Scottsdale Truck Accident Lawyer
There are more semi-trucks on the road today than ever before, and with the growth of the trucking industry, there could be many more to come. With more commercial trucks on the roads running through Scottsdale and the rest of Arizona, commercial truck accidents are far more likely.
Truck accidents are even more traumatic than car accidents, motorcycle accidents, or other motor vehicle accidents. A big truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when carrying cargo. These massive vehicles can cause devastation in a trucking accident, even at low speeds.
You may be left with painful, life-changing injuries, emotional trauma, and incur financial losses due to the expenses caused by a truck accident. The best way to ensure your financial recovery is to work with a Scottsdale truck accident lawyer who will fight for justice and lead you through the legal process.
At Wyatt Injury Law, you will work with an experienced truck accident attorney who is committed to helping you every step of the way through your truck accident case. Contact our legal team today to get a free legal consultation with a Scottsdale truck accident attorney and learn more about your legal options.
Understanding the Complexities and Seriousness of Truck Accidents
Trucking accidents are among the most complicated personal injury claims. Large trucks can cause much more damage than other vehicles on the road. Truck drivers and the trucking companies they work for are bound by federal rules and regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). They must also follow traffic laws and operate in a safe way.
After a truck accident, filing a truck accident injury claim with the insurance company is far more complex than filing an insurance claim for car accidents. The detailed federal laws, multiple at-fault parties, and the layers of insurance will make this an exhausting ordeal if you try to go it alone.
A Scottsdale truck accident lawyer will have full knowledge of all applicable laws and know how to protect your legal rights after a truck accident. The trucking company will have its legal team working to minimize its liability, and without any representation, you may find that you get too low of a settlement or even have your truck accident claim denied by the insurance company.
Why It’s Important to Hire a Scottsdale Truck Accident Lawyer
Even at low speeds, truck accidents can cause serious injuries that could alter the course of your life forever. In truck accident cases, it is important to have a Scottsdale truck accident attorney to advocate for you.
Many potentially liable parties will be protecting their best interests to avoid having to pay a large settlement for your injuries and damages. The trucking company and insurer will have a powerful team of attorneys and if there are other entities involved, they will all have legal counsel to guide them. They will send their accident response teams to the scene and try to use what they can against you.
It’s important to level the playing field and hire a Scottsdale truck accident lawyer to protect you from their tactics and get the fair compensation you deserve.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Scottsdale, AZ
It is often a truck driver who causes a truck accident to occur. A truck driver may be distracted behind the wheel, much like any other driver on the road. The only difference is that when they’re operating large trucks, smaller vehicles are more likely to be damaged in the brief seconds when their attention is diverted.
A truck driver may be intoxicated, or they may not have enough training. With the huge demand for drivers in the trucking industry, some unscrupulous trucking companies will hire inexperienced truckers with little to no training. The untrained drivers may make an unsafe lane change that would result in a minor fender bender in a passenger cars but when driving a semi-truck, the accident results could be devastating.
The trucking company may push its drivers to stay on the road past the federally-mandated hours of service. It may also neglect to have the trucks in its fleet maintained and inspected regularly. In addition to the trucking company not doing its due diligence to follow the laws, shipping companies and other third parties responsible for loading cargo may overload the vehicle or load it incorrectly. When these issues occur, they can cause the truck to roll over when making a sharp turn, leading to disaster.
If you have been in a truck crash, schedule a free case evaluation with a truck accident lawyer from our law firm to discuss your personal injury case.
Common Injuries in a Truck Crash
When large truck accidents occur, they tend to cause severe injuries. Here are some of the more common injuries that happen in these tragic events:
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be in the form of a mild concussion, though in a truck accident, the force of the crash can be extreme. You may suffer severe brain trauma that impacts your mobility and cognitive capabilities.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A damaged spinal cord may cause you to become partially paralyzed. Depending on the severity and location of this catastrophic injury, it may cause complete paralysis, causing you to require assistive medical devices.
Broken Bones
Fractured and broken bones can occur in any part of your body after a truck accident. In some cases, an injury victim may have a clean break that heals easily. However, many victims endure crushed bones that require extensive surgeries to repair.
Internal Bleeding
The impact from a truck accident may not leave you with visible wounds. You may think you’re fine but internal bleeding may show no outward signs. It is imperative that you get medical treatment immediately to prevent these injuries from becoming life-threatening.
A truck accident can quickly cause you to have a mountain of medical bills and require ongoing medical care for the rest of your life. If you have been in a truck accident, contact an attorney immediately to recover damages from the responsible parties.
Who Is Liable in a Commercial Truck Accident?
Determining fault in a truck accident can be very difficult because there is usually more than one at-fault party. At Wyatt Injury Law, we will identify all responsible parties and hold them accountable for your injuries.
The Truck Driver
When a truck driver behaves negligently behind the wheel, they can be held responsible for your damages in a crash. Reckless driving, failure to obey traffic laws, or driving while distracted, drowsy, or intoxicated are just a few examples of when truck drivers will be liable.
The Trucking Company
While there are some truckers that operate as independent contractors, many of them work for trucking companies. When a trucker working for a trucking company gets into an accident, they will usually face vicarious liability. This legal doctrine holds trucking companies as vicariously liable for the injuries caused by their employees who are on duty. If the trucker caused this accident while performing the duties of their job, then their employer can be named as an at-fault party in your lawsuit.
The Cargo Company
The company that loaded or secured the shipment may also be liable for your injuries. If it can be shown that they did not follow proper loading procedures or overloaded the vehicle, causing it to get into an accident, your truck accident lawyer will hold them accountable.
The Truck or Parts Manufacturer
In some cases, the truck or a part used for repair or maintenance may be defective. When product liability is an issue along with multiple parties, your case will be even more complicated and need the diligence of our attorneys.
Government Entities
If the road was not maintained properly and had potholes, missing signs, or other hazards that were not secured, it could mean you need to file a lawsuit with the local or state government.
Whether there is one liable party or many other parties responsible, Arizona law has a statute of limitations on truck accidents. This limits your legal recourse to two years from the date of the crash. Even if you have a longer timeline, it is always best to act quickly and file your truck accident case as soon as possible. Contact Wyatt Injury Law for a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer.
Compensation for Your Scottsdale Truck Accident
When another person or entity’s negligence is the cause of your truck accident, you can recover compensation for your losses. This will include economic damages, which can pinpoint the exact dollar value of your damages, as well as non-economic damages, which are intangible.
Economic damages tend to include all medical expenses related to this event. All of your medical bills would be part of this compensation, from the ambulance ride to the emergency room to life-saving surgeries. While you may expect this if you file a claim on your own, you may not realize that you can also seek lost wages as part of your settlement.
If a truck accident causes you to miss work in the short term or keeps you from earning a living permanently, lost wages can be recovered in your compensation. You will also have property damage that will require them to either repair or replace your vehicle. Property damage can also be applied to any items of value that were in your vehicle at the time of the crash. Any out-of-pocket costs that are related to your accident may be factored into the final calculation of your damages.
Non-economic damages may be more challenging to prove but the attorneys at Wyatt Injury Law are experienced in getting the full worth of a case. You can seek pain and suffering compensation for the physical pain and hardships you have endured from this truck accident. You can also seek compensation for mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
Proving Negligence in Scottsdale Truck Accidents
Negligence must be proven to hold a truck driver, trucking company, or other involved entity liable for your damages. Since there are so many other parties and so much at stake, you must hire an experienced truck accident attorney to navigate the legal process.
We will prove that these parties all owed you a duty of care and breached the duty. We also must show that this breach caused the truck accident and that it left you suffering from injuries and damages. The evidence is instrumental in this process, and with our resources, we can help obtain things that an injured person would not be able to access on their own.
The truck’s black box along with testimony from accident reconstruction experts can determine if the driver was at fault for their actions. The driver’s logbook may reveal that the trucker was over the hours of service limits. We can use these elements and many more to build a strong case and fight for maximum compensation.
What You Should Do After Your Scottsdale Truck Accident
When you’re in a truck crash, it is important to protect your legal rights by taking the right steps. You should make sure to call the police to report the accident and to get medical treatment for your injuries.
You will need to exchange information with the trucker and any other drivers, who may also be third parties that were at fault in this event. Getting photos and videos will help, but if your injuries are severe, your priority should be getting treatment.
Once you have been stabilized, contact a lawyer from Wyatt Injury Law. We can help you pick up the pieces and recover the full amount of compensation you are owed. Schedule a free consultation with an attorney from our law firm to discover the legal options available in your situation.