Category: Trucking Accidents

An early-morning New Mexico truck accident that occurred last month on Interstate 40 between the border of Arizona and New Mexico resulted in a single fatality and several serious injuries. According to a local news report covering the tragic accident, the collision was caused when a truck driver, heading from Arizona toward Albuquerque on I-40, crossed the center line into oncoming traffic.

As the truck entered oncoming traffic, the vehicle rolled. The initial accident caused a chain-reaction, ultimately involving at least three other vehicles.

Truck Accidents Can Cause Serious Injuries

Certain stretches of roadway can be especially dangerous for drivers for a variety of reasons. One reason for the heightened danger is that many interstates have higher than average semi-truck traffic.

Truck drivers are specially licensed and trained to operate these large vehicles, and owe the public a duty of care to maintain and operate their vehicles in a safe manner. However, Arizona truck drivers routinely make errors in judgment or other mistakes.

For example, texting while driving, distracted driving, and drowsy driving are all common causes of Arizona truck accidents. Thus, it is no surprise that heavy truck traffic presents a danger to all drivers on the road.

According to the news report describing the recent accident, there was not a center median or cable divider in the roadway where the crash occurred. The article goes onto state that there have been two other head-on accidents involving semi-trucks in the last year on that same stretch of Interstate 40, suggesting that it is an especially dangerous area.

Who is Liable For Damages After a Truck Crash?

Drivers of passenger vehicles should be extra cautious when driving on some overly dangerous Arizona roads. However, the ultimate responsibility for truck accidents often lies with the truck driver who has failed to safely maintain control of their vehicle.

Arizona semi-truck accidents are unfortunately common on our state roads and interstates. Further, death or serious injury is more likely to result from an accident involving a large vehicle because of the destructive power that these trucks possess.

When a passenger vehicle collides with a semi-truck or large commercial or industrial vehicle, the difference in weight between the vehicles often results in the smaller passenger vehicle, and its occupants, suffering significantly more damage than the truck. Because of this, Arizona truck accident victims should seek qualified and experienced counsel to preserve their rights and seek fair compensation for their losses.

Are You a Truck Accident Victim?

If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in an Arizona truck accident, it’s important to act quickly to increase the likelihood of receiving fair compensation from the accident. The Phoenix personal injury law firm, Abels & Annes, P.C., has experienced Arizona truck accident lawyers who represent injury victims and their family members in all types of injury cases, including truck and other accident cases claims.

Our dedicated and professional attorneys take pride in fighting for our clients’ interests and obtaining for them the compensation that they deserve. Contact our office for a free consultation to see if you have a case for damages. Call 602-819-5191 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today.

Semi-trucks are some of the largest vehicles on the road. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Arizona truck crashes are among the deadliest type of traffic accidents. Indeed, semi-truck accidents are responsible for a disproportionate number of Arizona traffic deaths. According to the most recent government data, while crashes involving tractor-trailers represent less than one percent of the total number of accidents, they are responsible for nearly five percent of the total number of fatalities.

There are several common causes of Arizona 18-wheeler accidents, including:

• Distracted driving – Truck drivers all have radios, and many who spend countless hours on the road will frequently install televisions in the cab. While this may help pass the time, it also increases the risk of a distracted driving accident.
• Intoxicated driving – In an effort to fight off fatigue or boredom, some truck drivers take illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter medications, any of which can adversely affect their judgment and ability to operate the truck safely.
• Drowsy driving – Truck drivers spend long hours on the road, and often find themselves fighting off fatigue. Rather than pull over and rest, truckers too often push their bodies and minds past the limit of what is considered safe.
• Equipment failure – Whether it be a blown tire, faulty brakes, or a burnt-out headlight, equipment failures are a common cause of Arizona truck accidents.

Like all motorists, truck drivers owe a duty of care to those with whom they share the road. This duty requires truckers to obey all traffic laws and posted traffic signs. While there is generally no legal duty to do so, drivers should take the necessary precautions when driving around semi-truck to avoid an accident. A few tips to keep in mind when sharing the road with large commercial vehicles are:

• Stay out of the blind spot – Large trucks have blind spots on all sides of the vehicle, but most notably on both sides. Motorists should assume that a truck driver cannot see them unless the motorist can see the truck’s side-view mirrors.
• Use care when passing – When passing a semi-truck, motorists should signal well in advance and give the truck ample room when returning to the lane.
• Leave room – Large trucks can take up to several football fields to come to a complete stop, and a truck driver may need to make an evasive maneuver to avoid an accident.

Continue reading “Recovering after an Arizona Semi-Truck Accident”

If you are like the average Phoenix resident, you take to the roads every day to get around the Valley, whether you go to work, take kids to school, or just run errands. Even if you do not personally drive, you may utilize the roadways in a car pool, as a passenger in a vehicle, on a public or private bus, or even while walking. No matter what you do and how you do it, odds are that the roadways, freeways, and interstates play a significant role in your daily life.

But you are not the only one that uses these public roads. Additionally, large trucks, semi-trucks, and big rigs can be found on Arizona roads each and every day of the year. Though the drivers of these vehicles must undergo special training and be specially licensed, they are not perfect drivers and they are to blame in numerous truck accidents annually. These crashes not only inconvenience those that are involved but tragically cause some victims to be injured and others to lose their lives, damages that cannot be undone and cannot be righted, not matter what post-accident actions are taken.

Unfortunately, national data reveals that deaths due to truck accidents have been increasing in recent years, leading many to ask what can be done to reverse this trend.

Continue reading “Trucking Accident Deaths are Increasing in America”

Traffic accidents happen in Arizona, and unfortunately, they happen far too frequently. In fact, in 2015, 116,609 traffic crashes happened in our state which averages out to more than 300 collision each day of the year. Any of these incidents can be dangerous but some of the greatest harm comes when a truck accident takes place, especially if the crash involves a smaller vehicle as well or an unprotected victim like a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist.

Truck accidents are more likely than car accidents to result in fatalities in part due to the large size and weight of a truck. Trucks have a lot of inertia and are difficult to slow or stop, leading them to continue on their path of travel after an initial striking incident. If a smaller vehicle is in the path of a truck, that vehicle may be crushed or even run over by the truck, potentially leading to catastrophic results for anyone inside the car.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety monitors statistics related to truck accidents and concluded that 3,660 people were killed in truck crashes in the United States in 2014. But not all people involved in these incidents fared a similar risk of death. In fact, 83 percent of fatalities associated with large truck collisions befell those outside of a large truck whether they were inside another vehicle or not.

Continue reading “83 Percent of Large Truck-Related Fatalities Happen to Victims Outside of the Truck”

They are so common that you probably did not even notice them when you were driving to work today: trucks. Large trucks, small trucks, semi-trucks, box trucks, and all trucks in between travel on and over the roads of Arizona every day, moving things like fuel, electronics, and groceries from their source locations to their destinations so that life in Phoenix continues to move without skipping a beat.

Trucks are literally everywhere and serve a very vital function in our society, but that does not mean that they offer only positives. Rather, the drawbacks associated with the trucking industry can be extreme and truck accidents alone are responsible for hundreds of thousands of injuries annually and thousands of fatalities.

Continue reading “Truck Accidents Continue to Plague Phoenix”

To be compliant with federal laws, several types of commercial drivers – including those who operate semi-trucks and many who drive large buses – must keep a log of the hours they drive. This paper document serves as evidence with regard to the compliance of a driver related to mandatory rest times after that driver has been operating for a specified number of hours in a row. The idea is that the logs will keep drivers honest about when they drive, when they rest, and the overall progression of any trip.

Yet for some time, issues related to the falsification of driving logs or the alteration of records have existed, leading many to question what could be done to avoid these issues related to dishonesty. In many situations, log books that were alleged to have been altered were believed to have been changed after a truck accident took place so that the driver appeared to be compliant with federal safety rules even if that driver was, in fact, in violation of them. Many argued for the mandatory use of electronic monitoring devices of some type which would automatically track a truck’s movements without a driver’s ability to control or alter the results.

Continue reading “Electronic Log Mandate May Reduce Phoenix Truck Accidents”

There is a natural fear among a subset of drivers when they come across the path of a large semi-truck. Some are filled with dread or even experience anxiety by merely driving near a truck, passing a truck, or having a truck operate in an adjacent lane. When asked about these concerns, drivers regularly say that the large size and weight of a semi-truck makes them realize they are at an increased risk for harm when a collision occurs in the Phoenix area and therefore trucks make them nervous.

This belief is understandable, particularly when you realize that national data supports the fact that drivers and passengers in traditional cars face the brunt of the risk of harm during a truck accident.

Continue reading “Semi-Truck Accidents and the Risks for Rollovers”

There are many issues that come into play when discussing truck traffic in the Arizona area, and chief among those issues are the safety concerns presented to other vehicles near a truck. When a standard passenger car and a semi-truck hauling a trailer are compared, the differences in size, weight, and force between the vehicles are stunning and enough to make any driver realize that there could be problems if the two vehicles collided.

Yet truck accidents happen every day and many of them involve smaller vehicles, making the threat of a crash a reality to thousands of people every year. The reasons behind a truck accident can be similar to those that cause collisions among cars but the results of a truck crash are usually more extreme, more likely to cause injuries, and more likely to cause death to those involved, making truck accidents a priority when it comes to understanding traffic issues and safety in Phoenix.
Continue reading “Low Visibility Can Lead to Truck Accidents”