Category Archives: Blog

Here at Karnas Law Firm, we find underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage is extremely beneficial to all drivers. This prevents accident victims from digging out of their own pocket for expenses caused by another driver when they do not have enough insurance to cover their injuries.

What Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

UIM coverage includes bodily injury coverage. This will go to covering the additional expenses associated with injuries that are sustained but not covered by the at-fault driver’s insurance. It will cover the medical expenses, loss of wages while you were away from work, and pain and suffering. 

This may extend to any passengers in the vehicle involved in the accident. For example, a driver with a minimum insurance policy rear-ends you. Their policy cannot cover the entirety of your medical expenses. Your UIM bodily injury coverage will come in to pay the additional medical expenses rather than coming out of pocket.

How is Underinsured Coverage Different From Uninsured Coverage?

However, do not confuse Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM) with Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM). UM covers you when the other driver does not have any insurance. This will be the topic of next week’s blog. 

Experienced Car Accident Attorneys in Yuma, Arizona

If you’ve suffered from a car accident, you’ve already suffered enough. Don’t go through the aftermath of the accident alone. Reach out to our proven and trusted car accident attorneys today. 

The car accident lawyers at Karnas Law Firm are here to help you recover the maximum amount available for all associated damages. With more than 25 years of experience representing injured accident victims in Arizona, we understand the stress of being injured as a result of a third party’s negligence. Our team can lift the burden of settling a personal injury claim from your shoulders and relentlessly fight for fair compensation. 

Our attorneys are known as some of the top lawyers in the business and have received accolades such as Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers and Top 100 Trial Lawyers. We are also Lead Counsel rated. 

We are available anytime at (520) 338-1641 or at our Yuma location at (928) 550-8020. You can also email Olivia Gaxiola at ogaxiola@karnaslaw.com to set up an appointment.

To get started on your case, contact us today for a free case evaluation. We look forward to talking to you soon. 

Here at Karnas Law Firm, we are welcoming the news that the minimum limits of Arizona liability coverage to protect accident victims is increasing. We are counting down the days to July 1, 2020. An updated 25/50/15 model is to replace the old minimum policy of 15/30/10. 

On June 14, Governor Doug Ducey signed into law these new revisions in the form of Arizona SB 1087.

What Will Arizona’s New Liability Coverage Law Do?

Now, what does this mean in a real-life scenario? This means that in case you are in an accident, you as a victim have the potential to claim more money in your personal injury claim. The new law beginning July 1, will benefit all drivers injured in an accident.

The current, but soon to be replaced minimum limits of liability required by the state of Arizona are: $15,000/$30,000/$10,000. The first two dollar amounts represent “Bodily Injury Coverage.” These are the amounts that help cover medical costs. 

The first number is the maximum potential amount an insurance company will pay to any one (1) individual who is injured by the at-fault party. The second number is the total amount of money to be potentially paid out if more than one party is injured. Lastly, the final number represents the total amount paid for property damage.

How Is Arizona Changing Minimum Liability Coverage?

SB 1087 requires that minimum coverage be raised to $25,000/$50,000/$15,000. The new law means the maximum amount an insurance company will pay is $25,000 for one (1) individual who is injured in an accident. This means the most one person can collect is $25,000: If more than one person (2+) is involved, the maximum payout potential is $50,000. 

Lastly, property damage has increased from $10,000 to $15,000. This covers damages caused by the accident.

Experienced Car Accident Attorneys in Yuma, Arizona

If you find yourself injured, contact Karnas Law Firm so we may fight your case and get you what you deserve! We are available anytime at (520) 338-1641 or at our Yuma location at (928) 550-8020. You can also email Olivia Gaxiola at ogaxiola@karnaslaw.com to set up an appointment.

Arizona Senate Bill 1087: https://legiscan.com/AZ/text/SB1087/id/1854017

What new information came out of the Juul Congressional Hearing? Surprise, it’s being sold to your kids and is not as safe as you thought.

Juul, maker of a nicotine smoking device, sponsored summer camps, school programs, and even paid church groups to distribute their materials. These programs were targeting youth as young as eight (8) years of age. 

How Have Juul E-Cigarettes Been Marked to Teens?

These claims were further supported by testimonies provided by Caleb Mintz and Phillip Fuhrman. They were freshmen in High School when a Juul representative was left alone to present to their class during one of the school’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Days. Both testified that the representative made unsubstantiated claims that a Juul is “totally safe” but followed up these claims with: “But we don’t want you (underage students) as customers.” Mintz stated, “I believe the presenter was playing on the rebellious side of teens. When they’re told not to do something, they do it.”

This news came from two days of Congressional hearings with James Monsees, Juul Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, and Ashley Gould, Juul Chief Administrative Officer. During the meetings, new evidence of advertising to minors was brought out while all claims of Juul’s safety were found to be not fully credible.

Nicotine use by minors began to fall after years of legal battles. These cases set legal precedence that barred big tobacco vendors from selling to minors. Now they have resurrected themselves from the dead in the form of Juul. Juul may be a four-year-old company out of San Francisco, but the manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes invested $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in their company.

How Many Teens Are Vaping Today?

Cigarette smoking among teenagers hit an all-time low in 2015 when 11% of teens reported smoking cigarettes. The same survey also found that 24% of teens had vaped in the last 30 days leading up to the survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking rates among minors has not gone down; instead, Juul has replaced traditional smoking overnight.

Initially, they were able to tap into this market by making claims about the safety of their products. All statements about the safety of a Juul were found to be a marketing tactic. Now the company is facing backlash for making these false claims. The congressional hearings revealed all claims of Juul’s safety in the past have no scientific testing or experimentation to prove the product’s safety. New scientific data is beginning to prove the opposite. These lies continue to permeate because the brand already has its users hooked.

What Harmful Chemicals Are Found in E-Cigarettes?

As of 2019, the ingredients in a Juul pod as listed on the packaging (now but not previously required by law) are glycerol, propylene glycol, natural oils, extracts & flavor, nicotine, and benzoic acid. These pods are then plugged into a USB thumb drive-size battery that heats the compounds into an aerosol. Dr. Christina Sadreameli, assistant professor of pediatrics at John Hopkins University and a volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association, stated, “… this notion that ‘It’s just water vapor and nicotine and flavorings’ is very untrue… E-cigarette vapor contains a lot of harmful chemicals, heavy metals, and ultrafine particles.”

Experienced Dangerous Products Lawyers

Putting things into perspective, vaping is a recent discovery and the long-term health impacts are still largely unknown. This generation of users are the test subjects to a safety experiment led by big tobacco. If you have any concerns or health issues related to vaping contact Karnas Law Firm. We are available anytime at (520) 338-1641 or at our Yuma location at (928) 550-8020. You can also email Olivia Gaxiola at ogaxiola@karnaslaw.com.

A question often asked is whether a person’s auto insurance premiums will go up if they file a claim for an accident that was NOT their fault. This is a common dilemma for Arizona drivers, and it even influences many people to avoid reporting their accident to the car insurance company altogether.

In Arizona, the answer is NO. Insurance companies can raise your rates when you ARE at fault for an accident based on the assertion that the accident you caused demonstrates your risk as a driver. Insurance companies, however, cannot make the same assertion if the auto collision was NOT your fault. Insurance companies are prohibited by law from increasing your rates if you did not cause or significantly contribute to the accident.

Arizona Law Protects Car Insurance Premiums

The law states “No insurer shall increase the motor vehicle insurance premium of an insured as a result of an accident not caused or significantly contributed to by the actions of the insured.” If an insurance company increases your rates as a result of an accident, the law requires the insurance company to notify you of the reason for the increase.

See the complete statute below.

A.R.S. Section 20-263 – Vehicle insurance; prohibited act by insurer; hearing; penalty

1. No insurer shall increase the motor vehicle insurance premium of an insured as a result of an accident not caused or significantly contributed to by the actions of the insured. Any insurer which increases the premium as a result of accident involvement shall notify the insured of the reason for such increase.
2. The director, after a hearing, shall order an insurer that has raised the premium of an insured in violation of subsection A to refund the amount attributable to such premium increase and shall impose a civil penalty not to exceed three hundred dollars. In determining whether an insurer has violated subsection A, the director may conduct such investigation as he deems necessary and the costs shall be paid by the insurer pursuant to section 20-159.

Factors that Contribute to Car Insurance Premium Increases

While Arizona prohibits car insurance companies from increasing rates for an accident that was not your fault, many other factors can influence a rate increase; some of which are entirely out of your control. These include:

• The Number of Uninsured Drivers in Your Area: When uninsured motorists claim payments go up, insurance companies offset the difference by raising the rates for insured drivers.
• Local Weather Conditions: Your insurance premiums are likely to increase if you move to an area known for its extreme weather conditions like wildfires, tornados or hurricanes.
• Rising Repair and Medical Costs: Insurance companies will increase rates parallel with the increase in costs for medical treatment and property repair.
• Credit Score Change: A noticeable drop in your credit score will almost always result in a spike in your insurance rates.

As long as you own a car in Arizona, you will have to deal with insurance companies and even more so when you’re involved in a car accident. In such instances, it is essential that you have an experienced car accident lawyer by your side who can protect your rights every step of the way.

The Tucson car accident attorneys at Karnas Law Firm have over 50 years of experience successfully guiding personal injury victims through the claims process. Car insurance companies will often implement tactics to unnecessarily lengthen the financial recovery process and offer a subpar settlement at the end of it all. We can engage in negotiation with the insurance company to ensure that you are accurately compensated for all accident-related damages. Contact us today at (520) 571-9700 for a free case evaluation.

Karnas Law Firm Wishing You All a Safe and Spooktacular Halloween!