Looking at a phone instead of the road while driving is much more dangerous than many people want to believe it is, and it is for good reason that almost every state has cracked down on this behavior by making “texting while driving” prohibited by law. Unfortunately, plenty of drivers still ignore these laws and text behind the wheel anyway — and even worse, some do it while operating massive tractor-trailers weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
Texting and driving truck accidents in Mesa very often cause serious injuries, and if you have been hurt in this sort of wreck recently, you likely have grounds for legal action against the trucker and trucking company responsible for the incident. With support from the experienced truck accident lawyers at Phillips Law Group, you will have the best possible chance of a positive outcome.
What Are the Texting and Driving Laws for Truck Drivers?
Under Arizona state law, no one operating a motor vehicle on public roads can text, talk, or do anything else with an electronic communications device while driving unless the device is in hands-free mode or they are using it to call 911 in an emergency. Likewise, federal law prohibits all commercial drivers — including long-haul truckers — from using a handheld mobile phone for any reason while behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle.
In addition to penalties ranging from hundreds to thousands in fines and a possible license suspension or revocation, a trucker involved in a Mesa truck wreck who is found to have been texting and driving immediately prior to the incident will likely be found civilly at fault for the crash. This means they and potentially their employer could be liable to pay for all economic and non-economic losses that anyone involved in the incident suffers, including medical bills, lost working ability, physical pain, and psychological suffering.
Proving a Texting Driver Was to Blame for a Wreck
Sometimes, holding a truck driver legally liable for a texting and driving wreck in Mesa is as simple as referencing the accident report generated by police officers who responded to the crash scene, as this report may include a citation issued to the truck driver for texting behind the wheel. In other situations, though, police officers may not realize a trucker caused a wreck because they were texting or otherwise distracted while driving, which means it may fall to an injured person filing suit over the wreck to prove liability.
This can require multiple types of evidence from multiple sources, including but not strictly limited to:
- Subpoenaed cell phone records and data logs
- Surveillance/dashboard camera footage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Photos/videos of the crash scene
Support from skilled legal counsel can be vital to collecting, preserving, and effectively using all available evidence relevant to a particular crash.
Consider Working With a Mesa Attorney After a Texting and Driving Truck Accident
Texting behind the wheel is both against the law and, partially because of that, a textbook example of negligent driving behavior. That said, establishing to a civil court’s satisfaction that a truck driver injured you in a wreck specifically by acting irresponsibly in this way can be a time-consuming and evidence-intensive process that can be hard to effectively handle on your own.
If you want to obtain fair restitution following a texting and driving truck accident in Mesa, contacting a truck accident lawyer from Phillips Law Group should be among your top priorities. Call today to speak with one of our team members and schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. Do not hesitate to reach out; our team is confident we can provide you with the guidance you need.
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