You can be the safest driver on a highway and it may not matter; if another motorist is acting in a reckless or negligent manner, your safety may be threatened and you may even become the victim of a Phoenix-area car accident. In some cases, nothing can be done to avoid these collisions or the injuries that they cause and the victims may be forced to deal with pain and suffering for months or even years after a collision ends.
Some collisions are clear and it can be easy to see who was at fault or who acted negligently in causing the incident. In other cases, the actions of multiple parities may combine and cause an accident and it can be difficult to sort these out from a legal perspective. Fortunately, victims of collisions have the right to contact a personal injury attorney to learn how the applicable laws may affect their ability to seek relief and to obtain compensation for their injuries when an accident happens in Arizona.
Some of the most confusion collisions involve a police vehicle or another emergency responder. The typical laws that apply to issues like a speed limit or a right-of-way may not apply in the case when an emergency vehicle is in the area with its lights and sirens activated. Instead, it may be the responsibility of civilian drivers in the area to allow those emergency vehicles to proceed regardless of traffic control devices like traffic lights and stop signs.
Now, local police are confirming that a collision that left two drivers hurt involved a high speed chase on I-17 near Thomas Road. The incident happened on Sunday night shortly before 12:00 a.m. Monday when a marked police officer attempted to pull over a pickup truck that allegedly had been driving erratically. Reports indicate that the driver of the truck refused to stop and instead left the scene at a high speed on southbound I-17 for some distance before exiting and traveling on Camelback Road. At one point, the driver reportedly was traveling at 110 miles per hour and returned to I-17 before exiting the highway a second time, running a red light, and colliding head-on with a second vehicle in the area.
The driver of the pickup truck was serious injured and was taken to an area hospital for additional treatment where the driver’s condition is not known. Additionally, the driver of the second vehicle was also hurt but is expected to survive and received assistance both at the scene and at a hospital. The police officer in pursuit of the pickup truck was not involved in the crash and was not harmed.
Officials are still trying to determine why the driver of the pickup truck fled from the attempted traffic stop and whether any outside factors, like impairment, may have played a role.
When a car accident happens and affects your life through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to financial compensation that can cover losses like medical expenses incurred, pain and suffering, and lost wages. The available relief can vary based on a crash so the personal injury attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. are standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take your call and help you understand how you may be able to get the relief you deserve.
We offer a free case consultation without obligation to all those victims who call us toll free at (855) PHX-LAWYER or locally at (602) 819-5191 and we will work around your schedule to give you the answers you deserve regardless of when you need them. Everything discussed will be kept confidential and if we represent you in your case, we will never charge you a fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf.
Prior Blog Entry:
Multiple Vehicles Collide in Phoenix Car Accident, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published February 2, 2015.
Resource:
2 hospitalized after high-speed chase on I-17, by Steve Stout, CBS5AZ.com, published February 2, 2015.