Arizona Personal Injury Lawyer

When you are injured through no fault of your own, you can feel overwhelmed. Serious injuries, medical bills, and an uncertain future can cause you many sleepless nights full of fear and worry. During this time, it is understandable that you may find yourself feeling hopeless, unsure of where to turn. However, it is important to know that you are not alone. After an injury accident in Arizona, you need a strong advocate in your corner. You need an experienced Arizona personal injury attorney who will fight for you, your rights, and your future.

Without a strong legal advocate on your side, you will need to deal with an insurance company that likely has no interest in whether you are healing from your injuries, or whether you can work and make a living. What the insurance company does care about is its financial bottom line, so the goal will be to pay you as little as possible. When you have a strong personal injury lawyer helping you through this difficult time, they will ensure you are paid what your injuries and other damages are actually worth.

Why Choose the Arizona Personal Injury Lawyers from Ciccarelli Law Offices?

If you suffered an injury in an Arizona accident through negligence or carelessness, you need a strong advocate on your side. The Ciccarelli Law Offices have significant experience in all areas of personal injury and will use that experience to ensure you receive a fair settlement for your injuries. Our firm has hundreds of Five-Start Reviews from satisfied clients. Attorney Lee Ciccarelli has been recognized as:

Super Lawyer
Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association
TEN Best Client Satisfaction Award by the American Institute of DUI/DWI Attorneys
Having the highest rating (10.0) by AVVO
One of the Top 100 Litigation Attorneys by the American Society of Legal Advocates.

At Ciccarelli Law Offices, we understand that you have choices, and we hope you will choose Ciccarelli Law Offices for your personal injury claim.

What Compensation is Available Following an Arizona Personal Injury?

Your specific compensation will depend on the facts and circumstances surrounding your accident, including the extent of your injuries, the level of negligence that caused the injuries, how long you will be unable to work, and whether you experienced pain and emotional suffering damages. There are, however, “typical” types of compensation received by those who have suffered a personal injury that include:

Medical expenses—this includes all medical expenses related to your accident and subsequent injuries, past, present, and any future medical injuries your attorney believes you may have. Medical expenses include emergency room treatment, physician expenses, surgical costs, prescription drug costs, the expenses for rehabilitative therapies, and, in some cases, gas, meals, and motel expenses if you must travel to see a specialist.
Lost wages—this includes any wages you have lost since the accident due to your inability to work, as well as lost future wages. If you are unable to return to work due to the severity of your injuries, you could be entitled to lost future wages which are based on your current employment position, your education, and the likely trajectory of your career over the coming years. Medical expenses and lost wages are known as special damages, meaning they are quantifiable—you can put an actual amount on the damages.
General damages, unlike special damages, are not as easy to quantify. Pain and suffering are considered general damages and include actual physical pain as well as emotional damage, including trauma or PTSD. Loss of consortium is another type of general damage.
Property Damages. You are also entitled to damages associated with your property. If, for example, your personal injury stems from a car accident, then your damages will include getting your automobile fixed.

What Are Some Examples of Personal Injury Claims?

Automobile accidents are the number one cause of personal injury claims. This includes truck accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents.

Truck accidents often result in severe or catastrophic injuries, as do motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents. A 3,000-pound car is simply no match for an 80,000-pound fully loaded semi-truck, leaving those in the passenger vehicles severely injured or dead.

Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians have no protection in the event of an accident, other than when a helmet is worn by a motorcyclist or bicyclist.

Another cause of personal injuries is slip and fall accidents, which fall under premises liability claims. A slip and fall accident can occur virtually anywhere there is a hazard that the owner knew about or should have known about yet failed to correct the hazard. A spill on a grocery store floor, as well as a poorly lit stairwell with no handrail or a broken handrail, can result in serious slip and fall injuries. Dog bites are another type of premises liability claim that can cause serious injury.

Medical malpractice, workplace accidents, birth injuries, wrongful death, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, boating accidents, and asbestos exposure are all types of personal injury claims.

What Are the Most Common Injuries After an Arizona Accident?

Injuries after an accident in Arizona can range from mild to severe, to catastrophic. A minor slip and fall might cause bruising, perhaps a broken bone, or even a concussion. A more serious fall could cause a traumatic brain injury or even a spinal cord injury. Auto accidents are the same. Some victims of an automobile accident may escape with cuts, scratches, and bruises, possibly a strain or sprain, while others could end up with serious internal injuries, fractures, amputations, and burns.

The victim of a dog bite could suffer facial scars and disfigurement, infection, or scarring in other bite areas. The most severe injuries for any type of accident are traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. These injuries can last a lifetime, prevent the victim from ever returning to his or her normal life, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical care.

What Are the Statutes of Limitations for Personal Injuries in Arizona?

Statutes of limitations determine the window of time a victim of an accident has to file a personal injury claim. These statutes vary significantly from state to state. In the state of Arizona, the personal injury statute of limitations allows two years from the time of the accident in which to file a claim. In most cases, if you miss the filing deadline, you have lost the right to ask a court for damages for your injuries—no matter how significant your injuries or how apparent the liability is.

There are a few exceptions to the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits. If the injured person was under the age of 18 or was of unsound mind, then the clock does not start until the person turns 18 or regains his or her proper mental capacity. If the person who caused the accident leaves the state of Arizona before the lawsuit can be filed, then the period of absence is not counted, and the clock will not resume until the defendant returns to the state.

What Should You Do Immediately After an Arizona Personal Injury Accident?

Of course, the first thing you should always do following an accident with injury is to seek medical attention for your injuries. This is the most important thing you can do for your health, your future, and for a future claim against the negligent party for damages. If you are physically able following the accident, do the following:

Call 911—the police report could be an invaluable resource down the line
If there were witnesses to the accident, obtain contact information
Take photos at the scene of the accident with your cell phone
Never admit fault and avoid saying “I’m sorry,” which can be taken out of context and misconstrued as an admission of guilt

Once you are home:

Write down every detail you can remember about the accident
Start a file for your medical receipts
Contact an experienced personal injury attorney as quickly as possible

Does It Cost Anything to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

When you hire a personal injury attorney from Ciccarelli Law Offices, we take the case on “contingency.” This means you are charged nothing if your Arizona personal injury attorney recovers nothing on your behalf. If our personal injury lawyers do recover a settlement for you, then we will receive a percentage of that amount plus their actual expenses will be taken out as well.

So, you have absolutely nothing to lose when you hire an experienced personal injury attorney, and everything to gain. Those who are represented by a knowledgeable Arizona personal injury attorney are much more likely to be awarded a settlement that fully covers injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering than those who represent themselves. Insurance companies immediately have more respect for those who are legally represented because they know they will not be able to “put one over” on the attorney.

How Long Do Personal Injury Claims Take to Settle?

The amount of time it will take to settle your personal injury claim can vary significantly, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding your accident, as well as the extent of your injuries. Generally speaking, it will take from six months to a year for your personal injury attorney to negotiate a settlement on your behalf. If, however, your claim cannot be settled and must go to trial, it could take as long as two years, or in rare cases, even longer. If your attorney negotiates a settlement that you agree to, you should receive a payment within about six weeks. If your case goes to trial and you are successful, again, you should receive a payment within about six weeks.

Call Our Arizona Personal Injury Lawyers Today

If you suffered an injury in an accident in Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe, or anywhere in the state of Arizona, we can help. At Ciccarelli Law Offices, our Arizona personal injury lawyers have the experience and resources you need to fight the insurance companies and obtain the justice you deserve.

Let Attorney Lee Ciccarelli help you through this difficult time in your life. Call us today to begin fighting for justice after a serious accident.