We Handle Commercial Truck and Big Rig Accidents
Commercial Truck Accidents
More Commercial Trucks Mean More commercial truck accidents and more Arizona Big Rig Collisions. We all realize Arizona is known for substantial and cumbersome commercial trucking traffic. This is especially apparent when sharing the road while you are driving in a smaller vehicle or operating a motorcycle. Phoenix and Scottsdale are the highest destinations for shipped goods. Unfortunately, this results in a high quantity of Arizona truck collisions.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a commercial truck accident in or nearby Peoria, Arizona, please realize that you have rights. With a free consultation from Peoria Az commercial truck accident Lawyer, you can better understand your truck crash and your legal rights to make the best choice for the outcome of your case. Commercial truck accidents….Call Now (602) 313-1618
Can I Receive Compensation If I Was Involved In A Commercial Truck Accident Near Peoria, Arizona?
Because of the severe damages caused by a large truck crash, victims often suffer devastating injuries, disabilities, and the deaths of loved ones. When medical bills, lost work, and the emotional toll of the crash combine, it is easy for victims to sustain hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in damage.
If your case reaches a settlement, the at-fault parties and their insurance providers can compensate you for the severe debts caused by injuries and any future needs and losses, such as rehabilitation or a continued inability to work.
Did you know that commercial operators of large trucks registered in Arizona are required to attend rigorous education and training to qualify for a commercial driver’s license to operate a commercial truck, such as a “big rig,” typically used in the course of distribution and the transport of commercial goods? Typically, these vehicles are eighteen-wheeler tractor trailers, tanker trucks, delivery vehicles, and other large freight trucks. Even though the driver of a commercial vehicle may possess the highest level of training and skill, there are still inherent dangers, difficulties, and challenges in navigating these enormous commercial vehicles around smaller private vehicles.
On top of that, commercial drivers of large trucks and 18-wheeler tractor-trailers have to negotiate and drive these large vehicles, which weigh as much as 80,000 lbs. This is more difficult when traffic is heavy, when the weather is terrible, and when sudden maneuvering is required to prevent commercial truck accident accidents due to other road hazards and conditions.
The following is an AZDOT.com compilation of drivers and passengers killed or injured, by vehicle type, in 2012:
- Pickup trucks: number of drivers killed – 72; injured – 4,356
- Pickup trucks: number of passengers killed – 31; injured – 1,751
- Station wagons: number of drivers killed – 83; injured – 6,482
- Station wagons: number of passengers killed – 57; injured – 305
- Truck tractor: number of drivers killed – 8; injured – 166
- Truck tractor: number of passengers killed – 0; injured – 48
The following trucks were involved in accidents that were either fatal or involved injuries:
- Station wagons
- Pickup trucks
- Vans
- Truck tractor, with or without semi-trailer
- Concrete mixer trucks
- Dump trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Wreckers or tow trucks
- Other truck combinations
- School bus
- Commercial or non-commercial bus
- Fire trucks
- Ambulances
- Other types and unknown vehicles
I Was Involved In A Peoria, Arizona, Commercial Truck Accident Who Is At Fault
Normally large or commercial trucking accidents produce a wave of destruction and, more times than not, devastation. Besides the apparent damage following an 18-wheeler accident, accident victims who have suffered an injury in an Arizona trucking accident face numerous amounts of legally perplexing questions. These questions may include deciding how to file a legal claim to be compensated financially for medical bills, injuries, pain and suffering, and other forms of loss.
Right from the beginning, following this type of accident or collision, the first and most challenging obstacle involves identifying the proper defendant. This is crucial to your case. If a truck driver, who was at fault for a collision or accident, causes injuries to others, there are numerous possibilities in determining the defendant. You must be aware that the truck driver could be an employee of a trucking company, and you would name both the driver and the trucking company as defendants.
The Arizona truck driver may be an independent contractor or even a sole proprietor, making the case even more challenging to name the defendant. It can come down to the contractual business relationship between the driver and the owner of the commercial trucking company.
In addition to naming the proper defendant or defendants to a trucking accident lawsuit, additional challenges can arise in the discovery phase of litigation. Discovery is basically the exchange of information that could serve as evidence for the parties when the matter goes to trial. Several technicalities are involved with the trucking industry, as it’s heavily regulated by the federal government.
For instance, regulations exist with the federal government that involves the truck driver’s logs, the cargo that he or she is carrying, how that cargo was loaded, the weight of the cargo, who loaded the cargo, and whether that cargo was properly registered as dangerous, if necessary, as well as many other questions that can arise. If someone who does not possess the proper level of experience is handling the discovery phase of an Arizona 18-wheeler accident lawsuit, it could lead to mistakes that include failing to ask for specific evidence.
Semi-truck and tractor-trailer accidents are typically severe since these vehicles are the biggest and the heaviest vehicles traveling over the streets and freeways. These accidents can be caused by tired drivers, below-par maintenance of big rig equipment, or even poor road maintenance by the state of Arizona.
Arizona and federal laws provide parameters by which semi-trucks and commercial vehicles must abide. If you or a loved one has been involved in a collision with a large commercial vehicle, we can help you understand those parameters.
Here is a list of the information you will need if you are involved in a commercial truck accident:
- Copies of Accident and Police Reports
- Commercial driver’s log
- Weight and payload of the truck
- Repair and maintenance records of the truck
- The driver’s operating record
- Interviews of witnesses and accident investigations
- Property damage and diminished value claims
Once we have reviewed the above information and you have hired one of our experienced Peoria commercial lawyers, we will then:
- File claims against insurance companies
- Provide ongoing communication with your insurance company and opposing insurance company
- Find Chiropractors, Doctors, and Legal representatives that will wait until your case settles for payment
- Negotiate all losses on your behalf
- Represent you and your loved ones in court against stubborn insurance companies
It is crucial to understand that being involved in a 18-wheeler commercial truck accident is much more complicated and convoluted when compared to a typical car versus car accident. Handling a truck accident in Arizona alone could lead to losing your rights to lawful financial compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of loved ones, and even private property damages.
We advise you to seek a free no, obligation legal strategy session with our Peoria Commercial big truck team. Our specially trained support staff will show you how to hold the drivers and the trucking companies that own and are responsible for the trucks on the highways and byways of Arizona accountable for the damages they may have caused.