Track of Everything

• Maintain a Pain Journal to help your doctors and lawyer understand what you are experiencing.
• Keep a list of all your providers (e.g., ambulance, hospital, PCP, chiropractor, physical therapist, etc.).
• Document time away from work, or school, whether or not covered by sick leave.
• Note any missed promotions or raises that you might have qualified for.
• Keep a list of activities you could not do or that you did with pain (e.g., difficulty sleeping, difficulty performing daily household activities or caring for family members, inability to exercise, impact on personal relationships, change in mood).

7. Call Gage Mathers Law Group

Gage Mathers Law Group is an elite personal injury firm with significant experience helping car accident victims. We have helped thousands of clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for their injuries and damages.

In Summary, after a car accident you should:

1. Stay in your vehicle until it is safe to exit.
2. Call the police.
3. 3. Collect Information
4. Get evaluated by a health care provider.
5. Contact your insurance carrier.
6. Keep track of your crash-related expenses, lost wages, and pain.
7. Call an experienced car accident lawyer like the ones at Gage Mathers Law Group.

Over the years, Gage Mathers has handled all types of car wrecks–from single-vehicle to multi-car pileups, we’ve seen it all. The most common types of car accidents:

• Rear-end collision. This is the most common type of accident, which occurs when one vehicle crashes into the rear of another. Rear-end collisions frequently occur when a driver is distracted, driving too fast for conditions, or driving too close. The rear-ending vehicle is almost always considered liable for the collision.
• Head-on collision. Head-on collisions can be devastating because both vehicles are usually traveling at full speed when it occurs. These types of collisions commonly occur when one vehicle crosses over the center line or median. The vehicle crossing over is almost always liable for the head-on collision.
• Sideswipe. Sideswipes happen when two vehicles come in contact with one another while driving next to each other in the same direction. This frequently happens with changing lanes, merging into a lane, or coming out of a driveway. Drivers fail to see the other vehicle or assume the other vehicle will slow down to avoid being sideswiped.
• Multi-car collision. A multi-car collision, or pileup, occurs when several vehicles are involved in the same crash. Sometimes, one car striking another causes a chain reaction of numerous vehicles all trying to avoid the initial crash or not realizing traffic ahead is coming to a sudden stop. One driver might be responsible for the entire pileup, but many times there are multiple at-fault drivers.
• Single-vehicle accidents. Every year, Arizona sees thousands of single-vehicle accidents. Most single-vehicle accidents occur when the driver is either drowsy or intoxicated; however, a single-vehicle crash can also occur when the driver intentionally tries to avoid something in the roadway, like an animal or pedestrian. Liability can be challenging in these types of cases.

The vast majority of car accidents are caused by human error. The most common errors drivers make include:

• Missing road hazards or detecting them too slowly.
• Choosing incorrect defensive driving actions.
• Driving in a distracted or altered state, such as having inadequate sleep, being distracted by a phone, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Aggressive driving, such as tailgating or speeding up to prevent mergers.
• Slow driving when traffic is moving quicker.
• Running a red light or stop sign.

That means that the vast majority of car accidents, and the significant damages they cause, could be avoided if people paid attention. The National Safety Council is committed to keeping people safe on the road and eliminating deaths. Several behaviors need to change, but the easiest one is for people to pay attention to road conditions and traffic all around them, the second easiest is for people to avoid driving when fatigued.

Tens of thousands of people are injured or die from distracted driving every year. We are constantly surrounded by screens, information, and things clamoring for our attention. They are part of everyday life. Our familiarity with them and their repeated use provide a false sense of security. These technologies lead to cognitive distraction and inattention blindness.

Let us make this clear:

You are NOT a multitasking master. No matter how smart you are, how technologically savvy you are, or how attentive you think you are–you are NOT. You are human. The human brain has evolved with limitations.

Check out the 10 Most Dangerous Intersections in Phoenix.

Most accidents in Phoenix, Arizona, are due to drivers either breaking the speed limit or traveling too fast for conditions (e.g., heavy traffic, slowing traffic, bad weather, slippery roads). Many of these accidents lead to fatalities.

In 2018, for example, speeding was a factor in 26% of all U.S. traffic fatalities with a total of 9,378 people dying in speeding-related crashes. This was down from 2010, when such crashes claimed the lives of 10,508 people and composed 32% of all traffic deaths, but it’s nonetheless a strikingly high number.

Speeding risk increases with age

Speeding is more common among men and among younger drivers. Of all the male drivers aged 15 to 20 who were in a fatal crash in 2018, 30% were found to have been speeding. Of the female drivers in that same age group, 18% were speeding. On the other hand, the percentage for male and female drivers between 65 and 74 was 10% and 6%, respectively.

Alcohol and road conditions

One thing that excessive speed goes together with is alcohol abuse. Of those drivers aged 25 to 44 who were involved in fatal speeding-related crashes, 42% were alcohol-impaired. The second largest group was composed of drivers aged 55 to 64 (32%). As for those under 21, they composed 21% of drivers in these crashes.

Accidents on dry roads seldom involved speeding in 2018 (16% in all). This was far from true, though, for accidents on roads with dirt, gravel or mud (45%) or crashes on icy or frosty roads (41%). As for crashes on roads with moving or standing water, 37% had a link to speeding.

Surprisingly, older drivers are safer than middle-aged drivers. Because of an abundance of blue skies and sunshine, low taxes, scenic deserts – and a million other reasons – southwest Arizona is a retirement destination. That means a significant portion of our population consists of seniors enjoying the laidback Grand Canyon State lifestyle.

While conventional wisdom holds that older people are some of the worst drivers, a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study stands conventional wisdom on its head.

Seniors are safer drivers

According to IIHS researchers, drivers in their 70s are less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers ages 35 to 54. The study also points out that seniors not only have fewer fatal accidents per licensed driver, they also have fewer police-reported motor vehicle crashes per mile than middle-aged drivers.

Comparing the two age groups

IIHS compared drivers over 70 to drivers ages 35-54 in four crash categories:

• Fatal crash involvement per 100,000 licensed drivers
• Fatal crash involvement per vehicle mile traveled
• Police-reported crash involvement per vehicle mile traveled
• Number of driver deaths per 1,000 police-reported crashes

A combination of safer vehicles equipped with better crash-prevention technology and improvements in infrastructure design and roadway signage has helped to lower crash rates across all ages.

Examining the crash data

From 1997 to 2018, the fatal crash rate per licensed driver among people ages 35 to 54 had a dramatic decline of 21 percent. The fatal crash rate for drivers 70 and over dropped even more: 43 percent.

The IIHS says “virtually all those reductions occurred during the first half of the study period.” In the second decade of the study period, the fatal crash rate for older drivers stayed steady, while the rate began to increase for middle-aged drivers.

Fatal crashes per mile and police-reported crashes per mile both “rose substantially for middle-aged drivers in recent years,” the IIHS states, while declining for drivers 70 and above.

Researchers found that from 2009-17, fatalities per 1,000 police-reported crashes dropped about 15 percent for drivers ages 35-54 and about 25 percent for drivers ages 70 to 79.

Drowsy driving is one of the leading causes of auto accidents in the country. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that there are some 328,000 drowsy driving crashes every year, 109,000 of which end in injury and 6,400 in death. In this Arizona car crash, the lives of three teenagers were taken by suspected drowsy driving in a single car crash on U.S. 70.

The effect of drowsiness on drivers

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that all adults sleep at least seven hours a day. Otherwise, drivers will find it harder to pay attention to the road and react to dangers. It can get to the point where they are driving as though they are drunk. Being awake for 20 straight hours is like having a blood alcohol concentration of .08, which is the legal limit in this state.

Severe sleep deprivation can lead to brief (four or five seconds) periods of inattention called microsleep. At highway speed, drivers experiencing microsleeps can travel the length of a whole football field while being virtually blind to the road.

Possible interventions for drowsy driving

An estimated 50% or more of drowsy drivers who cause a crash are under the age of 25. College students, in particular, are liable to drive drowsily as many of them get less than six hours of sleep a night. Universities and parents should provide education to prevent negligent behavior. The use of crash avoidance technology, such as lane departure warnings and drowsiness alerts, can help as well, experts believe.