On August 29, 2012, a 100 year old senior citizen driver veered onto a sidewalk by a Los Angeles elementary school and struck and injured nine children and two adults. Taking the keys away from senior drivers is a difficult decision that causes heated arguments within families. The American Psychological Association did a driving study of 266 drivers between the ages of 70 and 88 who lived alone and had no obvious signs of dementia. The study showed an increased driving danger due to a decline in the senior’s motor skills. Seniors have difficulties with failing to check blind spots, veering across lanes, and neglecting to use turn signals. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the crash rate of seniors increases beginning at age 70 and jumps significantly higher at age 80. Their crash rate rivals teens and young adults. Of course, not all senior drivers are unsafe. Some, who have maintained their motor skills and mental capacity, drive carefully. The Arizona Republic recently found that state licensing rules widely differ with only 30 states imposing senior driving restrictions. In Arizona, driver licenses expire on the 65th birthday. Thereafter, the driver’s license can be renewed every 5 years with…

In Arizona, car accidents involve more than the drivers of the vehicles. It’s not uncommon for one or both of the cars to have passengers. When you are a passenger who is injured in a car accident, you will have medical bills, pain and suffering, and possibly lost wages. The question then becomes, “Who pays?” The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance If you are a passenger and you are injured in a car accident in Arizona, the driver that caused the accident is responsible for your bills and expenses related to the accident. Every driver in Arizona is required to have car insurance. The State requires that you carry liability insurance up to $15,000 per person, including passengers. When you are an injured passenger, you may submit a claim for your injuries to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Your Health Insurance – With An Expectation of Reimbursement After a car accident, the drivers’ insurance companies will conduct investigations to determine which driver caused the accident. This can take weeks, or even months, to complete. You don’t have time to wait to seek medical treatment….

UM/UIM insurance is uninsured and under insured motorist coverage. When you’re injured in a car accident and the other driver is at fault, one of the first questions your attorney will ask is whether you have UM/UIM insurance. It may seem strange that your attorney, whose job it is to be your advocate and help you collect money from the person who injured you and/or your car, is asking about your car insurance; however, it’s a critical question. Arizona drivers are required to have car insurance, but they are only required to cover $15,000 per person for injuries and $10,000 for property damage. If a driver who hit you only has the state minimum car insurance, he/she may not have enough insurance to pay for all your medical bills, vehicle repairs, pain and suffering, and lost wages. If that happens, you can submit a claim to your own car insurance carrier to pay your remaining bills through your UM/UIM insurance. UM = Uninsured Motorist Coverage It’s illegal to drive in Arizona without car insurance. Unfortunately, this law doesn’t stop 12% of Arizona drivers…

On November 5, 2011, a 27 year-old pedestrian was struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident as she crossed the street near Scottsdale Fashion Square. The woman sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries. The Scottsdale Police Department is searching for the driver of the silver Honda that hit her. The police may use eyewitness reports and MVD records to try to locate the car. They may even check the surveillance cameras in that area to see if any of them recorded a silver Honda on the road near the time of the accident. If located, the driver will likely be criminally charged for the accident. The woman likely did not cause the accident; and therefore she should not be financially responsible for her injuries. The driver likely failed to drive with reasonable care for the circumstances and should be held responsible for the woman’s medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering related to the accident. But this woman can’t file a claim against the driver’s insurance company or sue the driver if she doesn’t know who he/she is. The woman’s…

According to a recent study, almost a quarter of all Arizona drivers do not carry automobile insurance.  The study further noted that there is an increase in the number of people who are either dropping their car insurance or decreasing the amount of insurance they carry.  How does this affect you if you are the victim of an automobile accident? It does not have to.  By purchasing uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, you can protect yourself in the event that you are involved in an automobile accident with a person who either does not have insurance or has an insufficient amount of insurance to cover your injuries. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you and the passengers in your vehicle for injuries sustained in an automobile accident involving a driver who has no liability coverage.  Underinsured motorist coverage protects you and your passengers for injuries sustained in an automobile accident involving a driver whose insurance is insufficient to cover the injuries of you or your passengers.  The cost of both of these types of coverage is relatively small but can make a huge difference in whether you receive adequate compensation for…

Despite attempts by the U.S. government to encourage people to sign up for health insurance, a significant number of people injured in car accidents do not have insurance. So if you are one such person and find yourself in a car crash and in need of medical attention, you may feel helpless. The good news is that hospitals are required to treat any person who appears in the emergency rooms, regardless of whether they have insurance. If you are injured and you need immediate attention, go to the nearest ER. This is your life. And even if you feel fine now, car-crash victims often have injuries that may not show up until hours or even days later. Whiplash is an injury victims often do not notice immediately; they instead walk away from a crash feeling spared…but whiplash-induced migraines and neck pain catch up sooner or later. In an ER, you can get the medical attention, care and medicine you need. Personal injury lawyers often help people without insurance find doctors and medical providers who will provide the necessary medical care. Lawyers can assist…

The first thing you should know is that car insurance is mandatory and required by state law. Arizona also has financial responsibility laws, meaning if you’re involved in a crash you’ll need to prove that you can cover the damage costs up to a point. Vehicle insurance is how we as drivers comply with these laws. According to Arizona Auto Insurance Law, the minimum amount of liability coverage needed for personal injury is $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident. Additionally, the minimum amount of liability coverage needed for property damage is $10,000. It’s a good idea to check with your insurance provider now, before you’re involved in a crash, to make sure your coverage is at least for these minimums. Not having this insurance when you’re in a crash is expensive. Besides the costs of damages that you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket, you may be forced to pay a $250 fine for not complying with the financial responsibility laws and not having the proper amount of insurance. Arizona’s insurance laws are based on the tort liability system, meaning…

A fatal car crash caused six to die this morning when a bus hit a pickup and rolled over on the interstate south of Phoenix. Come to find out…the bus company involved in the accident has been operating without insurance for almost a year, and its buses should not have been on the road! The carrier is a company by the name of Tierra Santa Inc. who lost its authorization to operate on April 1, 2009 but has been continuing to put its buses out on the roads none-the-less. In the last two years, the company has been involved in only one other crash, but this morning’s event certainly was catastrophic for all involved. Furthermore, the company has a history of violations, including one failed bus inspection resulting in the bus being taken out of service. Two of the company’s drivers had also lost their authorization to drive. At about 5:30 a.m. this morning (March 5, 2010) is when the crash occurred. The roof of the bus was crushed and all the windows were knocked out, with one passenger thrown as far as 25 yards. Sadly, the women and children aboard the bus didn’t fare so well. Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said two…

Who is considered an underinsured driver? According to Insurance.com, an underinsured driver is someone who “had insurance that met minimum legal requirements, but did not have payment limits high enough to pay for the damage caused by the accident.” Who is considered an uninsured driver? According to Insurance.com, an uninsured driver is someone who “did not have any insurance, had insurance that did not meet state-mandated minimum liability requirements, or whose insurance company denied their claim or was not financially able to pay it.” What is underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage? Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage (UM/UMI) is coverage that protects you if you are in an accident and the other party is underinsured or uninsured. This coverage can pay for injuries to you and your passengers. In addition, when the other driver is both responsible for the accident and considered “underinsured or uninsured,” the coverage may pay for damages to your property. In most states, the policies can be purchased together, but it is important to note that they are separate policies. Why would I need underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage when my state requires insurance? While this may be true, the Insurance Research Council estimates that the percentage of uninsured drivers in…