Large trucks can be intimidating when you’re on the road in a regular sized car. They tower over normal vehicles and weigh much more, but when everyone drives safely, the road can easily be shared. Unfortunately, all it takes is one person’s slight negligence to lead to a crash with an 18 wheeler. After being involved in a collision with a tractor trailer, you could use the help of our Gilbert, AZ truck accident lawyer.
At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we understand how your life could be drastically changed after truck accident injuries. That’s why we’re here to help you get justice for what you’ve endured. When you weren’t the person who caused the collision and subsequent damages, you shouldn’t be responsible for all the costs that they cause. We’ll help you recover what you’re owed and give you the space you need to recover physically and emotionally as best as you can.
Arizona Truck Accident Statistics
When driving through Gilbert, or any other surrounding town or city in Arizona, you might be wondering how common 18 wheeler accidents are. That’s why it’s important to look to statistics so that you can better understand how often these kinds of collisions happen and how serious the results can be. Arizona Department of Transportation produces a crash report every year that shows these statistics.
The 2020 report has a table with motor vehicle crash involvement by type. In total, there were 10,713 crashes involving any kind of large truck in Arizona that year. Overall, there were 105 fatalities, 2,411 injuries, and 8,197 property damage only crashes. Here is the breakdown for the different types of trucks involved in these collisions and how many accidents they caused:
- Truck tractor—1,481
- Concrete mixer trucks—28
- Dump trucks—133
- Garbage trucks—94
- Tanker trucks—24
- Wrecker or tow trucks—57
- Other truck combinations—8,896
When looking at the different amounts of overall crashes, property damage, injuries, and fatalities that different kinds of trucks cause, you can have some peace of mind seeing that the rate of fatalities was low for truck accidents in Arizona. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be careful driving near tractor trailers and other kinds of large trucks.
Truck drivers can become distracted just as easily as any other driver. Even when they are fully paying attention and being as safe as possible, their trailer or other truck parts could malfunction or have a problem and cause an accident. This means that at any moment, a commercial truck could cause an accident and lead to serious injuries and damages.
That’s why it’s important to always drive safely. If you were driving near a large truck and got into a wreck, you could use the help of our Gilbert, AZ truck accident attorney. We represent victims of truck crashes so they can get the justice they deserve.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Truck Wreck?
If you’ve never been in an accident before, you likely don’t know what to do immediately following any kind of collision, especially something as devastating as a truck wreck can be. Knowing the steps you need to take after a crash with a tractor trailer can ensure that you get the help you need as well as fully documenting the scene and what happened to you.
Here are the steps to take immediately after a truck accident so that you can be as prepared as possible to take legal action for the damages you’ve suffered:
- Assess the Situation and Get to Safety. Immediately, you’ll want to check if you’re in any kind of pain or you’ve been hurt. If you’re able to move, you need to move to safety as best as possible. This could mean pulling to the side of the road, or exiting your vehicle to get out of traffic.
- Call 911. Once you’ve determined you’re safe, you could call emergency services. Give the 911 operator your estimated location and a brief of what happened so they know to send the police and medical services.
- Speak to the Police. When the police get there, you should speak with them for the report. You want to make sure you don’t apologize at any point and that you don’t place blame on one specific party because this could reflect poorly on you later if you were wrong. Only give the factual details of what happened.
- Exchange Information with Other Parties. As long as the other party is cooperative and you don’t feel unsafe, you should exchange information with the other parties involved. Their truck number, license, insurance information, trucking company, and any other relevant information that can help you identify and contact them later.
- Take Photographs. Documenting the scene as best as possible is important for you. If you’re able, you should take photographs of your injuries, your vehicle, the tractor trailer, any other vehicles involved, the road, any objects in the road, and any other parts of the scene that could be relevant to your accident.
- Get Witness Information. Speaking to witnesses can also help you in your claim later. When you get their information, you can contact them later when you’re building your case and need to determine exactly what happened.
- Seek Medical Attention. If your injuries are severe, this is one of the first things you should do because you can do the rest of the steps later when you’ve been treated. No matter what, you need to seek medical attention so that you can be evaluated, and any injuries can be documented.
- Hire a Truck Accident Attorney. After all of this, you’ll want legal representation. Our Gilbert, AZ truck accident lawyer can help you recover all the damages you’re owed so that you can get back to your life as best as possible.
Our Truck Accident Lawyers Have Your Back
When you hire one of our attorneys at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, you can have peace of mind knowing that we will take care of the legal process for you. That way, you can focus on your healing and your journey of recovery. Our Gilbert, AZ truck accident attorney is here to fight for you and get you the compensation you deserve. Reach out to us today so we can get started.
