A car crash in Phoenix or Scottsdale sets a lot in motion in the first 48 hours. The other driver’s insurance company opens a claim, an adjuster is assigned, a recorded statement is requested, and a first offer can land before you have seen a doctor twice. Most people do not realize how quickly the file is being built around them, or how much of it is being built by the wrong side.
Valley Accident Law represents drivers and passengers injured in car accidents across the Phoenix metro. Founder Charles Paglialunga has 29 years of Arizona accident experience and is a member of the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum, and every case is handled by Charles personally. We have secured verdicts and settlements up to $6.1 million.
Talk to Charles today. Request your free consultation.
Three things matter most in the first day:
Photos of the vehicles, the scene, the road, and the other driver’s insurance card help. Witness names and phone numbers help more.
Phoenix metro car accidents fall into recognizable patterns:
Read our guide to Phoenix and Scottsdale crash hotspots on Loop 101 and what to do after a hit-and-run in the Phoenix area.
Arizona law lets you recover the full economic cost of the crash plus pain and suffering. The categories that matter most:
Insurance adjusters generally lead with a number that covers the medical bills already paid and very little else. We do not negotiate from that number.
Arizona is a pure comparative fault state. Even if you were 30 percent at fault for the crash, you can still recover 70 percent of your damages. Adjusters know this and routinely try to push fault percentages higher than the police report or witness statements support. We push back with the actual evidence, because the difference between 20 percent at fault and 5 percent at fault can be tens of thousands of dollars in a serious case. Here is how Arizona comparative fault rules can reduce a settlement.
Arizona requires drivers to carry minimum liability coverage, but the minimums are low and many drivers carry only the floor. When a serious injury runs into a $25,000 policy, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage becomes the difference between a real recovery and being made whole only on paper. We review every layer of coverage, including uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, MedPay, and any umbrella policy in the household, before we tell you what your case is realistically worth.
Most Arizona car accident cases must be filed within two years of the crash. Claims against a government vehicle, such as a public bus, a police car, or an ADOT vehicle, require a notice of claim within 180 days, a much shorter window. If your crash involved a government vehicle, call us right away. It is never too late to ask, and earlier is always better.
Charles handles every car accident case personally. Your first consultation is free, and we work on contingency, which means there is no fee unless we recover compensation for you. Our experienced and friendly attorney will explain your legal rights and what your case is worth.
Request your free case review or call 1-602-584-8054.
Two years for most claims, and 180 days for claims against a government entity. Earlier is always better.
Not without a lawyer. You are not required to agree to a recorded statement, and most early statements get used to limit the claim later.
Arizona is a pure comparative fault state. You can still recover, reduced by your fault percentage. Adjusters often inflate that percentage, and we push back with evidence.
Your own uninsured motorist coverage is designed for this. We file under your policy and pursue any other available coverage.
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency and are paid only if we recover for you.