Goodyear Truck Accident Lawyers

Why Choose Lerner & Rowe to Represent Your Truck Accident Lawsuit

A Goodyear truck accident can put you in considerable medical debt in a matter of days, as well as impact your career and quality of life for years to come. In a high-stakes situation like this, you need a trusted and effective Arizona personal injury attorney to negotiate your truck accident lawsuit. 

Our award-winning team has recovered billions of dollars in compensation for clients who were harmed by another party’s negligence. At Lerner and Rowe, our results are just one way that we measure our success. To us, client satisfaction is paramount and we strive to exceed expectations in terms of our work ethic, communicativeness, and diligence. Our efforts have earned us recognition as one of Arizona’s leading personal injury law firms.

We firmly believe that every client we represent deserves the same respect, whether they are bringing in a case dealing with minor injuries from a lost-load truck accident on McDowell Road, a devastating side-swipe collision on I-10, or a fatal head-on crash on Litchfield Road. The Goodyear truck accident attorneys of Lerner and Rowe will work tirelessly on your behalf to secure a fair settlement for your damages.

Understanding Goodyear, Arizona Truck Crashes

Named for the tire and rubber company of the same name, Goodyear, Arizona was originally established to grow cotton for the company’s tires. Goodyear remained a small town for several decades before experiencing a boom in the 1990s. It is becoming increasingly more residential as its population of approximately 105,406 continues to expand. 

Goodyear is considered a suburb of Phoenix and is located just west of Tolleson, a significant trucking epicenter. The city is served by multiple highways, including the improved Loop 303 and I-10, which travels directly through the city. As more retailers move in to accommodate the demands of a growing population and additional highway upgrades are conducted, commercial truck traffic is likely to increase accordingly in Goodyear. 

Based on Arizona’s record of truck accidents, Goodyear residents have reason to be cautious when sharing the road with a semi-truck, especially due to the fact that one of the most critical highways in the country goes right through the heart of the city. In 2021, there were 2,760 semi-trucks involved in collisions across the state, which resulted in 111 vehicle-related fatalities and 662 vehicle-related injuries. This number only includes tractor-trailers.

Common Causes of Goodyear, Arizona Truck Accidents

Truck drivers require training and a commercial license to operate a semi-truck, as these vehicles have design weaknesses that demand additional skills. To start with, trucks have large blind spots that make it difficult to turn, merge, and change lanes. Stopping can also be an issue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration estimates that a fully-loaded semi-truck traveling at highway speeds needs the equivalent of two football fields to come to a safe stop.

Semi-trucks are considered top-heavy vehicles, meaning that in a collision, under windy conditions, or with an unbalanced load, they are more likely to tip over. The momentum can even cause them to slide or roll over, potentially causing catastrophic damage to other vehicles in the vicinity. Considering the disadvantages of their design and the high standards truck drivers are held to, you would expect drivers to be appropriately cautious at all times.

However, this is not always the reality. Just like any other driver, truck drivers can become distracted and lose track of their speed or change lanes too quickly. A greater risk among truck drivers is fatigue, as driving for hours on end by yourself on inadequate sleep can be physically and mentally draining. 

Truck drivers can also become impatient to reach their destination or frustrated by stop-and-go traffic, causing them to execute unsafe maneuvers. In most cases, Arizona truck accidents are caused by driver error or third-party negligence, such as:

Goodyear Truck Accident Injuries Can Cause Permanent Impairments

Truck accident injuries sustained by passenger car occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians usually involve a ride in an ambulance to the nearest hospital. Treatment may include anything from stitches and soft casts to emergency surgery. Recovery can last months or years, with no guarantee of regaining function. Your chances of complete rehabilitation are often benefited by prompt medical intervention after a Goodyear truck accident.

Getting evaluated by a medical professional immediately after a truck accident also creates a reliable record of your injuries, which is important to have when proving to an insurance company that your injuries were as severe as your damages suggest. Without a record to document that you sought treatment, the insurance company may dismiss or diminish your claim. Given the typical severity of a truck accident injury, you should not risk this. 

Good year truck accident injuries may include: 

Goodyear Truck Accident Injuries Are Not Just Physical

What Damages Are Available in a Goodyear Truck Accident Lawsuit

In a Goodyear truck accident lawsuit, compensatory damages are a way for plaintiffs to reclaim the financial value of their losses, both economic and non-economic. There are a number of costs that arise after a truck accident related to medical care, transportation, and income. 

These monetary losses are referred to as economic damages. Plaintiffs can also recover compensation for non-economic damages, reimbursing them for the emotional consequences of their injury, and other intangible costs like pain or inconvenience. 

The unfortunate reality of truck accident injuries is that they are often serious enough to be life-threatening. In Arizona, the surviving family of someone who sustained fatal truck accident injuries can potentially recover compensation for the damages they sustained as a result of their loved one’s wrongful death. For example, a spouse could claim loss of services and support as a result of losing their partner’s labor and financial contribution to the household.

Why You Need a Goodyear Truck Accident Lawyer

Truck accident claims where the plaintiff chooses to represent themselves are unlikely to settle for what a personal injury attorney could have negotiated. The time demands of litigating a truck accident claim alone put an injured plaintiff at a disadvantage against an insurance company with a full-time staff. Additionally, personal injury attorneys who have settled truck accident claims have the necessary experience to be effective investigators and advocates.

The personal injury claims process, where parties provide statements, make depositions, and offer evidence to support or refute negligence and injury, requires a personal injury lawyer’s experience with legal procedure, technical jargon, and evidentiary standards. In many cases, identifying who is at fault for causing the truck accident is half the battle. 

A personal injury lawyer will be familiar with the type and amount of evidence needed to substantiate your account of events and pinpoint which party or parties are legally responsible for your damages. Furthermore, their negotiating skills and strategic perspective are invaluable resources when the value of your damages is up for debate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Goodyear, Arizona Truck Accident Claims

How much does an Arizona personal injury lawyer cost?

Unlike some other types of lawyers, personal injury lawyers do not charge an hourly rate or operate on a retainer. Instead, they use a contingency fee agreement that requires no payment until the claim obtains compensation and absolves the client of any fees if the personal injury attorney fails to get their client a settlement or court award. 

This arrangement is mutually beneficial, as it makes no up-front demands of the injured party and it rewards the personal injury lawyer’s hard work. 

What is the statute of limitations on filing an Arizona truck accident lawsuit?

The statute of limitations for bringing a civil claim alleging negligence varies by state. In Arizona, a plaintiff, or the injured party, has a two-year period during which they can file a personal injury lawsuit. The clock starts after the plaintiff is injured in the truck accident unless there is a good reason why the injury was not discovered or connected to the truck accident immediately. If you don’t file a claim within this period, your truck accident claim will likely be dismissed. 

Can someone other than the truck driver be negligent in a Goodyear truck accident lawsuit?

Absolutely. In fact, third-party liability is not uncommon in truck accident claims. The cause of a truck accident can typically be traced back to driver error or a mechanical failure. If a trucking company did not adequately train its driver or used a flawed process and hired an unqualified individual, it can also potentially be held accountable for the driver’s actions. 

In the case of a mechanical failure, the owner of the truck could be found liable for the plaintiff’s damages if they did not keep the truck in good working order by replacing deteriorating or defective parts and doing regular maintenance checks. The manufacturer of the defective truck part could also be considered negligent if their design, production, or distribution was flawed, or if they failed to warn customers about the defect.

Contact the Goodyear Truck Accident Attorneys of Lerner and Rowe

A Goodyear truck accident caused by a negligent truck driver or third party does not have to mean that you accept the financial, physical, and mental consequences of your injuries. Although the process of recovering compensation can appear daunting and time-consuming, the support of a reputable Arizona truck accident attorney can make all the difference.

The Arizona personal injury attorneys of Lerner and Rowe can provide you with the robust support your truck accident lawsuit needs to be taken seriously and compensated appropriately. We are committed to serving our injured clients, as demonstrated by our work over the last two decades.

At Lerner and Rowe, our team of skilled Goodyear truck accident attorneys can offer you access to our resources, legal insight, and experience to negotiate a fair settlement that acknowledges your medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress, and other damages. We encourage you to give us a call at 602-977-1900 to schedule a free consultation or complete a FREE online form today.