Arizona Truck Laws
Our Attorneys Can Provide You With Info on the Law
As the driver of a passenger vehicle, you know that there are laws that apply to the road, the highway, the freeway, and how you drive. You may believe that these same rules and laws apply to semi truck drivers as well. And while the same laws, in general, do apply to semi trucks and semi truck drivers, in most cases, large truck drivers must also abide by additional laws.
These additional laws are in place to keep both truck drivers and other motorists safe on the road. They help to ensure that safe weights are carried by truckers in their cargo loads, that they travel safe speeds, and that their trucks are well maintained. Without Arizona truck accident laws, the state's roads would not be safe and more accidents would occur. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), more than 2,565 accidents involving tractor trailers happen throughout the state each year. More than 570 of these crashes result in injuries to the people involved, with usually more than one reported victim. Nearly 50 accidents involving semi trucks result in the deaths of involved individuals each year.
For those individuals who are driving on the roads of Arizona, only the law, common sense, and preparation against accidents can help to protect them from becoming the next victim of a serious collision with a semi truck.
Specific Arizona Accident Laws
In Arizona, there are many laws for truckers and their semi trucks that are aimed at keeping both truck drivers and other motorists safe on the road. These laws pertain to many different facets of truck driving and of driving on the roads of Arizona. Truck drivers are required to follow these laws, and if they do not, and cause a crash, the penalties can be hefty.
ARS 28-709 requires drivers of large, commercial semi trucks to drive no more than 65 miles per hour on the roadway. However, you may have noticed that many semi truck drivers drive much faster than this because they tend to drive at or above the flow of traffic in order to get where they are going on time or early. For semi truck drivers, time is money, and the more time they have, the more loads they can carry.
ARS 28-1095 requires semi truck drivers to not operate a semi trailer that is longer than 28 feet and six inches in length. You may have noticed that there are many semi trucks that are much longer than 28 feet out on the roads. The law does allow semi truck drivers to pull two trailers at a time, for a total of just over 57 feet in length. But if you are involved in a collision with a semi truck driver who is pulling more than two trailers or whose trailers exceed the limits, that driver may be cited for breaking these laws.
ARS 28-958.01 requires semi truck drivers to have splash guards installed that will help to minimize the amount of rocks, water, and other debris that could be flipped up into the vehicles following the truck, thereby contributing to a crash.
Truck drivers are required to follow these laws and many more to ensure that their trucks cause minimal damage to other vehicles and to other motorists on the road. However, while truck accident laws and trucking laws can help to reduce the role semi trucks play in accidents, they do not always reduce the role that the drivers play.
The Importance of Truck Accident Laws
Truck accident laws in the state of Arizona are important because they help to enforce a culture of safety in the minds of semi truck drivers who are moving loads throughout the state on its freeways, highways, and other streets. Speed restrictions, in particular, are one of the most effective laws at helping to reduce the number of accidents involving semi trucks and passenger cars that happen each year. Laws are meant to inform both semi truck drivers and other motorists of a truck driver's responsibilities on the road.
How the Law Can Work Against Victims
If you are involved in a serious crash with a semi truck driver in Phoenix, you may find that the law has the ability to work against you. While the laws regarding semi trucks, their operation, and their upkeep may not have anything to do with how you could lose your injury accident lawsuit, other laws in the state of Arizona could make it difficult to stand up for your rights, especially if you waited a long time to file your case.
In Arizona, the statute of limitations may expire before victims are able to file their cases, have found an attorney, understand their rights, or have made the decision to move on with their lives and to hold the negligent driver responsible. These laws may also make it seem as though the truck driver did nothing wrong, and if you hope to be able to hold the negligent driver responsible, it is important to learn everything you can about the law and how to make it work to your advantage.
Legal Protection for Crash Victims in Phoenix
Crash victims can rely on Arizona truck accident laws to help them file a lawsuit against the negligent truck driver who caused their accidents and their injuries. When a lawsuit is filed or negotiations are entered into after a serious collision, legal matters come to light. When you have a bargaining chip or you have the right knowledge about the law and how it is meant to work for you, you will be able to stand up for yourself, stand up for your rights, and assist in your own case to ensure that you will be granted a fair settlement.
When to Speak to a Phoenix Big Rig Accident Lawyer
If you're injured in an accident that was caused by the negligent actions of a semi truck driver, you should immediately reach out to a skilled Phoenix trucking injury attorney for assistance. There are many different scenarios in which a skilled attorney could assist you in ensuring that you get full time work, make it through your medical recovery, and move on with your life. Some of the most important reasons you should consider when reaching out to an attorney include:
You sustained serious injuries during the crash that have made it impossible to work for a minimum of six months.
Your lack of working wages has made it is impossible to pay the bills and you have started to fall behind on your bills and due dates because you have to feed your family.
You are unable to get the trucking company to negotiate with you or cooperate with you in any way and for any amount of money.
The damages to your vehicle were significant and the cost of repairs exceeded or will exceed $500.
The injuries you sustained required extensive medical treatment, emergency medical care, or a stay in the hospital.
Remember, if your loved one died as a result of being involved in a car crash with a semi truck, you should reach out to a skilled wrongful death attorney to talk about your options, your future, and how you might best negotiate for compensation to cover your immense loss and the expenses associated with the death of your loved one.
How a Phoenix Truck Accident Attorney Can Help
When you think about contacting an attorney after being involved in a trucking accident, you may think that the attorney's job is simply to find out information and manage your case. But a skilled Phoenix truck accident attorney will do much more than that. If you know how to make the most of your skilled lawyer, you can make it through your recovery in one piece and with a happy face on. Some of the most significant ways in which an attorney can help you after your accident include:
Your attorney can seek out the very best medical care for you and help you set up appointments. While this may seem a strange issue, it is important to know how to get the very best possible medical care from the right doctors. Finding them on your own can be impossible.
Your attorney can investigate your collision by talking with police, reading police reports, talking to eyewitness, and more.
Your attorney can work directly with the party that caused your injuries to work out the details of a fair settlement.
Your attorney can investigate the truck driver, the trucking company, its attorneys, and its maintenance crews, including reading maintenance logs. This ensures that no negligence in the care and upkeep of the vehicle played a role in the accident in which you became trapped.
Your attorney can hold the attorneys of the other party at bay while they are building a fair case for your future and your settlement.
Your attorney can help you determine the changes that you will have to make to your life as you adjust to the difference you are now experiencing in your life.
Remember, attorneys do more in personal injury accident situations than tell you what to do and then walk away. If you hire the right attorney, you will have the answer you seek in no time.
Contact The Husband & Wife Law Team
If you've been involved in an Arizona truck accident and you sustained injuries, then you'll no doubt be in need of medical care, and a good attorney. The same is true if someone you love was involved in a serious trucking accident and died as a result of the injuries that they sustained during the accident. Phoenix injury lawyers Alexis and Mark Breyer work hard to help victims and their families get the help they need to get the right medical care.
They investigate the truck driver, the maintenance crew, and the trucking company to find negligence where it exists, and work hard to investigate the crash itself to determine where negligent actions on the part of the driver contributed to the tragedy and to your injuries. They stand up for your rights against the trucking company and its attorneys, against bill collectors, and against the insurance company to ensure that you are able to make a full recovery and that you are given a fair chance to make that full recovery through physical, mental, emotional, and financial means. For help with your case, your recovery, and your future, you can contact The Husband & Wife Law Team.