Practice Areas

Semi-Truck Accidents / Truck Accidents

Arizona Truck Accident Attorney

Nationwide, there are over 4,000 fatalities and 60,000 injuries, each year, from passenger vehicle collisions with heavy-duty trucks. There are nine million trucks occupying the United States roadways each year. Although they represent less than four percent of all passenger vehicles, they make up 12 percent of vehicles involved in motor vehicle fatalities. In April of 2009, the American Association for Justice found that there were more than 28,000 trucking companies, with over 200,000 trucks (collectively) driving on U.S. roads, incuring thousands of violations such as "defective brakes, bald tires, loads dangerously exceeding weight limits, and drivers with little or no training or drug and alcohol dependence."

The most distressing part about these figures is that most of the violations result from companies trying to cut corners to maximize profits. Most of the accidents are preventable and largely a result of judgment errors. And, another real issue is that it is impossible for other motorist to detect these problems. One simply cannot tell that a truck driving in front of it at 75 miles per hour is overloaded, with bald tires, defective brakes, and an exhausted driver. And, unfortunately, many of these crashes are not properly reported so these trucking companies continue their unsafe activity. A 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report fournd that "nearly one-third commercial motor vehicle crashes that states are required to report to the federal government were not reported, and those that were reported were not always accurate, timely, or consistent."

Truck accidents are one of the leading causes of death for Arizona residents, and serious injuries involving back and neck whip like movements (sometimes called whiplash, soft tissue injury, connective tissue injury, or facet joint injury), head and brain injury, spinal cord injuries, loss of limb, amputations, loss of senses, and other catastrophic results, including wrongful death, are all too common.

Trucks are not simply large cars. A typical semi truck is around 75 feet long, eight and a half fee wide, and 13 1/2 feet high with five axles, 18 whels, and weighing up to 40 tons. The number of large trucks traveling on highways is increasing every year. Because truck companies and truck drivers are motivated by profit, safety concerns often diminish and other drivers suffer the consequences. This is true for any truck accident or truck crash involving a semi truck, 18-wheeler, big rig, or even the neighborhood garbage truck. Despite rules enacted by the Department of Transportation, truck drivers often drive too many hours without the proper amount of sleep. To get around these regulations, some truck drivers falsify travel logs and fail to properly maintain their trucks and trailers.

Our personal injury lawyer handles semi truck and 18-wheeler crashes and collisions throughout the State of Arizona, primarily the Phoenix metro area, and across the United States. Semi truck and 18-wheeler accident cases present unique issues not associated with a typical car collision or motor vehicle accident. These differences include:

1. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations - federal regulations and safe operating requirements for commercial truck drivers, common carriers, vehicles, and truck equipment.
    
2. Hazardous Materials Regulations - federal regulations and safe operating requirements for the safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials, proper packaging, employee training, hazard communication, and operational requirements for truck drivers and truck companies.
    
3. Hours-of-service - federal regulations regarding truck driver alertness and fatigue-related accident. Salary systems that encourage truck drivers to exceed speed limits and maximum driving hours.
    
4. State and federal rules - Arizona truck safety regulations, truck licensing requirements, and truck insurance requirements.
    
5. Corporate liability - negligent hiring, supervision, and truck maintenance claims against truck companies.
    
6. Overloading trucks, allowng unqualified or untrained drivers, and failing to maintain tires and brakes.

To show exactly how bad the problem is one merely needs to consider that in June of 2009, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducted its own set of comprehensive roadside inspections. It announced the inspection dates four months ahead of time, giving plenty of warning for trucking companies to address problems. Regardless, 22.2 percent of the trucks inspected failed and were taken out of service. Despite this, Bill Graves, President and CEO of the American Trucking Association (ATA) claimed the results, "illustrate the trucking industry's deep commitment to the safety of all motorists."

Driving Safely Around Trucks

• Visibility around a truck is much worse than around a car. If you cannot see the truck driver in one of his/her mirros, then he/she cannot see you.
• Truck tries throw up a lot of spray in bad weather which makes it difficult for a truck driver to seeing anyone wanting to pass -- keep your headlights on.
• If you are merging in front of a truck, or passing a truck, do so quickly so that it leaves the truck driver's escape routes clear.
• A truck driver's signal to change lanes should be treated as a warning rather than as a request.
• If you come to an intersection without stop lines, stop well back to give a truck driver plenty of room to turn.
• Use extreme caution when passing a truck driver going slow in a city -- the driver may be looking for a street sign or number to make a delivery.
• Be smart - keep your full attention on the road especially around semi trucks.

Our personal injury attorneys understand the legal and practical problems associated with a semi truck accident, tractor-trailer collision, and 18-wheeler crash.

To learn what our semi truck accident attorney, with offices in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, can do to help anyone suffering from an accident or fatality, please contact us today for a free initial consultation. We offer reduced rates to those contacting us through the Internet.

The serious personal injury attorney and wrongful death lawyer at the Law Offices of Shane L. Harward PLC, also has experience in handling catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases involving:

• Car Accident, crashes, collision and wreck resulting in personal injury / death (Multiple car accident as well as single vehicle collision accident, including rear-end car collision accident, front-end car collision accident, car wreck involving side impact accident and failure to yield accident, wreck involving red light running, freeway wreck or highway wreck caused by slowing traffic conditions resulting in collision, etc.)
• Dangerous road and highway conditions leading to car wreck and personal injury /death
• Personal injury and death caused by police car, emergency vehicles, or other government agencies
• Bicycle accident / personal injury
• Bus accident / personal injury
• Construction Site Accident resulting in personal injury / death
• Drinking and Driving Accident and reckless driving resulting in personal injury / death
• Hit and run accident / personal injury
• Failure to yield the right of way and inattentive driving accident / personal injury death
• Motorcycle Accident, crash, collision and wreck resulting in personal injury
• Uninsured and underinsured car accident / personal injury claims

For more information about the insurance claims handling process for personal injury or property damage claims, please visit our Insurance Bad Faith Center.

Our Phoenix semi truck accident lawyer looks forward to helping you. For immediate assistance call us at 480-874-2918. Our Arizona truck accident attorney represents clients throughout the state of Arizona including, but not limited to, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Sun West, Sun City, Tucson, Flagstaff, Kingman, Bullhead City, Yuma, Lake Havasu, Fountain Hills, Anthem, Ahwatukee, Carefree, Cave Creek, Gold Canyon, Bisbee, Sierra Vista, Cochise, Paradise Valley, East Valley, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Gila, White Mountain, Heber, Payson, Prescott, Forest Lakes, Apache Junction, Avondale, Queen Creek, Benson, Black Canyon City, New River, Buckeye, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Cottonwood, Douglas, Florence, Gila Bend, Goodyear, Greer, Lakeside, Guadalupe, Holbrook, Huachuca City, Oro Valley, Overgaard, Avra Valley, Parker, Peoria, Pinetop, Pine, Prescott Valley, Quartzite, Strawberry, Safford, Show Low, Sun City West, Sun Lakes, Superior, Surprise, Snowflake, Tombstone, Wickenberg, Winslow, Wilcox, Williams, Young, Youngtown, and surrounding areas.

For more information about a car accident and collision, please visit our Automobile Accident Information Center.

Law Offices of Shane L. Harward PLC
Phoenix Personal Injury Attorney
Arizona Wrongful Death Lawyer
10575 North 114th Street, Suite 103
Scottsdale, Arizona 85259

Phone: 480-874-2918
Facsimile: 480-588-5063
Email