Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

Drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs continues to be a significant issue in the Phoenix area. Every day, motorists take to the wheel of their cars when they are impaired and should not be driving, risking not only their own safety but the safety of others in their car and all other people in the area. And that continues to be one of the real tragedies that comes out of drunk driving accidents in the Phoenix area: often, it is the innocent who suffer the consequences. Whether those victims are in the same car as an impaired driver, another car, or they happen to be pedestrians or bicyclists, the possibility for serious injuries is high. In the worst of these collisions, victims may be killed or may suffer from life-altering harm that can never be repaired or undone.

About a dozen states routinely report more than 100 deaths caused by motorcycle accidents every year, and unfortunately, Arizona is among them. The high number of fatalities is not due to a single factor but likely a combination of several, including the fact that Arizona has a high population which is increasing annually. Add to that the fact that the weather in most of the state makes riding year-round possible, though sometimes not ideal, and that several areas have a significant biker culture which makes riding even more pleasurable. Bikers are a valuable sect of the Phoenix community, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to safety concerns. Drivers may fail to look for or fail to notice motorcycles on the roads and highways of Maricopa County or in more rural areas across the state. This can lead to dangerous situations where a car and a biker collide, often leading to injuries to those involved.

In the media and in movies, traffic accidents are often depicted as a cut-and-dry situation where one driver made one mistake. In reality, things tend to be more complicated as multiple factors usually combine to cause a collision, and in some cases, multiple drivers may have played a role in the crash. This holds true not just for car accident but also for motorcycle collisions, a dangerous type of traffic crash that often results in serious injuries. Whether just one bike is involved or it is a crash with a bike and another vehicle, it can be complicated to sort through the details and determine the full extent of the fallout from a collision. If you have been hurt, speaking with a personal injury lawyer may help you understand what your accident means in light of local and state laws and whether you have a valid claim for your injuries.

It takes only a moment for a car accident to occur. A driver might lose control of a vehicle, or a tire might blow. A motorist may ignore a red light or might be distracted behind the wheel. Whatever the cause, most accidents happen in a matter of seconds which means that those involved may not see them coming or even have a clear understanding of what happened. After the dust settles on a crash, it can still take time to sort through the details and have a complete understanding of all the factors that led up to and contributed to the impact. Often, professional accident reconstructionists get involved to aid local law enforcement officials with their reviews. But the victims of these crashes are not usually kept informed at each step of the process, leaving them wondering what happened and whether a collision could have been prevented.

Las llantas tienden ser una parte olvidada de un carro o un camión, sólo las partes del vehículo que los conductores asumen que son seguros, pero que no se revisan a menudo por problemas. Sin embargo a diferencia de muchas otras características de un carro – como un estéreo o aire – las llantas son vitales para la seguridad global de un vehículo e incluso una pequeña fluctuación en una llanta puede presentar un problema serio. Reventones de llantas pueden conducir a accidentes de carro que pueden ser muy aterrador y con demasiada frecuencia pueden ser mortal. Expertos categorizan estos incidentes en dos grandes categorías: los causados o influenciados por una acción del conductor y los causados por la propia llanta. En el primer incidente, no mantener la presión adecuada en las llantas o fallar de reemplazar las llantas usadas con regularidad puede debilitar la integridad de una llanta y puede hacer que sea más propensa a reventar. Defectos en el diseño o en la fabricación pueden dejar una llanta con un punto debilitado que puede ser incapaz de soportar el uso normal, dando lugar a un reventón. Puede ser difícil saber en qué tipo de colisión usted estuvo involucrado si un reventón de neumático le ha pasado y, a menudo se requiere un experto para recrear las condiciones para entender completamente lo que condujo al accidente.

The Valley has been experiencing record-setting temperatures recently with days hitting above 115 degrees. For many, that kind of weather is brutal and makes it too hot to leave the comforts of air conditioning unless a trip is a necessity, like taking kids to school or driving to work. With this type of weather, some motorcycle riders have been limiting their time on the roads and opting instead for other forms of transportation. But not all riders have been calling it quits as numerous motorcycles can still be seen daily on the roads and highways of Phoenix. These riders are endowed with the right to operate on the roads just like the drivers of cars are and bikers are protected by the same laws that protect drivers. Despite these rights and the legal authority to ride, some motorist ignore the safety of bikers or otherwise act in a negligent manner that can lead to motorcycle accidents.

In Arizona, cyclists can ride bicycles year-round due to the climate that covers most of the state. This means that regardless of the time of year, drivers of cars, trucks, and vans should be alert for bicyclists and should respect the rights of these cyclists to ride in the roads that cross Phoenix. Yet despite the presence of bicycles, despite the laws that protect riders, and despite the obvious risks that exist if a collision occurs, drivers regularly ignore safety and act in a manner that is dangerous to all those on the roads. When an impact does happen and a bicycle accident results, it is important for victims to understand their legal options and rights so that they can act upon those rights within a time period specified by the law. Failure to take action in a timely manner can lead to a claim being barred forever so if you have been injured, you may want to speak with an experienced bike lawyer to ensure that you are protected.

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.

A quick look at the weather forecast shows that Phoenix is looking at triple-digit temperatures for as far as can be predicted. At this time of the year, the heat is something to be expected, though often lamented, by those who call the Valley of the Sun home and those who spend time working in or visiting the Phoenix area. With temperatures this hot, almost everyone is looking for a way to cool down. For many, a swimming pool provides the ideal escape. A quick dip can help a person of any age cool down and survive the desert summer like little else can. And with the prevalence of backyard swimming pools in Phoenix, it is usually not hard to find such an escape.

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.