When driving on the road, there’s simply no beating the laws of physics. Trucks are bigger, heavier, and higher above the ground than passenger vehicles. Getting in an accident with a commercial truck can cause serious and even life-changing injuries. Concerningly, commercial vehicles are supported by logistics companies and their legal teams, who can devote considerable resources to blaming you for damages. This is why you need an experienced semi truck accident attorney.
Reasons To Hire an Arizona Semi Truck Accident Attorney
When you have a collision with a passenger vehicle, generally the only parties involved are the occupants of the damaged vehicles. When your vehicle collides with a commercial truck, you’re up against the entire company the driver represents. Normal accidents can usually be settled without much expert assistance, but truck accidents often prove more complicated.
In a collision, there are more factors at play than you can see from your limited point of view. The truck driver, for example, may have been driving for more hours than they were legally allowed. You might try to investigate this on your own, but you’ll probably have no idea where to start. A knowledgeable Phoenix truck accident attorney, on the other hand, has experience investigating all of the diverse elements of a crash.
Factors That Influence Truck Collision Cases
Although it isn’t possible to account for every factor that could cause an accident, a few are quite common. Here are a few situations your semi truck accident attorney may discover that indicate the truck driver or trucking company’s fault:
Improper Training
Handling a commercial truck requires significantly more training and education than driving a personal vehicle. Shipping companies are supposed to verify drivers’ training records and maintain these records. Sometimes, though, companies take shortcuts and hire unqualified employees or fail to keep appropriate records.
Over Weight Limit
The weight limit of a truck is important because increased weight can make a vehicle harder to stop or accelerate. This can increase the likelihood of a dangerous rear-end collision. Most truckers are aware of this risk, but some try to increase their efficiency by overloading themselves. Any semi truck accident attorney knows that this is clear negligence.
Improper Maintenance
Truckers are required to replace old parts, undergo inspections, and keep their vehicle in good order. These requirements are little different than those required for other motor vehicles, but the consequences of neglecting key maintenance procedures can be catastrophic. Even minor oversights, such as balded tires, can lead to serious issues and are a clear sign of negligence.
Inattention
Just because someone is in charge of a massive, potentially dangerous machine doesn’t mean they are immune to making common human errors. Sometimes, trucking culture even encourages irresponsible behavior. A driver who tries to save time by eating meals on the road, for example, is at a much higher risk of an accident than one who drives responsibly.
If a collision seems to have happened suddenly and inexplicably, it may be because the responsible party was texting, speaking on their phone, or otherwise driving distracted.
Drowsiness
Commercial drivers often have to make extremely long hauls that would tire any normal person. Drowsiness can cause serious impairments, and researchers have compared its effects on reaction time to drunkenness. This is why the U.S. government has enacted regulations requiring commercial shipping professionals to rest regularly.
Drowsy driving isn’t always easy to prove, but an attorney may be able to find schedules and other evidence that can indicate whether drowsiness was a factor in a collision. Showing that another party was drowsy can be especially helpful for your case in certain types of crashes.
When To Contact a Semi Truck Accident Attorney
To win a lawsuit, you have to demonstrate that the other party is primarily responsible for the pain, suffering, and damages you’ve experienced. You usually have to show negligence on their part, using any available evidence.
Negligence
A standard negligence case must demonstrate four things. These are:
- The other party had a responsibility to act to protect your safety and prevent damages to your property.
- The other party violated their duty to act as a reasonable and responsible person would.
- The collision and related injuries happened because the other party failed to act responsibly.
- You suffered quantifiable damages as a direct result of the other party’s breach of duty.
Meeting these standards of proof can seem overwhelming, but a semi truck accident attorney knows how to locate the evidence you need to prove your case.
Product Liability
In a commercial cargo accident, one or more of several parties could be responsible for a collision. The vehicle’s owner, driver, or overarching company are usually at fault, but the manufacturer or loader may be as well.
In rare instances, a faulty part, such as a brake or connector, can cause an accident. This is grounds for a product liability case. Unfortunately, it is usually difficult or impossible to know whether a part failed without expert knowledge in the field of commercial trucking. This is why it can be beneficial to talk to an experienced product liability attorney in Phoenix as soon as possible.
Wrongful Death
If you are not the individual involved in an accident but are acting on their behalf after they were killed on the scene or died later, your case might meet the criteria for a wrongful death lawsuit. While most wrongful death suits must demonstrate negligence, wrongful death cases also account for willful criminal behavior or aggression.
Wrongful death cases account for both economic and non-economic damages you may have experienced, including lost wages, funeral costs, pain and suffering, and emotional disturbances. As with any other type of lawsuit, you should contact a Phoenix wrongful death lawyer and try to file a wrongful death suit as soon as possible.
Only an experienced semi truck accident attorney or paralegal can tell you whether your circumstances and evidence are grounds for a lawsuit. At Sargon Law Group, we know all the ins and outs of Arizona truck accident law. We’ll offer you the caring support you need as you work through the aftermath of a devastating accident. Contact us for a free consultation with our injury lawyer in Phoenix today.