As Arizona accidental shooting lawyers, we understand the emotional toll improperly handled deadly weapons can have on Copper State residents. That’s why we provide legal representation and support to in-need parties during these difficult times.
Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers has helped many clients navigate through these situations by:
- Investigating the nature of a deadly weapons shooting
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Informing clients about the legal process
- Representing clients in private negotiations and civil trials
By serving others like you in their time of need, we make it easier for wronged parties throughout Arizona to pursue the fair settlements they deserve. You can meet with a personal injury lawyer in Arizona today to discuss how to best navigate the state’s civil court system. If you move forward with a case, Zinda Law Group’s deadly weapons accident attorneys can represent your best interests.
Understanding the Importance of Legal Representation in Accidental Shooting Cases
It’s crucial to have legal representation when dealing with the aftermath of an unintentional shooting, as you have to navigate some complex weapons laws and regulations. When you have experienced attorneys to turn to throughout your case, you can better protect your rights while meeting your obligations. Our personal injury firm can specifically guide you through the legal process and represent you in civil court.
What’s more, our services help you receive fair treatment under Arizona’s civil laws. We can keep you on top of personal injury lawsuit filing deadlines and can connect you with expert witnesses who can add their testimonies to your case. All the while, we can investigate the wrongful discharge of firearms on your behalf, ensuring your right to a peaceful recovery.
Our accidental shooting lawyers in Arizona have experience investigating, negotiating, settling, and going to court on behalf of our clients. You can contact us today to learn more about our services throughout your personal injury lawsuit.
Investigating the Circumstances of the Shooting
When our experienced lawyers first take on your case, we examine all available evidence at the scene of the shooting. This includes analyzing forensic evidence such as bullet trajectories, gunshot residue, and firearm ballistics. We also gather physical evidence, such as shell casings or any other objects that may have contributed to the incident.
What’s more, we conduct interviews with all witnesses involved in or around the area where the shooting occurred. By piecing together this information, we can paint a clearer picture of how events unfolded leading up to and during the accident. By thoroughly investigating these factors, we can determine liability in cases where someone has been injured or killed due to an accidental shooting.
Common Causes of Accidental Shootings
Most causes of accidental shootings also point to how to prevent accidental shootings. When someone is accidentally shot in Arizona, some of the most common reasons and combinations of circumstances include:
- Improper storage of firearms
- Lack of training
- Improper celebratory gunfire
- Lack of supervision
- Intoxication
- Improper targeting
- Carelessness or recklessness
- Firearm defects
These dangerous offenses can leave you and your loved ones grieving someone’s wrongful death for the rest of your lives. Even if an unlawful discharge doesn’t prove fatal, you may still face severe physical injuries.
In the face of these losses, you can take legal action. Let our team help you file a personal injury claim today.
What to Do After an Accidental Shooting
Wrongful shooting survivors can take concrete steps to begin recovering from their losses. These can include the following:
Seek Medical Attention
You need to contact emergency services after an accidental shooting. If you aren’t contending with a severe physical injury, you can call 911 yourself. Alternatively, you can request that a bystander do so for you.
You can work with a general practitioner or an array of specialists to monitor your injuries after you’ve received emergency care.
Document the Accident
Accident documentation can help you assign liability for the losses you’ve recently endured. You can work with an attorney to gather and organize the information most relevant to your case, including the following:
- Accounts of your injuries, including medical bills and photos
- Witnesses’ contact information
- Photos or video from the accident scene
- The firearm’s identification
- Photos of the firearm
- Ballistics records
Note that if the party who shot you flees the scene of your accident, you should not pursue them. Accidental shootings can rapidly turn into even more dangerous offenses. Let police officers pursue a fleeing party on your behalf. Both officers and attorneys can help you gather the information you need to build a case once the scene is safe.
File a Police Report
Arizona’s emergency responders are legally required to inform police officers if you come into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. The local police are subsequently required to file a report detailing the nature of your accident.
You can request this police report as you investigate the circumstances that led to your accident. In doing so, you can read about the officer’s assessment of the scene and even benefit from some speculation about accident liability.
Document Your Expenses
It takes time and money to recover from an accidental gunshot wound. These costs can, unfortunately, add up over time. Before you know it, you may contend with hospital costs, lost wages, and unexpected therapy expenses.
The good news is that you can demand compensation for these losses – but only if you have the evidence you need to elaborate on their relationship to your accident. You need to keep relevant invoices and paperwork related to your care if you want to pursue accident damages.
So long as you have the means to prove your right to compensation, most civil courts allow you to request the following forms of compensation after an accidental shooting:
- Medical expenses, including emergency care and long-term doctor bills
- Invoices for physical and psychological therapy
- Mobility and pain management aids
- Lost wages
- Lost opportunities to return to work
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
Contact an Insurance Provider
Gun owners have insurance to protect them from the aftermath of accidental shootings. As an accident survivor, you and your loved ones have the right to file a personal injury claim with an applicable insurance company. That said, the company may attempt to deny your claim or otherwise impede your request for a fair settlement.
Insurance adjusters do not always accurately represent the losses you’ve faced in an accidental discharge case. If you’ve been denied the compensation that might otherwise go to a reasonable person after a shooting accident, turn to our law firm. Zinda Law Group can contest a denied claim by appealing it through official channels. Should the need arise, we can also take an insurance provider to civil court.
Assigning Liability for an Accidental Shooting
Liability for an accidental shooting will depend on the specific details of the accident. However, in general, the following people may be liable for an accidental shooting:
- Gun operator
- Gun manufacturer
- Property owner
Common Accidental Shooting Injuries
Each year, nearly 500 people die from unintentional firearm injuries. Unfortunately, accidental shooting injuries affect children at a disproportionately higher rate, with nearly 350 children unintentionally shooting themselves or someone else when they find unlocked, loaded guns. In 2020, there were at least 292 unintentional shootings by children under age 17, resulting in 117 deaths and 183 injuries.
The accidental shooting injuries that tend to appear in today’s personal injury cases can include the following:
- Head trauma
- Eye injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Infections
- Internal damage
If you or a loved one are contending with severe injuries after the unlawful discharge of a dangerous weapon, get the medical attention you need right away. You can work with our law firm from a hospital or similar environment to initiate your case.
Filing a Claim Within Arizona’s Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
Arizona places a two-year cap on your right to legal action following an accidental shooting. You must file a relevant lawsuit within these two years if you want to secure compensation for your losses.
Fortunately, no one is making you file a personal injury lawsuit alone. You can work with an accidental shooting attorney in Arizona to initiate a case within hours of your initial injury. We can help you stay on top of your filing deadlines so that you can bring your case before a judge.
Contact Zinda Law Group Today
Zinda Law Group offers diligent care to survivors of accident shootings throughout Arizona. Our accidental shooting attorneys can guide people like you through filing a civil claim. In turn, you can secure the compensation you need to recover.
What’s more, Zinda Law Group never wants to add to your concerns about your finances after an accident. That is why we offer 100% free case consultations to survivors like you. You will not pay for our representation unless we win your case – and that’s our No Win, No Fee Guarantee.
Contact our team today to schedule your initial case evaluation. Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.
