A lawyer can do plenty for you after a car accident. Want protection from insurance companies’ attempts to underpay you? Hire a lawyer. Want someone who can file and complete a lawsuit on your behalf if you elect to go the legal route? Hire a lawyer. Simply want to focus on recovery without worrying about your case? You guessed it: A Phoenix car accident lawyer can help.
A lawyer’s services are comprehensive and valuable. From securing evidence of at-fault parties’ negligence to representing you against powerful insurance companies, your attorney will handle every detail of your case.
Before a car accident lawyer begins building a case, the lawyer must ensure the client is safe. This means many things in the context of a car accident, and your attorney may protect you by:
Being protected by an attorney may bring you peace of mind. The protection may also prove valuable if your lawyer prevents any rights violations (or mistakes that, otherwise, will prevent you from receiving the compensation you deserve).
Your lawyer can dive into their advisory role once they know you are insulated from harm. Some ways that a car accident attorney advises their client include:
Many variables will factor into your lawyer’s strategy. For example, if an uninsured motorist hit you, there may be a greater chance you’ll need to sue (because uninsured motorists can’t offer compensation through an insurer).
Read more: Can You Sue Uber for a Car Accident?
Let your lawyer take the lead. The information they share will be easily digestible, and your lawyer’s advice will be intended to set you up for success.
Everything your lawyer does has value. However, their actual work on your case may lead to you getting the money you deserve. Each case has its wrinkles and variables, but car accident attorneys most often:
Some evidence is more valuable to a car accident case than other evidence. Your attorney will examine it all and promptly secure all relevant:
In most cases, a puzzle of evidence portrays a clear image of who is at fault. Your attorney will want to secure evidence as soon as possible because lawyers know well that most evidence does not remain available for long.
Read more: What Can a Lawyer Do for You After a Car Accident?
When it comes to certain types of harm, you will be best qualified to testify about your accident. Specifically, your physical pain, emotional anguish, psychological distress, and other types of pain and suffering will be highly specific to you.
Expect your attorney to have a conversation about how your accident has affected your life. Take your time, be honest, and help your lawyer document your damages by telling them your story.
Read more: Filing a Lawsuit After an Uber or Lyft Car Accident
Many types of documentation can illustrate the cost of a car accident, including:
Virtually every body part is at risk of injury during a car accident. Therefore, your lawyer may seek documentation from specialists who evaluate and treat you following the collision. They will be comfortable doing so, as car accident lawyers often represent clients with complex injury profiles.
Read more: Who Pays Medical Bills After a Car Accident?
Each of your accident-related damages has a financial value. However, that value is rarely obvious.
While some damages (like medical bills and vehicle repairs) can be relatively easy to calculate, others may not. Pain and suffering is a prime example of a difficult type of damage to calculate. To attorneys, calculating such complex damages is like second nature.
Read more: Who Is At Fault in a Multi-Car Accident?
Many car accident cases conclude with a settlement. If this is how your case concludes, your lawyer will work hard to ensure it’s a good settlement for you.
The process of negotiating a settlement may require your lawyer to:
The insurance company may offer you before your lawyer presents their demands. These are often lowball offers. Your lawyer will ensure you don’t accept any lowball settlement offer, and they will negotiate fiercely for the compensation you deserve.
Read more: What to Do After a Car Accident
Lawyers and lawsuits go hand in hand. While suing is not the only tool in your lawyer’s belt—and is not always necessary in car accident cases—it is an option.
If you choose to sue, your lawyer will oversee every aspect of the legal process, including:
Going to trial always comes with risk. The risk is, for some, worth taking. You and your lawyer will collaborate to determine if suing or going to trial are necessary or appropriate courses of action.
Read more: Do Most Car Accident Cases Go to Court?
Car accident victims can suffer both economic and non-economic harm. Economic harm refers to financial losses, while non-economic harm has a non-financial component.
Some common examples of economic harm from a car accident include:
The primary example of non-economic harm from a car accident is pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is a personal type of damage that varies from victim to victim and can include:
If you have scarring or other types of disfigurement, those can also qualify as pain and suffering. If you decide to get treatment for pain and suffering, your car accident lawyer will account for the cost of care.
We have to talk about the most tragic consequence of traffic accidents. This is the loss of the accident victim’s life. This is a fate that nobody should suffer, yet thousands of families in America lose their loved ones each year because of negligence-related auto accidents.
Car accident attorneys serve those survivors, who often face:
Anyone who has lost a loved one knows the irreplaceability of a family member. However, car accident lawyers seek some degree of justice and financial support for the survivors.
Read more: What Lies Ahead If You File (or Your Legal Team Files) a Car Accident Lawsuit
Answering questions is part of a lawyer’s job. However, some questions are so common among car accident victims that we can provide answers now. Those questions include:
Each car accident survivor is entitled to a different sum of money. Your attorney must familiarize themselves with your damages before they know how much compensation you deserve.
This is also a question a lawyer must answer on a case-by-case basis. One factor that often dictates whether a car accident victim sues is whether liable insurance companies offer fair settlements.
This depends on several factors, which may include:
Your lawyer will work to resolve your case as soon as possible, keeping in mind that you receive fair compensation, which is the most important consideration.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a car accident do not hesitate to call an attorney right away. There may be a deadline for your car accident case and many other time-sensitive considerations. Don’t wait to research car accident lawyers serving your city and hire the Phoenix personal injury attorney you are most confident in and comfortable with.
Yes, if there are injuries, disputed fault, or insurance pushback. A PI lawyer builds proof (police report, medicals, witnesses, photos), values all damages, handles the insurer (demands/negotiation), and files suit if needed.
Do next: Start your claim promptly and organize documents—insurers expect quick notice.
Immediately. Early counsel prevents mistakes and preserves leverage while you’re racing two clocks: (a) prompt claim reporting requirements, and (b) Arizona’s 2-year limit to sue for injury/death/property damage (A.R.S. §12-542).
Contingency is typical—no upfront fee. Ethics rules require a written, signed contingent-fee agreement that explains how the fee is calculated (percentages, expenses). See ABA Model Rule 1.5 and Arizona ER 1.5.
Most settle. Historical court data show ~3–4% of tort cases end in trial; the vast majority resolve earlier. Federal trial rates are even lower today.
Implication: Your lawyer’s pre-trial evidence and negotiation matter more than theatrics at trial.
Yes—report it. An officer must file a written crash report when there’s injury, death, a citation, or ≥ $2,000 damage (A.R.S. §28-667). If there’s injury/death, drivers must immediately notify law enforcement (A.R.S. §28-666). These records anchor liability and speed claims.