Category: Car Accidents

In 2014, there were 109,554 traffic crashes in the State of Arizona. The collisions happened in every city and involved all types of people from young drivers to older motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, passengers, and motorcyclists. A large number of those crashes took place in Maricopa County, the most heavily-populated county in the state, and caused extreme damages including injuries and loss of life. The Arizona Department of Transportation estimates that collisions in Maricopa County alone in 2014 cost in excess of $1.8 billion in damages.

If you live in the Phoenix area, chances are that either you have been involved in a car accident or you know someone who has. With such a widespread impact stemming from these collisions, harm can be felt by the families, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers of the victims involved in addition to the victims themselves, drawing greater attention to safety concerns related to traffic accidents. But with so many collisions taking place, it may be surprising to realize how little the typical car accident victim understands about their legal rights and legal options when they are hurt.
Continue reading “What Relief is Possible after a Phoenix Car Accident?”

Wrong-way drivers have been a serious threat to public safety in Phoenix over the last two years. Though collisions involving a driver operating the wrong way have been happening for much longer, the last 24 months have seen a staggering number of these incidents and many of them have caused car accidents in the Phoenix area.

Far too often, collisions lead to injuries or even to the deaths of those involved, whether those victims were drivers, passengers, or even pedestrians in an area. Time and time again, people who made no mistakes are the ones left suffering and who are forced to pick up the pieces after a crash, trying to move forward even though their lives will never be the same. Though there is nothing that can erase the harm done by a collision once one occurs, victims of these incidents are protected by numerous laws that recognize that an injury victim should not be forced to bear the financial liability for his or her injuries. Instead, those who are hurt in Phoenix can seek and obtain relief against a responsible, at-fault driver through the use of a civil claim for damages. These are legal actions that are different from any charges brought by local police and the goal of a civil claim is to benefit those who need it the most – the victims who were hurt or the surviving family members of those who were killed.
Continue reading “New Technology being Tested by ADOT to Alert, Deter Wrong-Way Drivers in Phoenix”

Traffic is a daily issue for those who live in or work in Maricopa County. The Phoenix area sees a heavy amount of traffic around-the-clock but rush hours in the morning and the evenings are prone to some of the heaviest vehicular loads. With a large amount of traffic comes the likelihood of congestion on the roads, streets, and highways that weave their way in and around the Valley.

Congestion in and of itself does not have to be a threat to public safety. If motorists are driving an appropriate speed and are alert to changing traffic conditions, congestion may be only a minor inconvenience. But in reality, many drivers are in a hurry, are distracted while driving, or otherwise fail to account for congestion on Phoenix roadways and therefore end up causing car accidents. These often take the form of rear-end collisions or sideswipe crashes when people either are unable to stop a vehicle in time or they attempt evasive actions by changing lanes. Of course, many other causes can lead to these types of collisions as well with congestion only being one of them.
Continue reading “3 Car Crash Kills Child in Phoenix”

Some car accidents are cut-and-dry, easy to determine who was at fault and whether a driver made a mistake prior to an impact. Others are obscure and very complex, nearly impossible for a typical driver to sort through and it may take experts weeks or months to come to final conclusions about a cause.

But accident victims do not have an unlimited amount of time to learn about their legal options. Most who are injured in Phoenix have the right to seek financial payment for their damages but only if they act within a time period specified by law. Beyond that, victims often need to get medical treatment and provide for themselves and their families which can be difficult if they are hurt. For these reasons and others, it is often a good idea to speak with a personal injury attorney to learn about whether you have a valid claim, and if so, who may be liable for your damages.
Continue reading “Driver Trapped after Rollover Crash in Litchfield Park”

Statistics continue to show that some times of the day are safety to drive on Arizona roads and streets than others. Certain dangerous activities behind the wheel seem to go hand-in-hand with certain times of the day. For example, the number of drunk driving accidents that happen in the overnight hours in Phoenix is greater than the number of those collisions that happen in the afternoons.

If you take to the freeways with regularity in Phoenix, you know that rush hours can be brutal. The congestion can seem to come from nowhere and turn your drive into stop-and-go with little or no warning. Rush hours also bring motorists who are in a hurry to either get to work or get home which can lead to speeding, a factor in an estimated 50 percent of all car accidents across the country.
Continue reading “Two Car Collision in Gilbert Injures 2”

Tires tend to be an overlooked portion of a car or a truck, just parts of the vehicle that motorists assume is safe but that do not get checked often for issues. However unlike many other features of a car – like a stereo or air conditioning – the tires are vital to the overall safety of a vehicle and even a small fluctuation in one tire can present a serious problem.

Tire blowouts can lead to car accidents that can be very frightening and far too often can turn deadly. Experts categories these incidents into two large categories: those caused or influenced by an action of the driver and those caused by the tire itself. In the first incident, failing to maintain proper tire pressure or failing to replace worn tires with regularity can weaken the integrity of a tire and can make it more prone to blowing. In the latter, defects in design or manufacture can leave a tire with a weakened point that may be unable to withstand normal use, leading to a blowout. It can be difficult to know which type of collision you were involved in if a tire blowout happened to you and often it requires an expert to recreate the conditions to fully understand what led to the crash.
Continue reading “Blown Tire Suspected Cause of Arizona Rollover Accident”

Immediately following a car accident in Phoenix, it may be difficult to obtain a complete grasp on all the relevant details that went into the collision and led to the crash. It may take experts weeks to sort through the facts and to determine what led to an accident and whether mistakes or negligence played a role. In the cases where an action outside of one possessed by a driver – like a poorly manufactured tire, a defective design of a car, or a hazardous roadway – it may take even longer.

But victims of these collision often suffer injuries and they need immediate help. They may be forced to seek medical treatment at a hospital or with a physician without knowing if they are entitled to relief or whether anyone will be forced to compensate them for their suffering. Fortunately, though an investigation may take some time, victims often can obtain immediate answers about their civil rights in Arizona by speaking with a personal injury attorney who handles car accidents in the area.
Continue reading “Single Car Accident in Glendale Injures Driver”

A blown tire. A collision with a curb. An unexpectedly sharp corner. These are just some of the factors that can lead to or cause a rollover car accident in Phoenix. In some instances, it can be difficult to determine what caused a car to roll and it may be up to professional accident reconstruction experts to try and sort through the facts of the crash.

But regardless of what led to the impact or the roll, in the vast majority of collisions, negligence or recklessness played a role. Whether it was a driver operating too fast for conditions, a company that designed and manufactured a defective tire, or even poor road design, these crashes can generally be traced to a mistake or a failure to act on the part of one or more people. When such an incident takes place, the laws of Arizona step in to right the wrongs done to the innocent as much as possible. As it is impossible to reverse time and prevent an accident from taking place, the laws instead enable a victim or that victim’s surviving family members to bring a civil claim for their damages against any and all of those people who are responsible. This can lead to a financial recovery on behalf of victims for damages like medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. Speaking to a personal injury attorney with experience representing car accident victims in Phoenix can help you realize what options may be available to you if you have been hurt in a crash.
Continue reading “Rollover Car Accident Injures 2 in Scottsdale”

In the last two years, it seems that Arizona has experienced more than its fair share of wrong-way car accidents. The majority of these collisions have occurred on highways and expressways as well as other heavily-traveled areas, leading to accidents that too often proved to be fatal. Not only is a driver who operates in the wrong direction in danger of harm should a crash happen but any passengers in that vehicle as well as those in another car are also at risk.

The reasons behind these car accidents have been varied though some continuity exists among the majority. In some instances, a driver later claimed that he or she was confused about the layout of a road, leading to the driver operating in the wrong direction. But lately, many collisions that involve a wrong-way operator have been allegedly caused by intoxication – either alcohol or drugs. Some of those drivers have been so impaired that they did not realize they were traveling in the wrong direction or that they were risking a collision by driving against traffic. And yet in other instances, it remains unclear why a driver operated a car improperly and it can be difficult for experts to determine what went wrong.
Continue reading “Wrong Way Car Accident in Arizona Turns Fatal, Causes Additional Fatal Pileup”

Most types of car accidents that happen in Phoenix are due to a mistake or negligent conduct on the part of one or more drivers involved. As a result, almost all of these crashes could be avoided if motorists acted with safety as their primary concern while behind the wheel and if they failed to get distracted from that task. Yet unfortunately, preventable accidents happen daily in the Valley and far too often, those involved in the collisions are left with significant injuries and in need of medical care.

While crashes garner attention in the media, the totality of their harm is rarely expressed and as a result, many victims are left surprised by the devastation caused by a car accident and they may be unable to recover on their own. The injuries caused by a car crash rarely terminate on the same day as a collision and may last for days, weeks, months, or even years to follow. The worst crashes claim the lives of one or more individuals involved and the loss and suffering experienced by the family members of those victims will never end. Fortunately, the laws in Arizona recognize how traumatic a car accident can be and therefore the laws side with the innocent victims who are hurt in those collisions. Through the use of a civil claim for damages, victims can seek and recover financial compensation for their damages against an at-fault driver or an insurance company, and if a loved one is killed, the right to relief passes to that victim’s surviving family members. Speaking with a personal injury attorney can illuminate any legal options that may exist if you have been the victim of a car accident in Phoenix.
Continue reading “At Least 4 Vehicles Involved in Loop 101 Crash”