Truck Accident Fault Analysis

If you are a victim of a truck accident in Phoenix, Arizona, you need an experienced Phoenix truck accident attorney to help you put together a strong case against the truck driver or the trucking company at hand. A strong case means you can win the money you deserve.

Your lawyer needs to have a deep understanding of the truck accident liability laws in Arizona and all the possible loopholes the truck driver or their employer might try to use to deny your claim. They should know what the law says about weather-related truck accidents to see if the truck driver or their company is at fault.

Understanding Liability Analysis

Truck accident fault analysis is a complex process in which experts explore exactly what happened at the accident and collect all of the facts. Typically, your lawyer and insurance company will complete this analysis. Here’s what you need to know about the process:

Investigating the Accident Scene

When a truck accident happens, the first thing you should do is take pictures and videos of the accident scene, the vehicles involved, their damages, road markings, traffic signs, and anything else that might help you build a case.

Work with emergency responders, firefighters, police officers, and eyewitnesses at the scene to get more evidence. Witness statements and surveillance cameras can help prove who is at fault.

Inspecting the Vehicles 

All vehicles involved in the truck accident should undergo inspection to determine the damage and if they should have been on the road in the first place. Experts usually do this inspection, and they look for mechanical faults like brake issues, steering problems, and worn-out tires.

Modern trucks have devices that store important information about the vehicle, including speed, driving patterns, and braking. Your attorney should retrieve this information to review the truck’s condition before the accident and whether the driver was behaving properly.

Investigating the Truck Driver

Truck drivers in the United States follow strict rules, including hours-of-service rules. Your lawyer may check the driver’s work logs to see if they were driving longer than they were supposed to. If they did, this can mean that the driver was overworked and overtired, leading to dangerous road habits and the accident itself.

Your lawyer should also review the driver’s records to see if they completed the proper training to drive their truck. They will also need to make sure that the driver has the paperwork necessary and the correct license.

Your lawyer can also review the truck driver’s medical report to see if they were under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other substances at the time of the accident.

Analyzing Accident Reports

The police department will record the scene of the accident and prepare an official report of what happened. Your lawyer will review this report to see if it matches witness statements, news reports, and insurance reports.

Consulting an Accident Reconstruction Expert

An accident reconstruction specialist can recreate the incident in a simulation to see who was at fault. They’ll look at every aspect of the reconstructed accident scene, including the impact angles, positions of the vehicles, and possible human errors that could have led to the accident.

Getting a Legal Opinion

After reviewing all the evidence, your lawyer should be able to determine who’s at fault. Their familiarity with Phoenix traffic laws and federal regulations is also necessary for determining if the truck driver, truck company, or truck manufacturer is liable.

Next Steps

Because truck accident fault analysis is a complex process, it should be done by experts. Let Gage Mathers take the reigns–we have five decades of experience winning cases just like yours. Call us today!

About the Author

Joseph D'Aguanno

Guided by the belief that being a highly skilled specialist in a narrow field is better than being ordinary in everything, Joseph “JD” D’Aguanno leads Arizona’s best personal injury law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Having extensive cross-training in pre-litigation negotiations and trial lawyer skills, with decades of experience, JD strives to provide clients with the most valuable legal services a personal injury lawyer can provide. Under his direction, Gage Mathers Law Group is an award-winning personal injury law firm providing aggressive representation to victims of a car accident, medical malpractice, dog bite, motorcycle accident, and other injurious events. Gage Mathers is trusted by thousands of lawyers and clients throughout the country because of their reputation for getting clients the maximum compensation they deserve.

Years of experience: Over 23 years
Bar number: 020421
Location: Phoenix, AZ
JD’s Profile