Category: Car Accidents

Speed is one of the biggest factors that lead to car accidents across the nation. By some expert estimates, speed is believed to be involved in approximately 50 percent of all collisions, and this includes those that happen in Phoenix and across Arizona. Many drivers who otherwise follow the rules are willing to speed even though they are not willing to drive distracted, ignore red lights, or follow a vehicle too closely. But in the end, speeding does its part to risk the safety of everyone on the road.

Speeding can lead to other dangerous factors like not leaving enough space to stop. Daily, the rush hour traffic in Phoenix experiences these types of collisions where a speeding driver gets caught in slowing traffic and does not have the ability to stop in time, leading to a rear-end crash. Though just slowing down a few miles an hour may prevent some of these accidents, a lot of drivers continue to speed while behind the wheel.

Speed becomes a serious factor when it is extreme and significantly in excess of the posted speed limit for an area. If early reports are true, that was the case early this morning in Phoenix and it led to a serious crash between an SUV and a car. Beginning around 2:00 a.m., police were informed of an SUV traveling in the area of 51st Avenue and Bell Road that motorists believed was speeding excessively. Officers were looking for the SUV when it was spotted in the area. A police officer reportedly witnessed the SUV run a red light at the intersection and strike a passenger car. The officer believed the SUV was traveling at approximately 80 miles per hour, far in excess of the speed allowed in the area.

The crash left both drivers seriously injured and in need of emergency medical treatment. Both individuals were transported to area hospitals with the driver of the SUV in serious condition and the driver of the car in extremely serious condition. It is not clear whether the driver of the car will survive.

The area surrounding the crash was closed for several hours as police began an initial investigation into the incident. Their investigation is ongoing and they are currently attempting to determine why the SUV was traveling as fast as reported by witnesses. It is unknown whether any traffic citations have been or will be issued to either driver.
Continue reading “Speed a Factor in Phoenix Car Crash”

Accidents can happen at any time and on any type of road but the greater the traffic in the area, often the more likely that a collision will occur. In highly populated areas like Phoenix and the surrounding cities in the valley, rush hour traffic conditions are often associated with a high risk for a crash. This is especially true along roads known for traffic backups and the freeways, including the Loop 101 and 202.

Though accidents can happen to anyone, the fact remains that the majority of car accidents are caused by some form of negligence on the part of one or more drivers. Drivers who are distracted behind the wheel or who otherwise fail to pay attention the road are many times more likely to be involved in an accident than those who are focused on driving and who put safety first. Some studies have reported that speed is a factor in 50 percent of all car accidents because speeding limits a driver’s ability to react quickly and avoid hazards. Regardless of what action caused a crash, if the accident was due to the fault of another, any victims of the crash may be entitled to relief. Speaking with a lawyer who handles car accident claims is the best way to learn whether you have a valid claim following your accident.

Authorities are still trying to sort out the facts of an accident that happened this morning in Gilbert and that left five people injured. At this time, police believe that five vehicles were involved near Queen Creek and Higley and that the crash included a dump truck. Emergency crews responded to the scene of the collision and were able to transport three of the five victims to area hospitals by ambulance. The other two victims were so severely injured that they had to be transported by helicopter. The current conditions of those injured in the crash is not known.

As the investigation into the crash continues, police will try to determine whether the actions of one or more drivers led to the collision and whether any citations should be issued as a result. But regardless of whether tickets are issued, those injured in collisions like this one may still be entitled to relief.
Continue reading “Five Injured in Gilbert Car Crash”

Rear-end accidents are one of the most common forms of collisions across the country. Some rear-end accidents are minor and result only in damage to the vehicles involved but others are serious and can leave victims with permanent injuries or even death. Often, the circumstances immediately before an impact, including the speed of the vehicles involved and the size and type of vehicles, has a direct affect on the results of the crash.

Most, though not all, rear-end crashes are due to the negligence of one or more drivers. Often, motorists are distracted behind the wheel and are focused on something other than the road, which leaves them unable to notice traffic slowing to a stop or a change in traffic patterns ahead. This can lead to a distracted driver rear-ending another vehicle if the distracted driver is unable to stop in time.

Heavy traffic is often a trigger for rear-end crashes because the traffic can turn to stop-and-go with little warning. Even a slight distraction can keep a driver’s attention away from other vehicles and can lead to an impact. With rush hour traffic in Phoenix and the surrounding cities leading to significant congestion, it may not be surprising that many rear-end crashes occur as well.

When a car accident is caused by the fault or negligence of a driver, the victims who are hurt in the accident may be entitled to seek relief against the responsible driver. The laws of Arizona provide victims with this right so that those who have been harmed can receive monetary awards to cover expenses like medical bills and lost wages. This type of claim is separate and distinct from any charges brought by the local police or prosecutor and these claims can exist even if an at-fault driver did not receive a ticket. Speaking with an injury attorney in Phoenix is the best way to understand whether you were involved in an accident that provided you with the right to seek relief.

Authorities are not yet sure of what caused a rear-end crash in Phoenix yesterday but they are investigating the incident which occurred on an off ramp from I-10. Police reported that the crash happened near 59th Street and that two vehicles, a white Jeep and a black sedan, were involved. Police believe that the Jeep was stopped at a red light and that the sedan failed to slow or stop in time, causing the sedan to strike the rear of the Jeep.
Continue reading “Rear-End Crash in Phoenix Leaves 4 Hurt, Including 3 Children”

Driving while distracted is already a violation of many local and state laws throughout Arizona but in recent years, many have argued that as written, the law is not specific enough to give police the authority to crack down on negligent behavior. In recent years, many lawmakers and public officials have pushed for laws that specifically ban texting while driving, one of the most dangerous and widespread behaviors to emerge in recent years.

Texting while driving requires a driver to take his or her hands off the wheel to operate a cell phone as well as taking his or her eyes off the road to look at the phone’s screen. Studies have shown that texting while driving is just as dangerous if not more so than driving while under the influence of alcohol, yet to many drivers, the dangers associated with texting behind the wheel do not seem real.

The National Safety Council estimates that 1.3 million accidents every year are the result of texting while driving. The average text message requires a driver to look away from the road for 4.6 seconds which is approximately the length of a football field if the driver is traveling at 55 miles per hour. A lot can happen in 4.6 seconds and a driver who is not paying attention to the road and to traffic may cause a collision. In fact, research has shown that texting drivers are 23 times more likely to cause a collision than those who are not texting.

With so much research now highlighting the dangers of texting while driving, a new push is being made to specifically outlaw the practice in Arizona. State representative Victoria Steele of Tucson is the latest to propose new legislation on the matter. Her motivation for the proposed change in law was the accident last year between a distracted truck driver and a Department of Public Safety officer that left the officer dead. The semi truck driver is believed to have been looking at photos of women on his cell phone at the time his truck struck the stopped officer’s car, leading to the officer’s death. In that case, the semi driver is facing multiple charges, including murder.
Continue reading “New Push for Statewide Ban on Texting while Driving”

After a car accident occurs, drivers usually speak to one another and call local police to file a report. But even in the most minor of incidents, an injury or even fatality can still occur, especially if the drivers involved do not exercise care and caution for one another. It appears that this may have been the case in an unusual accident that took place in Scottsdale on Saturday at a local grocery store’s gas station.

Police have reported that an 86-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman were both at the store’s gas pumps. The 86-year-old man backed his vehicle into the 74-year-old woman’s car, causing a minor collision between the two vehicles. The woman was inside her car at the time of the impact and she exited the vehicle afterwards to look at the damage. But for reasons that are not yet clear, the man continued to back up and struck the woman, running her over with his Jeep and dragging her a short distance.

Emergency crews responded to the scene of the incident and attempted to help the woman but her injuries were too severe. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was not believed to be intoxicated at the time of the incident and at this moment, he is not expected to face criminal charges related to the woman’s death.

Regardless of whether or not charges are brought by the State of Arizona following any accident, an injury victim may still have a separate claim for relief against anyone who caused the victim to become injured. In the event that a crash leaves a victim dead, the victim’s surviving family members may be able to bring a claim for their losses.

Often, these claims seek compensation for expenses incurred by the victim, like medical bills, lost wages, or even pain and suffering, and the claims can be brought against a negligent driver, owner of a vehicle, or even the company that a driver was working for if the driver was actively on the job at the time of a crash. Since the facts of each accident are different, it is important to understand exactly what happened in your crash. Speaking with a lawyer can help you realize what legal options may be available to you so that you can obtain adequate relief.
Continue reading “Elderly Driver Runs Over Woman at Gas Pump, Killing Her”

When most parents place their children in a vehicle, they assume the car is safe and that they are not risking their children’s safety. But hidden defects or poorly produced and designed products can exist in any vehicle, lurking undetected for months or even years before an incident occurs. Often, a defect or a problem can cause a serious accident that may leave passengers in a car injured as well as others on the road.

Facts are still emerging regarding a Thursday morning accident in Phoenix but police have reported that the incident all began with a blown tire. At least five people were inside a vehicle traveling westbound on I-10 in the morning hours when one tire exploded, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and sending it across the median and into the lanes of traffic designated for eastbound travel only. The vehicle also rolled over at least one time, causing several people in the vehicle to be ejected as it careened out of control.

Police have reported that at least two adults and three children were in the vehicle at the time of the tire blowout and that four of those five were in need of medical treatment. They were transported to area hospitals for examination and treatment of their injuries where their current conditions remain unknown. A fifth person involved in the crash was also injured but sustained less severe trauma than the other four and did not require hospitalization.

Tires can blow out or suffer a rapid loss of pressurization for a number of reasons, not just defects in the tire itself. At this time, it is not clear what caused the tire to blow or whether the vehicle’s owner had any warning of the tire’s condition prior to the accident.

A driver may be responsible for a tire blowout if the tire is not properly inflated, if a driver runs over an object like a nail or glass that causes a leak in the tire, or even if a tire is used beyond its useful life. But a driver is not responsible if a tire blows because of a flaw in the tire’s design or an error in the manufacturing process. It can be very difficult to determine what caused a tire to blow and speaking with an injury lawyer may be a good place to start.
Continue reading “Blown Tire Causes Rollover Crash in Phoenix that Injures 5”

Phoenix has strict laws against drinking and driving and strongly enforces those laws in an effort to keep the roads as safe as possible. Local police and injury lawyers understand that even one drunk driver poses a serious safety threat to everyone on the road as well as those near the area, like young children and pedestrians walking on sidewalks. Alcohol lowers a driver’s ability to respond quickly and to make judgment decisions, increasing the odds that a drunk driver will be involved in a collision.

Most drivers understand the risks associated with drunk driving and choose never to drive drunk as a result. But a small number of drivers choose to ignore the risks or do not believe that drunk driving poses a threat and those drivers may choose to operate a car while intoxicated.

More terrible than just driving while drunk may be what police have reported out of Yavapai County recently. According to authorities, a male Cottonwood resident was operating a pickup truck under the influence of alcohol and was swerving in and out of lanes on the highway, speeding at least 15 miles an hour over the speed limit. Police noticed the erratic behavior of the driver and attempted to make a traffic stop but the driver of the truck reportedly refused to stop. Police later found the truck after it had crashed into a barricade marking a closed road on the Yavapai-Apache Reservation.

When questioned, the man reportedly denied driving the truck but authorities have reported that a convenience store’s security camera caught footage of the man as he got into the truck shortly before the incident occurred. Authorities have also reported that a 6-year-old child was a passenger in the truck at the time of the attempted traffic stop. It is not clear yet whether the child was related to the driver or whether the child was in the truck at the time of the crash.
Continue reading “Suspected Drunk Driver Had 6-Year-Old Passenger in Truck”

After a car accident occurs, it can be difficult to determine exactly what caused the crash and whether negligence by one or more drivers contributed to the accident. This is particularly true when no witnesses to the accident are available or, tragically, when all involved in an accident lose their lives.

Yet accident investigators are trained to analyze facts and data that are present after an incident and to determine what caused the events to unfold even if there are no witnesses to explain what happened. These experts may be needed to review an accident in Gila County on Tuesday that claimed the life of a 19-year-old man and left his 19-year-old female passenger seriously injured.

The male victim was driving westbound on U.S. 60 southwest of Show Low during the evening hours. Police have reported that the man missed a curve in the road and that his vehicle continued straight, leaving the road’s surface and plunging down into a canyon about 1,000 feet. The car stopped in the Salt River Canyon and it was there when first responders arrived at the scene.

Unfortunately the man was too injured and he died as a result of the crash. His female passenger survived the initial incident and was transported to an area hospital where she was examined and treated for her injuries. Her current condition and the extent of her injuries are not known at this time.

Following an accident of this type, police typically investigate all possible causes of the crash, including whether the driver erred or whether there was a problem with the road or with the car.
Continue reading “One Teen Injured, One Teen Killed when Car Falls into Canyon”

Of all of the various ways in which a car accident can occur, few tend to be more deadly than those involving a collision with a vehicle on the shoulder of the road. Generally this is because cars are only on the shoulders of freeways, expressways, and interstates which all have high speed limits, meaning the forces involved in a collision tend to be high.

When these crashes are not deadly, they often result in serious injuries, especially if a pedestrian is hit outside of a vehicle. Fortunately, though, it appears that a shoulder of the road accident happened this morning without leaving anyone hurt.

Police say that an officer had pulled over his vehicle onto the shoulder of the northbound Loop 101 to respond to a prior collision. As the officer was investigating, another vehicle came up from behind and collided with the police car which was located near U.S. 60. Amazingly, the officer may not have been hurt in this collision.

Being a police officer is very dangerous and can involve the risk of auto accidents among other injury-causing incidents. Over the years, the lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. have represented many police officers hurt while both on and off the job and we currently represent an Arizona officer who was injured in a car accident that was caused by negligent driving.

Though this crash involved a police car, other vehicles are just as likely to be involved in an accident while stopped on the side of the road. Many factors lead to these accidents including the fact that drivers may not anticipate seeing a vehicle stopped on the shoulder, the stopped vehicle may be hard to see, a portion of the stopped vehicle may still be on the road’s driving surface, or even that others in traffic may see a stopped car but think it is properly within a lane designated for travel.

These collisions can be the fault of the stopped driver or of the oncoming driver traveling in traffic depending on all the facts that are involved, but if one driver is negligent, that individual may be held liable for all resulting damages, including all injuries that occur from the crash.
Continue reading “Driver Hits Police Car on Shoulder of Road”

Over 200,000 people live in Glendale, keeping the city busy and leading to thousands of cars on the roads every day. In addition to the residents, more drivers are in the city for work or pleasure and this time of year, the city swells as many host family members and friends for the holidays.

Police believe that an elderly couple was in Glendale Sunday night in anticipation of the holidays which they planned to spend with some family members in the Valley. What they did not plan was to be involved in a car accident that claimed their lives and likely was due to the negligence of another driver.

It appears that a 71-year-old man and his 70-year-old wife were being driven by a relative in Glendale on Sunday. A man in his 30s was reportedly driving northbound on 75th Avenue, approaching the car carrying the elderly couple. The man allegedly failed to stop at a red light and caused a collision with the victims’ car, seriously injuring all three people in the second car. The elderly husband and wife both died of their injuries and the family member driving them was transported to an area hospital for examination and treatment. Though her current condition is unknown, authorities have reported that she has been discharged from the hospital at this time.

Police are still investigating what caused the male driver to allegedly run a red light. At this time, they do not believe the driver was impaired but police do not have a different explanation for the incident that led to the crash.

Depending on the investigation, the male driver may be cited for his part in the collision that led to the deaths of the two victims. Regardless of whether the driver is cited, though, the family members of the victims who lost their lives may be entitled to relief under the law.
Continue reading “Elderly Coupled Killed in Glendale when Driver Runs Red Light”