Truck crash injuries are often devastating — physically, financially and emotionally. If you or a loved one was hurt in a Yuma truck accident involving a semi-truck, 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, or commercial vehicle, discussing your damages with an experienced personal injury attorney in Yuma, AZ is extremely important.
The legal team at Phillips Law Group may be able to obtain compensation for you. We have obtained over $1 billion for thousands of personal injury clients. Jeffrey Phillips, our founding partner, is a Top 10 member of the Trucking Trial Lawyers Association. It is an exclusive invite-only group made up of accomplished truck accident lawyers within a state or region.
Call our Yuma truck accident attorneys at (602) 222-2222 for more information on how we may be able to assist you. There are no upfront costs to you unless you are reimbursed for your losses. Contact us anytime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to set up your free consultation.
Hurt in a Yuma truck accident? Our semi-truck and 18-wheeler accident attorneys are ready to review your case — no fees unless we win.
Free consultations available 24/7. Call now or complete the form on this page.
There are many important factors our attorneys may consider to determine if you have a case for compensation, including the four elements of negligence:
Proving negligence can be very difficult, which is why we highly recommend contacting one of our experienced Yuma truck accident lawyers to review your situation.
Since every case is different, the value depends on several things, including the damages suffered.
Economic losses are the various out-of-pocket costs incurred due to an injury, including:
These are the physical and psychological problems accident victims often experience, such as:
Contact our Yuma truck accident attorneys to discuss the potential value of your claim. We handle semi-truck, 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, commercial truck, and delivery truck accident cases throughout Yuma, AZ and Yuma County.
If you hire our firm, our Yuma truck accident attorneys are prepared to aggressively pursue full compensation for your losses. This includes taking steps like investigating the accident, preserving evidence, studying medical records, dealing with insurance companies, and assessing non-economic harm. We can also help you properly document all your losses and keep you up to date on the status of your truck accident claim.
Most cases settle, but our Yuma lawyers always prepare each claim for a trial, because our goal is to obtain maximum compensation for your losses. If you work with a lawyer who rarely takes cases to trial or is unprepared to do so, you might be at a serious disadvantage.
Arizona’s personal injury statute of limitations (Arizona Revised Statutes 12-542) states that you must file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of the date of your accident. If you do not, you may lose the right to file your claim.
However, there are some exceptions, which is why it is important to contact one of our Yuma truck accident lawyers as soon as possible. We can determine the deadline that may apply, if you have a valid case.
If an insurance company calls after the accident, be careful not to provide too much information. Discussing more than the basic details of the accident could be dangerous because you might say something that hurts your case without even realizing it.
You do not have to provide a recorded statement or try to explain the severity of your injuries. The insurance company wants you to do those things so they can try to deny or devalue your accident claim.
If a settlement is offered, it is probably worth much less than the full cost of your damages. The insurance company often offers a quick settlement to save itself money.
You can decline to speak to the insurance company until talking to one of our Yuma truck accident lawyers. We can deal with the insurance company on your behalf to protect your best interests.
Determining who can be held liable for a truck accident in Yuma, AZ can be difficult because multiple parties could be involved. This might include:
If the accident was caused by a maintenance issue or another problem on the truck that should have been fixed, the owner could be liable.
The driver of the truck is usually the one at fault. There are many examples of truck driver negligence that can result in accidents: consuming drugs or alcohol before driving, driving distracted, speeding, falling asleep at the wheel, tailgating other vehicles, etc.
Companies put a lot of pressure on their drivers to meet deadlines, causing drivers to speed or take other risks that put other drivers in danger. Trucking companies also take shortcuts in repair and maintenance of trucks, which can also potentially lead to accidents.
If the vehicle or a component was poorly designed or manufactured improperly, it could increase the risk of a crash. Some of the issues that can result from defective products include tire blowouts and brake malfunction.
If the trailer is too heavy, unbalanced, or overloaded, it can make the truck harder for the driver to control. The cargo-loading company could be held liable if these issues lead to an accident.
Our Yuma truck accident attorneys know how to collect evidence and review an accident to determine the parties that may be liable.
Under Arizona law, trucks must have minimum amounts of insurance coverage, depending on the cargo:
There are also federal truck insurance requirements for drivers who travel across state lines. Generally, a commercial truck is required to have at least $750,000 in liability coverage if carrying non-hazardous materials with a gross weight of 10,001 pounds or more. This covers injuries to victims and any property damage from the accident. This type of coverage may need to be as high as $5,000,000 if the cargo is hazardous.
Phillips Law Group’s Yuma truck accident lawyers have many years of experience reviewing insurance policies to determine the coverage that may apply to an accident.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) set many rules for commercial truck drivers, trucking companies, and others involved in the trucking industry.
The overall width of a commercial vehicle in Arizona cannot exceed eight feet and six inches. On interstate highways, the maximum height of a truck cannot exceed 14 feet. On secondary roads, the maximum height of a truck cannot exceed 13 feet six inches. The maximum length of a truck cannot exceed 65 feet. Any truck exceeding these dimensions requires a permit to be on the road.
The maximum gross weight depends on the number of axles: 80,000 pounds is the maximum for five or more axles; a truck with one rear axle cannot exceed 20,000 pounds, and a truck with at least two rear axles cannot exceed 34,000 pounds.
The FMCSA limits the number of hours a driver can be on the road to help prevent drowsy driving:
Trucking companies are required to test their drivers for drug and alcohol use. Some of the drugs tested for include marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and methamphetamines.
Drivers are tested at different times:
There are so many regulations that could apply to your accident, which is why you need an experienced attorney to build a strong case.
Yuma, Arizona sits at the California-Arizona border on Interstate 8, one of the most active commercial trucking corridors in the Southwest. Commercial trucks entering Arizona from California are subject to FMCSA port-of-entry inspection requirements, including Level I safety inspections that check brakes, tires, lights, cargo securement, and driver logs. When a trucking company or driver fails these inspections — or bypasses them entirely — the risk of a serious crash on I-8 or US-95 near Yuma increases dramatically.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracks large truck crash data on interstate corridors like I-8 and consistently identifies mechanical failures and driver fatigue as leading causes of fatal commercial truck accidents. Our Yuma truck accident attorneys and lawyers know how to obtain FMCSA inspection records, violation histories, and out-of-service orders for trucks involved in crashes — evidence that can be decisive in establishing liability against a trucking company operating in the Yuma, AZ area.
The first thing you should do after experiencing an accident is call the police. Wait for them to arrive and let them investigate the scene and create an accident report.
If it is safe, try to take photos before the police get to the scene of the accident. Try to get pictures of multiple angles of the scene, any injuries you may have sustained, and any damage to your vehicle. Photograph any information that will help identify the truck or trailer.
Try to exchange information with all people involved in the accident, including the driver’s name, contact information and employer.
You can ask witnesses what they saw and take notes or record their statement, with their permission.
If you suffered even the slightest injury, it is extremely important to seek medical attention right away. If you fail to do so, the at-fault party and the insurance companies could try to use this against you.
Contact one of our Yuma truck accident attorneys to discuss your claim as soon as possible after seeking medical care.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducted a study that identified the four most common mistakes by drivers that lead to accidents:
No matter how your truck accident occurred, it is important to discuss it with a qualified attorney to find out if you may be eligible for compensation for your damages.
Schedule your free consultation today so we can determine if you may be eligible for compensation.
Many of our lawyers, including our founder Jeff Phillips, along with Timothy Tonkin are members of the American Association for Justice Leaders Forum. Jeff Phillips has obtained verdicts in several Arizona counties.
There is no obligation to hire our firm and no upfront costs if you do. We only receive payment if you receive compensation.
Our office serves Yuma and the surrounding area, but if you cannot come to us, we can come to you. We can also be reached by phone, online contact form, or live chat.
Phillips Law Group serves Yuma, AZ and all of Yuma County — truck accident lawyers and attorneys with over 30 years of experience and $1 billion recovered for clients across Arizona.
No fees unless we win. Call us now at (602) 222-2222 and we will be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Trucks crossing into Arizona from California at the Yuma port of entry are subject to FMCSA inspection requirements, and any violations found during those inspections can be powerful evidence in your case. After seeking medical attention, contact a Yuma truck accident attorney as quickly as possible. Your lawyer can obtain the truck’s inspection history, FMCSA violation records, and driver logs to determine whether the truck or driver was out of compliance with federal safety rules at the time of your crash. Out-of-state trucking companies are still fully subject to Arizona personal injury law, and our attorneys have experience pursuing claims against carriers based in California and across the country.
Delivery truck accidents — involving vehicles operated by companies like Amazon, FedEx, UPS, or local freight carriers — are handled somewhat differently than semi-truck cases. Delivery trucks are typically lighter and operate under different FMCSA regulations than large commercial tractor-trailers, but the liability principles are similar: the driver, the delivery company, and in some cases the vehicle owner can all be held responsible. Our Yuma truck accident lawyers handle both semi-truck and delivery truck accident claims and can evaluate which parties may be liable in your specific situation.
Yes. If the accident occurred in Yuma, Arizona, you can file your claim in Arizona courts regardless of where the trucking company is headquartered. Arizona law applies to accidents that happen within the state, and our Yuma truck accident attorneys have experience pursuing claims against large national and regional carriers. The two-year statute of limitations under Arizona Revised Statutes 12-542 still applies, so it is important to act quickly to protect your right to compensation.
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