Skip to content
Michael Agruss

Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss

  • Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at Mike Agruss Law.
  • Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
  • Over 8000+ consumer rights cases settled.
  • Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.

With so many drivers on the road, accidents are bound to happen, and they can be frustrating and devastating. A car accident can have a domino effect on every aspect of your life, and you may feel overwhelmed by the stress. There was a spike in traffic crashes in Arizona in 2020, with 98,778 crashes and 1,057 lost their lives.

Getting in a car accident in Phoenix doesn’t have to be overwhelming. When you have a strong legal team behind you, you can focus on your healing rather than your case. By working with an attorney who values communication, honesty, and a willingness to listen, your time and energy will be freed for you to move on from the accident.

Get Experienced Legal Help For Your Phoenix Car Accident Case

Mike Agruss Law negotiates with the insurance company on your behalf. The insurance adjuster will not treat your attorney the way they would treat a claimant they know has no idea about the laws. When insurance companies talk to non-lawyers, they trick them into saying things that make them more guilty or liable for the accident. However, they won’t dare to pull these tricks with a skilled attorney with extensive experience with Ari law regarding car accidents. We talk to and negotiate with the insurance company for you.

First Steps After A Car Accident

The first things you should always do after a car accident is to see if you’re hurt, see if anybody else in your car is hurt, and look around you to see if you are in danger of getting hit by another vehicle. If you can safely get out of your car, you should check on the other driver to see if they are injured. Call 911 and immediately request law enforcement on the scene and tell the operator if anyone has been injured and how severely.

You should keep your interaction with the other driver very brief to avoid saying something that could harm your case. Even if you think that you caused the accident, you should never accept responsibility or apologize at the scene of the accident. Instead, you should exchange your:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Phone numbers
  • Auto insurance information
  • If either party asks for it, you must show your driver’s license

When the officers arrive, you should only report to them what you recall seeing and hearing leading up to the crash and during the crash, such as how many impacts you felt. Never speculate on the cause of a crash and do not give extra information.

Photos help explain what happened and can be crucial when establishing liability and fault. You should always take pictures from far away to encompass the whole scene and the street or area where it happened. Then move closer in so you can get pictures of the vehicles, including their tags, and the damage. You can walk around the vehicles and take a video to show the point and angle of impact.

It is a good idea to see a doctor after your car accident. Sometimes the shock of the accident masks the pain of injuries. A doctor will know what types of tests to run in order to rule out fractures, concussions, stomach bleeding, and other serious injuries.

Many people don’t go to the emergency room after an accident because they are afraid of the high cost of medical care. This is why you should call a lawyer immediately. They can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, tell you whether or not you have a case that you should take to court, and explain how you can file for damages to recover your financial losses.

You should not be stuck with the bill for an accident you did not cause. Contact Mike Agruss Law at 888-572-0176 to learn more about how we can fight for you to get your medical debt and expenses paid by the liable party.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Phoenix

Car accidents still occur despite advances in technology that can make driving safer, such as backup cameras and forward collision systems (FCS). Here are the most common causes of car accidents.

Distracted Driving

In 2019, there were 3,140 lives lost due to distractive driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Distracted driving includes anything that takes your mind, eyes, or hands off of driving. Even if you look away from the road for five seconds at 55 mph, that is the same as driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. Examples of distracted driving include:

  • Texting while driving
  • Eating while driving
  • Applying makeup
  • Talking on a cell phone
  • Being distracted by passengers
  • Switching air conditioning or radio dial

Drowsy Driving

It has been reported that approximately one-third of all American adults routinely get fewer than the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night that they need to wake up alert and refreshed. Chronic lack of sleep impairs judgment, hinders visual and motor coordination, and is devastating to one’s physical and mental health. Drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Micro-sleeping is a phenomenon where a person nods off behind the wheel for a second or two, which is long enough to cause an accident.

Drunk Driving

4,506 alcohol-impaired driving crashes occurred in Arizona in 2020. 181 of those crashes involved fatalities and led to 2,863 injuries. In the deadliest and most severe crashes, drivers had a blood alcohol continent BAC of .15 or higher. Many drivers wrongly assume that if their BAC is below the legal limit, then they are safe to drive, but impairment from alcohol starts at the first sip and gets worse with continued consumption. Drinking alcohol impairs one’s vision, motor coordination, and judgment, thus increasing the chance of causing an accident.

Speeding

When a driver is speeding, they need an increased distance in order to stop, have less control over their vehicle, and have a shorter reaction time to changing road conditions. According to a report from the Governor’s Department of Highway Safety, speeding was on the rise in Arizona. In fact, the director cited speed as one of the deadliest trends that the office began seeing in 2021.

Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving includes any reckless behaviors or traffic offenses that put other drivers, pedestrians, or property in danger. Aggressive driving behaviors include cutting in front of other drivers and then slowing down, speeding in heavy traffic, weaving in and out of traffic, or running red lights. Aggressive driving is more common in dense cities with hundreds of thousands of drivers where traffic can trigger a person’s anger.

Contact Mike Agruss Law Today

Call 888-572-0176 to schedule your free, no-obligation case evaluation with a Phoenix car accident attorney. We recommend that you bring your police report, medical records, outstanding medical bills, and any receipts from out-of-pocket expenses to your meeting with us. We will listen to you explain what happened in your words and then provide you with our professional legal guidance. Our goal is to help you understand what your rights are and what to expect as a client of Mike Agruss Law.

We are listening

We will respond to you at lightning speed. All of your information will be kept confidential.

Form successfully submitted!

Submitted Comments

No Comments submitted yet. Sharing your story will help others!