When you have been involved in a car accident in Arizona, you have 2 years to file a lawsuit. Some statute of limitations in injury cases are as little as less than 6 months. In terms of when you should settle your claim, the bottom line is that you should not rush to settle your claim even if you are required to sometimes move quickly in getting your claim filed.
The perfect time to settle your Arizona personal injury claim is when you are feeling 100% better, or what is known as your pre-accident condition, if you were already suffering from some ailments or conditions not related to the incident. In many cases, an individual will never be the same as they were prior to the accident as they have sustained a permanent injury or will be permanently disabled. The time to settle your claim therefore is when you have reached the maximum improvement after to your injuries and the doctors do not expect any more improvement.
The reason you want to wait until you are at this position is because once you settle your claim in Arizona, your claim cannot be re-opened. If you do have permanent injuries, you are able to collect for this pain and suffering or future treatment by presenting to the insurance company documentation showing that you will continue to have pain and discomfort due to the injuries related to the accident. In order to show these future injuries or future medical expenses, we speak to doctors and go over the law for what is required to prove future damages, whether it be that the injuries are permanent or that more expenses will be incurred.
Although it is best to wait until you are feeling better or until you are at your maximum improvement of your injuries, this is not the case in all circumstances. Every case is different and there may be circumstances where, given the injuries compared to the policy limits of the adverse driver, a case can be settled earlier.
