Car Accident Injuries
Car Accident Injuries in Arizona: What They Are and How They Affect Your Claim
Car accident injuries in Arizona range from whiplash and back pain to broken bones, burns, and amputations. Each one shows up in a claim through your medical records, your treatment, and the way it changes your daily life. Arizona puts no caps on personal injury damages and follows pure comparative fault, so you can recover even if you were partly to blame. Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years under A.R.S. 12-542.
Reviewed by Charles Paglialunga, Esq.
- Filing deadline
- 2 years from the injury
- A.R.S. 12-542(1)
- Fault rule
- Pure comparative fault, no percentage bar
- A.R.S. 12-2505
- Damage caps
- None on personal injury damages
- Ariz. Const. art. 2 sec. 31; art. 18 sec. 6
- Government vehicle
- Notice of claim within 180 days
- A.R.S. 12-821.01
Common Car Accident Injuries
The most common car accident injuries are the ones that come from sudden force: neck and back strains, whiplash, bruising, concussions, and broken bones. More serious crashes can cause burns, damage to the spine, and the loss of a limb. Some of these injuries are obvious at the scene, and some take days to show up.
How an injury affects a claim depends less on its name than on its documentation and its effect on your life. The pages below explain how six groups of injuries are claimed in Arizona, what records matter, and which rules apply. None of it is medical advice, and your doctors decide your care.
Arizona
Explore Car Accident Injuries in Arizona by Type
Choose the injury closest to yours. Each page covers how it is proven, what a claim can include, and the Arizona rules that apply.
Delayed Injuries After a Car Accident
Delayed injuries after a car accident are common. Many people have no or seemingly minor symptoms at first, then wake up sore, stiff, or in pain a day or two later. Adrenaline can hide pain at the scene. An insurer may use that gap against you, so the link between the crash and your symptoms should be documented as it develops. Anyone worried about symptoms should talk with a medical professional, since this page cannot tell you what is wrong. In some cases Arizona's discovery rule can matter, because the clock can start when you knew or should have known of the injury and its cause, but it is an exception. These rules have exceptions, and we will explain how they apply to you.
How an Injury Becomes Part of Your Claim
An injury claim is a record of what happened to you. These are the building blocks.
- Medical records
Emergency notes, imaging, specialist visits, and therapy records show the injury and how it progressed.
- Treatment and future care
Consistent treatment supports the claim, and your doctors' opinions about future care can be included.
- Lost income and earning capacity
Time away from work and any lasting effect on the work you can do.
- Pain and suffering
The physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of daily life, which Arizona law lets injured people recover.
- Comparative fault
Insurance companies and their attorneys often negotiate the percentage of fault, and under A.R.S. 12-2505 your recovery is reduced by your share but not barred.
Hip Injuries and Other Injuries Not Listed Here
Hip injuries from car accidents can happen when a hip strikes the door or dashboard, or when the pelvis fractures in a side impact. They often involve surgery and a long recovery, and they are covered in a claim much like other fractures, which our page on broken bones explains.
Head injuries have their own pages: see our guides to a brain injury claim and a spinal cord injury claim. If your injury is not listed here, that does not mean you have no claim. Call us and we will tell you what we see.
A Car Accident Injury Settlement Calculator Is Only a Rough Guide
A car accident injury settlement calculator multiplies a few numbers and returns a figure. It cannot see your records, your coverage, your work history, or how an insurer will argue fault, so treat any result as rough and unreliable. Our guide to what your case is worth covers the real factors.
Arizona Rules That Apply to Injury Claims
These rules apply across most car accident injury claims. They have exceptions, so call us to see how they apply to you.
| Rule | What it means | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Filing deadline | Most injury lawsuits must be filed within 2 years of the injury | A.R.S. 12-542(1) |
| Government claims | Notice of claim due within 180 days after the claim accrues | A.R.S. 12-821.01 |
| Fault | Pure comparative fault with no percentage bar | A.R.S. 12-2505 |
| Damage caps | No caps on personal injury damages | Ariz. Const. art. 2 sec. 31; art. 18 sec. 6 |
Source: Arizona Revised Statutes and the Arizona Constitution, as cited in each row
When an Attorney for a Car Accident Injury Can Help
You are not required to hire anyone, but an experienced attorney for a car accident injury claim can organize your records, deal with the insurer, and make sure deadlines are not missed. Insurance companies make lower first offers when no attorney is involved, and an early offer rarely reflects future care. Read our guides on talking to insurance adjusters and the Arizona statute of limitations, or talk with our car accident team about your claim.
Questions
Questions about car accident injuries
What are the most common car accident injuries?
Neck and back strains, whiplash, bruises and cuts, concussions, and broken bones are among the most common. Serious crashes can also cause burns, spinal injuries, and amputations.
Can I make a claim for an injury that showed up days later?
Yes. Many people have no or seemingly minor symptoms right after a crash. What matters is that your records connect the injury to the crash, so tell your providers about every symptom as it appears.
Does Arizona limit what I can recover for an injury?
No. Arizona places no caps on personal injury damages under its constitution (Ariz. Const. art. 2 sec. 31 and art. 18 sec. 6). The practical limits are the coverage available and what your evidence supports.
What if I was partly at fault?
Arizona follows pure comparative fault under A.R.S. 12-2505, so you can still recover, reduced by your percentage of responsibility. Insurers often push that percentage up, so it helps to have someone review how fault is being assigned.
How long do I have to file an injury claim?
Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the injury under A.R.S. 12-542, and claims against a public entity have a much shorter notice rule of 180 days. These rules have exceptions, so call us early.
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Talk With Us About Your Injuries
Tell us what happened and how you are doing. Call (602) 584-8054 or request your free case review, and our experienced and friendly attorney will explain your legal rights and what to expect. The earlier you call, the better, but it's never too late to find out your legal rights.
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