Accident Claims Three

A terrible accident Sunday claimed the lives of three, including a one-year-old baby girl. The victims were traveling southbound and about to turn left when they were struck by a semi-truck that reportedly ran a red light.

The baby girl, who was properly restrained, and another female passenger died at the scene. The other two victims were taken to the hospital where one remains in critical condition and the other later died from injuries sustained in the accident. The driver of the freightliner sustained only minor physical injuries.

It is my understanding that the truck was coming straight through an intersection, and the car turning left. I am unsure of the actual facts, as they are still under investigation. However, regardless of fault, I caution everyone to proceed carefully when turning left at an intersection.

In Arizona, drivers turning left at an intersection have a duty to “yield right of way to traffic approaching that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard to their path of travel”. What does that mean? In reality, it means that if you are turning left at an intersection, make damn sure that the cars coming the opposite way are stopping before you initiate the turn. Absent eyewitnesses, the left turner nearly always gets the ticket. Even with eyewitnesses, the left turner is comparatively at fault---even if the adverse runs a red light.

Truck accidents are scary, because they are very often fatal to the occupants of the other vehicle. This is in part due to the fact that they usually travel as fast as other automobiles, but because of their extreme weight, they exert much greater forces on occupants of another vehicle. Studies show that a dump truck traveling 3 mph will exert as much force as a VW traveling 40 mph. Imagine a large 18 wheeler, barreling through an intersection at 40 mph? There is virtually no chance for survival for the other vehicle’s occupants.

Big trucking accidents generally involve serious injuries, but also bring with them a whole complex set of circumstances that require the involvement of an investigative team right away. It is extremely important to act quickly and deliberately if you are involved in an accident such as this so as to preserve the scene of the accident and any other evidence. The determination of fault in serious trucking accidents involves many complex legal issues. Retaining an experienced personal injury attorney right away would be very prudent.