Car Accident Lawyer in Scottsdale, AZ

Arizona’s sunny skies and open roads make it an ideal place for a leisurely drive. That said, vehicular accidents are all too common in the Grand Canyon State. Each year, approximately 119,991 crashes occur in Arizona, with Maricopa County, home to the city of Scottsdale, experiencing about 7,020 of them.

If you’ve been in a car accident in the city, one of the most important steps you can take is to turn to an attorney. At Gerber Injury Law, a Scottsdale car accident lawyer is here and ready to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Finding the Right Scottsdale Car Accident Lawyer

Getting the quality representation you need depends in great part on the lawyer you choose. Not everyone will have the knowledge, experience, and skills that you need from them, though, so here’s what you should look for in a Scottsdale car accident lawyer:

Expertise in Car Accidents

It’s not enough for your lawyer to have experience in personal injury law. Because of the complexity of Arizona’s laws, they must also have extensive experience dealing with car accidents.

Arizona follows a comparative negligence law that assigns percentages of fault to the parties involved in an accident. In turn, that means a lot of emphasis is placed on who caused the accident and the degrees of fault that can be assigned.

A lawyer without years of experience will have a hard time understanding where to even begin to gather evidence, let alone that which will show whether you had some degree of fault. At the same time, you can bet that the other party’s lawyer will strive to prove you as the one to blame, which will end up cutting into the compensation you receive.

Ultimately, having an experienced lawyer beside you means greatly improving your chances of receiving a fair settlement.

Track Record of Success

The lawyer you consider has to be ready to demonstrate that they have not just represented car accident claims in Arizona but that they’ve actually won a good number of those claims as well. If you see that they only have a few wins to their name, it’ll be a better option to go with another car accident lawyer.

Client Reviews and Testimonials

Don’t underestimate the value of reading reviews online. You can get a good sense of what to expect from the lawyer and how satisfied their prior clients were. To be fair, there will always be a few negative comments, but if you start seeing patterns among the cited issues, go with another lawyer who has received a majority of positive reviews.

Client testimonials are also crucial. You can usually find these on a lawyer’s website, though it’s possible to find them on review sites as well.

Free Consultations and Flexible Scheduling

The lawyer you have your eye on should be able to fit you in for a free consultation and get started on your claim immediately. Statutes of limitations apply in Arizona for personal injury claims, and you don’t want to risk missing them.

During your consultation, you and the lawyer will discuss your accident so that they can determine whether you have a claim. Not everyone does, even if they were in a car accident. For example, if you only sustained a light scratch, it’s likely that you don’t have a personal injury claim.

If things proceed and you have a valid case on your hands, you’ll also get a good idea of whether you have a viable way to get compensation. Personal injury lawyers almost always work on a contingency basis, which means you won’t have to pay any upfront fees. If the lawyer is able to get you compensation, they’ll take an agreed-upon percentage to pay their fees.

Benefits of Hiring a Scottsdale Car Accident Lawyer

After being in a car accident, it can be tempting to try to file a claim on your own, but it’s never a good idea. Choosing to turn to a car accident lawyer instead will provide you with the following benefits:

Understanding of Arizona Car Accident Laws

As mentioned above, Arizona follows comparative negligence laws, meaning you’re able to receive compensation even if you were partly at fault for your accident. Your fault percentage will be subtracted from your winnings. That being said, you have to prove the other party’s negligence to be able to get compensation in the first place, which isn’t easy to do.

Your lawyer will help you meet the requirements of negligence that you need for these kinds of claims. They’ll work to prove that the person at fault had a duty of care toward you and that they breached it by doing something negligent, which resulted in your injuries.

Your lawyer will then need to prove that you can be compensated for your injuries and losses. In other words, they’ll work to show that your injuries are harmful enough to warrant some form of reimbursement.

Maximizing Compensation

Your lawyer will fight to get you the highest possible compensation. They know how to negotiate fair settlements with the other parties and will do their best to show you weren’t at fault or that your percentage of fault is as low as possible.

Investigating Your Accident

To be able to prove negligence and show who was at fault means your lawyer will gather as much evidence as possible, including medical records and police reports. If you try to do so on your own, you might not know what’s important and what’s not. You also won’t have access to expert witnesses, but lawyers do.

Expert witnesses can offer their professional opinions, help with accident reconstruction, and more. Even if you’re able to contact these experts on your own, you’d have to pay them for their services. When you have a lawyer, though, there are no fees to worry about until you get compensation.

Dealing With Insurance Companies

Insurance companies aren’t your friends. In fact, their goal is to pay you as little as possible, and they’ll attempt all manner of tactics to achieve it. Some insurance companies even turn to bullying, trying to get you to give up your claim or to accept a low settlement.

With a lawyer helping you, you don’t have to worry about any of that. They will do the negotiating for you and not allow insurance companies to intimidate you.

Representing You in Court

If the negotiations fall short or if the other party is simply taking too long, a lawyer can take your case to court. Often, just threatening the other party with a potential court case can boost your negotiations.

Nevertheless, if you do end up in court, having a lawyer is vital. You won’t know how to best represent yourself unless you have a law degree. And on top of that, the other party is sure to have a lawyer, so you don’t want to be at risk of losing the lawsuit.

Why Choose a Local Scottsdale Car Accident Lawyer

For accidents that occur in Scottsdale, you want to turn to a lawyer who’s local for a number of reasons, such as:

Scottsdale Court System Familiarity

A local attorney will know the various courthouses inside and out, and they will know the people who work in the system as well. As such, they will have a clear grasp of all of the procedures in Scottsdale, giving you the best chance of succeeding in your claim.

Understanding Local Traffic Patterns and Risks

A lawyer who knows Scottsdale well will know how to enhance your claim by pointing out any risks associated with the location where the accident occurred. They may even know where traffic cameras are located that offer better views of the accident, all of which can help when trying to prove that you’re not at fault.

Personalized Attention

Your lawyer will understand the unique challenges that you face more easily if you can meet at their offices instead of using the phone. Being able to meet your lawyer face-to-face also makes it easier for them to build a relationship with you and offer the personalized attention you and your claim need.

Get Help in Scottsdale by Turning to Gerber Injury Law

After being in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you need to turn to a reliable car accident lawyer. At Gerber Injury Law, we provide the guidance clients need throughout Scottsdale.

We’re a client-centered firm with a vast knowledge of the Scottsdale judicial system. Our knowledgeable contacts can help us put your claim into perspective so that you can receive the compensation you deserve. With our dedication and compassion, we strive to make the complicated legal process easier for everyone.

Don’t wait to get the qualified assistance you deserve if you’ve been in a car accident in Scottsdale. You can give us a call at 623-486-8300 or send us a message through our convenient contact form today.