Protecting Your Rights as a Passenger in a Crash

You may have concerns about your passenger as a victim if you’ve been involved in a car accident. First, seeking treatment for any damages that you have suffered in the auto accident is critical. Most importantly, remember to protect your rights, even if that means filing a lawsuit against your vehicle’s driver. You may feel guilty for taking action but protecting your rights in an accident is essential.

If you’ve sustained injuries in an accident, contact the Phoenix auto accident attorneys at ELG Law. Our team of auto accident lawyers is here to help. We’ve explained your rights as a passenger below and are ready to help with a free consultation.

Determining Fault and Filing Your Claim

Arizona is a comparative fault auto accident state. This means that authorities determine fault and that fault can be shared. The at-fault driver is financially responsible for injuries and damages, but it’s important to know which driver is at fault. Determining fault in a single-vehicle accident is easy, but when a crash involves more than one driver, it can get complicated. At that point, each driver’s insurance company will investigate and determine the parties at fault.

After the investigation, one driver may be at fault or multiple drivers may be at fault in the accident. For example, one driver may be found at 70 percent fault while another driver could be 30 percent at fault.

Once law enforcement and insurance companies have determined fault, you can make a claim against all at-fault drivers involved. For that reason, it’s vital to collect each driver’s information at the scene of the accident, including their names, contact information, insurance policy numbers, vehicle descriptions, and insurance companies.

Minimum Insurance

According to Arizona state law, all motorists must carry a minimum amount of car insurance in case of an auto accident. The minimum requirements include $10,000 for property damage per each accident caused by the insured, $15,000 for the bodily injury or death of one individual caused by the insured, and $30,000 for bodily injury or death for multiple injured people caused by the insured.

But if the at-fault driver doesn’t carry insurance, other rules could apply. If a friend or family member is driving the vehicle, the vehicle owner’s liability insurance could cover the auto accident. This also applies if the vehicle owner has given the at-fault driver permission to drive their vehicle. Another example is if the at-fault driver was operating a company vehicle since the employer’s insurance could kick in to cover the accident.

If these options aren’t applicable, you may file a medical coverage claim with your own insurance company. And if you’re not sure how you’ll cover damages, an auto accident attorney in Phoenix can explore your options.

Car Accident Attorney in Arizona

Car accidents are an unfortunate reality of life but protecting yourself in the aftermath can help make your recovery as stress-free as possible. If you’ve been injured as a passenger in an auto accident, contact our Phoenix auto accident attorneys at ELG Law. Call us at (623) 562-3838 for a no-obligation free consultation and legal aid today.

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source https://www.elgphx.com/protecting-your-rights-as-a-passenger-in-a-crash/