Arizona has very active trucking routes with commercial vehicles delivering goods to Americans, but sometimes those vehicles can cause big accidents.
Semi-trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, which is why they pose such a danger to the much-smaller passenger vehicles that share the road.
Crashes involving semi-trucks usually result in serious or even fatal injuries for passenger vehicle occupants. Those who have been hurt in semi-truck accidents on Arizona roads need a Phoenix semi-truck accident lawyer in their corner.
The facts on big-truck accidents
Any traffic accident involving a vehicle that weighs more than 10,000 pounds is classified as a truck accident.
According to the American Association for Justice:
• The number of trucks on the road increased and the size of these trucks is also increasing
• Trucks hauling double and triple trailers can weigh 20 times more than an average passenger vehicle and be longer than a Boeing 737
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Crash Facts:
• The state saw 116,609 total crashes with 36,139 accidents with injuries and 811 fatal crashes in 2015
• Of those crashes, 39,054 occurred in Phoenix alone, including 178 fatal accidents leaving 192 people dead and 12,325 injury accidents with 18,901 persons injured
• Throughout the state, there were 2,152 tractors or tractor-trailers involved in part of these accidents with 467 involved in accidents with injuries and 66 fatal accidents
Dealing with trucking companies
Truck drivers work long hours, which takes its toll. According to the AAJ, driver fatigue is the leading contributing factor in truck driver-related accidents. Furthermore, the AAJ states that “more than 28,000 trucking companies with safety violations currently operate on U.S. roads.”
Semi-truck accidents can also be caused by many other factors, including:
? Negligence
? Mechanical failure
? Conscious disregard of regulations
? Bad weather
? Poor road conditions
Dealing with a trucking accident is complicated. Liability for the accident will likely fall on the driver, but it can also fall on the driver’s employer, the owner of the truck and/or trailer, the company that maintains the vehicle and even the company that loaded the trailer, and others.
Trucking companies employ investigators, insurance adjusters and attorneys all dedicated to protecting their interests, who often arrive at the scene within minutes of an accident to begin preparing a solid defense against any claim. It’s vital that drivers have someone to quickly respond to look out for their interests.
Hire a top Phoenix semi-truck accident lawyer
If you’ve been hurt in an accident involving a semi-truck in Phoenix, contact a skilled personal injury law firm for help. At Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys, they work hard to get the compensation you deserve to ensure you’re not bullied by any trucking or insurance company representatives. They also have no out-of-pocket costs, as they don’t get paid until you get paid for winning your case.
To contact their Phoenix semi-truck accident lawyer, call Lerner & Rowe at (602) 977-1900, submit an online case review form, or click on the 'live chat’ button on their web site. Their Phoenix law offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they can be reached 24/7. Make one call or click for a free consultation to get the legal help you need when you need it most.
