Tractor-trailers are the longest, widest, and certainly the heaviest vehicles on just about every road they travel on, and that means their operators have a significant responsibility to drive safely, skillfully, and within the bounds of Arizona state law. While most commercial truck drivers fulfill this basic obligation without any issue, the ones who do not can — and all too often do — cause traffic accidents with catastrophic consequences for the people unfortunate enough to be involved.
In the wake of a traumatic collision involving a semi-truck, you may be dealing with immense physical, financial, and personal losses, and support from an experienced Tolleson truck accident lawyer could be vital to recovering compensation for those losses fairly through civil litigation. Working with a Phillips Law Group personal injury attorney with over 30 years of experience helping members of this community through situations much like yours could make all the difference in what outcome your claim has and what amount of compensation you can obtain through it.
Who Could Be Liable for a Tolleson Truck Crash?
Most of the time, the person primarily to blame for a truck accident born of legally actionable “negligence” is the truck driver directly involved in the wreck, either because they did something expressly illegal like exceeding the speed limit or driving while drunk, or because they were simply careless by doing something like driving while distracted. Either way, these kinds of actions qualify as “breaches” of the “duty” they have to act responsibly on the road, and any such breach that directly leads to a serious injury fulfills all the criteria necessary to establish them as legally “negligent” and therefore liable for ensuing losses.
Importantly, though, filing suit solely against a negligent trucker is rarely the best course of action in this sort of situation, if only because individual truck drivers rarely have much in the way of assets to pay for an injured person’s losses.
Fortunately, it is often possible to hold a negligent truck driver’s employer “vicariously liable” for their employee’s misconduct, or even directly liable for illegal conduct like hiring unqualified drivers or forcing drivers to exceed federal driving time restrictions. If necessary, a Tolleson truck wreck attorney could also, or alternatively, help pursue legal action against a third-party supplier that failed to load a truck properly before transit, a mechanic who failed to keep a truck in safe working condition, or even a manufacturing company that produced defective truck components.
Getting Paid Fairly Within Filing Deadlines
Given how much bigger and heavier commercial trucks are compared to commuter cars, collisions between the two tend to cause life-altering trauma to occupants of the latter vehicle. This means a comprehensive lawsuit or settlement demand based on this sort of incident must account for both short-term and long-term damages the wreck will likely result in, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Lost overall quality of life
- Lost work income or future earning capacity
- Emotional distress and psychological trauma
- Emergency medical expenses and expected future care costs
- Personal property damage, including vehicle repair/replacement costs
As a truck accident lawyer in Tolleson can further explain, though, Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-542 generally gives motorists who are injured in wrecks just two years at most after initially getting hurt to file suit. Time is of the essence when it comes to taking action over negligence by a truck driver or trucking company.
Contact a Tolleson Truck Accident Attorney for Assistance
Traffic collisions involving commercial trucks are some of the most dangerous and deadly accidents that happen anywhere in Arizona. If you were involved in a wreck like this recently and suffered serious injuries as a result, having help from a knowledgeable legal professional who is not afraid to go to court on your behalf could be essential to preserving your long-term best interests.
The support you may need to get a positive result from your case is available from a Tolleson truck accident lawyer at Phillips Law Group. Call today for a free consultation. You are under no obligation to work with our firm after this initial evaluation, but we think we can prove to you why we are the right choice to partner with to get justice for you or a loved one in these legal situations.
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