(435) 767-7777
(435) 767-7777Phoenix Truck Accident Lawyer
If you have been injured in a commercial truck accident in Phoenix, you may have the right to pursue financial recovery from the truck driver, trucking company, and/or anyone else who is at fault for the crash and your injuries.
Truck accident cases tend to be complicated because they often result in significant harm and involve several responsible parties and insurance companies. Thankfully, you don’t have to navigate the aftermath of your crash alone. An experienced Phoenix truck accident lawyer can provide you with the legal advocacy you need now.
The legal team at Swenson & Shelley is experienced, trusted, and knowledgeable. We are prepared to aggressively demand accountability and proper compensation for you in the wake of a devastating truck collision. We aren’t afraid to take a case to court if the insurance companies involved fail to offer fair settlements, so the other side knows to take us seriously when we sit down at the negotiating table.
Contact our firm today for a free case review with a Phoenix truck accident lawyer. After objectively evaluating your case, we’ll answer your questions, address your concerns, and advise you on the legal options available. At that point, you’ll be empowered to take whatever next steps best suit your needs and priorities.
Do You Have a Truck Accident Case?
You may be able to file a successful truck accident case if you’ve sustained physical or emotional injuries in an accident that was someone else’s fault. Everyone on the road has a responsibility to operate their vehicles safely. For truck drivers and trucking companies, that means not only following the rules of the road but also obeying all federal and state regulations that apply to them.
To recover compensation in a truck accident claim, you’ll need to show that the other party is responsible for the accident and your injuries and that you consequently suffered specific losses, such as medical expenses and pain and suffering. If you are unsure of whether you can prove these legal elements, don’t worry. We can explore your case’s potential strengths and weaknesses in a free consultation setting.
Why Truck Accident Claims Are So Complicated
Truck accident claims tend to be much more complicated than other kinds of motor vehicle accident cases for a few reasons. These reasons include:
- Truck accidents often leave victims with severe or catastrophic injuries, which means that those victims will need to calculate their anticipated future medical expenses and losses. This can be a challenging task.
- Truck accident claims can involve significant sums of money, which drives trucking companies and insurers to fight hard to minimize the amount they must pay.
- Investigating truck accidents requires examining many pieces of evidence. State and federal trucking regulations require trucking companies to keep substantial records that may hold clues about the true causes of a truck crash.
- The trucking industry is made up of many different companies and entities that work together, and any number of those parties may share fault for a truck accident. These parties may also complicate cases by trying to shift liability onto one another.
- Trucking companies often have layered insurance coverage. In these situations, one insurance policy is not triggered until another policy’s coverage limits are exhausted. This can make determining how much total insurance coverage a liable trucking company may have is difficult.
Why You Need a Lawyer for Your Truck Accident Case
Because of how complex truck accident cases tend to be and how hard trucking companies and their insurers fight to avoid liability, it’s important to have experienced legal counsel on your side. Our personal injury attorneys understand what it takes to build a strong compensation claim. The truck accident lawyer team from Swenson & Shelley has decades of combined experience aggressively advocating for the rights of truck accident victims. Our firm is prepared to build the strongest possible case on your behalf by using every necessary resource to build your claim. Our approaches may include:
- Investigating the accident to determine liability
- Recovering evidence to build an effective, persuasive truck accident claim on your behalf
- Hiring accident reconstruction and trucking industry experts to provide critical testimony in support of your case
- Collecting documentation to prove the extent of your injuries and losses
- Identifying liable parties and the available extent of insurance coverage
- Filing insurance claims and demands for compensation from at-fault trucking companies, their insurers, or other liable parties
- Pursuing fair and full compensation for you through a negotiated settlement or by filing a truck accident lawsuit and advocating for your rights as a personal injury victim
What Compensation Can Be Recovered?
The financial and personal losses truck accident victims suffer can be staggering. Thankfully, most truck accident victims can seek compensation for these losses by filing a personal injury claim. For example, you may pursue compensation for:
- Costs of your medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospital bills, surgeries, physical or occupational therapy, and prescriptions
- Costs of long-term care for disabilities that result from your injuries, including home health services, purchases of medical devices or equipment, and home renovations to accommodate disabilities
- Loss of wages or income, and loss of future income and employment benefits, if your injuries and disabilities have rendered you unable to work
- Physical pain and emotional trauma or distress
- Loss of quality of life because of any disabilities or permanent disfigurement that interfere with activities or cause embarrassment
- Vehicle repair bills, or the cash value of your vehicle if it was totaled in the accident
Who Could Be Held Liable for a Commercial Truck Accident in Phoenix?
Some of the parties who might be held responsible for a commercial truck crash in Phoenix include:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company that employed or retained the driver
- The truck’s owner, if not the driver or the trucking company
- The truck’s manufacturer
- Third-party manufacturers of tires, brakes, or other parts used on the truck
- The freight company responsible for the cargo load
- Third-party mechanics or auto shops that performed maintenance on the truck
- Another driver was involved in the accident
- A government agency tasked with maintaining safe road conditions
Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents in Phoenix
Common causes of 18-wheeler accidents in Phoenix, Arizona, include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Reckless driving
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Drowsy or fatigued driving
- Texting while driving or other distracted driving behavior
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Failure to use mirrors and indicators before turning or changing lanes
- Running red lights or stop signs, or disregarding traffic signals
- Driver inexperience
- Unfamiliarity with delivery routes or local roads at a delivery destination
- Unsafe cargo loads, including overloading the truck or not balancing or securing the cargo load
- Inadequate vehicle maintenance
- Defective truck parts
- Poor road conditions
- Adverse weather
How Is Fault Determined in a Truck Accident Case?
Our firm can recover and review various types of evidence to determine which party or parties could be held liable for the injuries you suffered in a big rig accident. Some of the evidence that our Phoenix truck accident lawyers may use to prepare your case include:
- Hours of service logs for the truck driver, which record how long a driver has spent on duty or behind the wheel
- Drug and alcohol screening results if the driver underwent a test following the accident
- The truck driver’s employment and driving history
- Dispatch logs from the trucking or freight company
- Inspection and maintenance records from the truck driver and trucking company or truck owner
- Cargo load manifest for the cargo that the truck was hauling at the time of the crash
- Logs from the truck’s electronic data recorder, a device similar to an airliner’s “black box”
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage
- Post-accident truck inspection reports, which may reveal the presence of defective parts on the truck that might have caused the crash
- Police accident reports
- Citations for motor vehicle code or regulatory violations
- Eyewitness testimony
- Photos and video from the accident scene
Statute of Limitations on Truck Accident Lawsuits in Arizona
If you have been injured in a semi-truck accident, you’ll have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit against the at-fault parties. The statute of limitations on truck accidents in Arizona gives you only two years from the date of the accident to file suit.
If your accident was recent, you may feel as if you have plenty of time to speak with an attorney. But, it’s important to act quickly so that our firm can preserve evidence that may prove to be critical to your case.
In limited circumstances, exceptions may apply to extend the limitations period, but you’ll need to speak with a Phoenix truck accident lawyer as soon as possible to determine whether any of these exceptions applies to your situation. If you file suit after the limitations period has expired, the court will dismiss your lawsuit, and you’ll lose your right to recover compensation.
Tips for Protecting Your Rights After a Truck Accident in Phoenix
If you have been involved in a truck accident in Phoenix, keeping these tips in mind can help you protect your right to pursue fair compensation in an injury claim:
- Use your smartphone to take photos and videos of the accident scene, including details such as the vehicles’ damage and positions after the crash, traffic controls at the scene, visual obstructions for any drivers, and the weather, lighting, traffic, and road conditions at the time of the accident.
- Go to the hospital or see your primary physician as soon as possible to get examined for any injuries you may have suffered in the accident.
- Follow any treatment instructions you receive. Do not delay or defer treating your injuries. Request copies of your medical records from your treatment and rehabilitation.
- Keep copies of bills or invoices from medical services and any other expenses you incur due to the accident. Also, keep records of your employment situation, as well, if you cannot work due to your truck accident injuries.
- Document your recovery by recording the pain and difficulties caused by your injuries in a daily journal.
- Speak with a truck accident lawyer in Phoenix as soon as possible to discuss the next steps you’ll need to take to pursue financial recovery for the harm you have suffered successfully.
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Speak with a Phoenix Truck Accident Lawyer for Free
If you need help standing up to big trucking companies and their insurers after being injured in a commercial truck accident, contact Swenson & Shelley today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Learn more about how a knowledgeable Phoenix truck accident lawyer from our team can help you demand total financial compensation from the parties responsible for your injuries and losses.
Truck accident victims deserve the relentless pursuit of justice; our firm is dedicated to it. Connect with us today to learn more. We look forward to speaking with you.
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