A terrible explosion rocked the Arizona Grain Company in Maricopa, with reports saying that two Arizona Grain employees and a truck driver were severely injured with burns to their face and arms. We can only hope that everybody in this Maricopa on-the-job accident heals as quickly as possible and that they will fully recover.
We note in this Arizona incident that the truck driver was injured at a place where he was not employed, and so may have rights beyond Arizona workers’ compensation rights. Severely injured people are often under the assumption that they are stuck with workers’ compensation when injured on the job, though they may actually be able to file a third party personal injury claim in Arizona.
We do not know what may have caused the explosion, but from our experience as personal injury lawyers, we do know that negligence may have played a part. While the two employees at the Arizona Grain Company may not have any rights to receive full and fair compensation through a personal injury claim, the truck driver who was injured on site may have a right to bring such a claim.
We do not suggest that the truck driver or anyone else injured in this incident definitely has a lawsuit but, as skilled Phoenix personal injury lawyers, we certainly feel it should be looked into. Frequently, people who are injured on construction sites, or who are injured on a jobsite of a company for whom they do not work, do not realize that they have a right to receive full and fair compensation for any injuries that result from someone else’s negligence whether it be in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, or elsewhere in Arizona.
Depending who was at fault in this Arizona job injury incident, a person’s right to claim falls away after anywhere from six months to two years after the incident due to Arizona’s statute of limitations. It is for that reason that we encourage anyone who has been injured to contact an experienced Arizona workplace injury lawyers to get answers to their questions, and so that they can consider all their options.
As Phoenix car accident attorneys, it is our job to prevent people with power from taking advantage of innocent victims. We happen to see a lot of abuse when the government uses its own laws to defend itself from legal responsibility. Many talk about personal accountability and personal responsibility, and there has been a push to ensure that people in our country accept blame when they do wrong. Many people who cannot work due to an injury caused by someone else’s negligent actions too often are accused that they are trying to place the blame on someone else instead of accepting responsibility for their situation.
When government employees are involved in causing serious injuries, it raises a red flag. According to a recent study, a City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department vehicle and a Chevy Malibu collided when, according to witnesses, the city vehicle ran a red light causing a six-car accident. The occupants of the Malibu included a woman eight months pregnant, who along with her boyfriend were transported to the hospital. She later gave birth to the baby, who possibly has brain damage as a result of the accident. If the driver of the Phoenix Parks and Recreation vehicle was indeed at fault, unless the car accident victim immediately hires a lawyer and takes the correct action to protect her rights and her baby’s rights, she could miss her chance to receive compensation.
Even if we assume that the witnesses were correct about the city vehicle running a red light and even if the City of Phoenix admitted fault in this case, there is still a way in which those responsible can escape liability. If a person seriously injured by a negligent government employee does not take the correct steps, they are in danger of losing their ability to file a lawsuit. In order to file a personal injury claim, the injured party must file a proper “notice of claim” within 180 days to the correct person or else they lose all rights.
It is unfortunate that government entities can avoid responsibility in such cases, and that is why we report on accidents that involve city vehicles in Phoenix, Mesa, Tucson, or any other city in Arizona. We know that when someone is seriously injured in an accident that they have more to think about than hiring a personal injury lawyer. Injured parties should be allowed to recover, and to have enough time to find an experienced and knowledgeable lawyer to help them.
That is why we urge anyone who has been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident with any government employee in Arizona to immediately speak to a knowledgeable and skilled Arizona auto accident lawyer to ensure that their rights to file a claim are not lost.
As experienced Phoenix dog bite lawyers, we see the same types of stories occur over and over. Ask any personal injury lawyer, and he or she will tell you that some things are just dangerous. It is unfortunate how many cases occur where pit bulls or other dangerous canines attack and seriously injure or even kill children.
There is really no excuse for owners of potentially dangerous animals not to keep them restrained. Recently in Phoenix, two pit bulls attacked a postal worker who was just doing her job. Many people reading about this incident may ask themselves why these two dangerous animals were not contained, in addition to why people in the neighborhood, rather than the owners, had to save the innocent letter carrier.
Like other dog bite victims, this woman has a right to be compensated for her injuries. This includes compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills associated with the dog attack, and any out of pocket expenses along the way. Arizona law allows a dog bite victim to sue the owner, and there is often recourse from the house insurance policy for the residence at which the animals should have been contained. An Arizona dog bite claim is not limited just to the property where the dogs should have been. In fact, victims of dog attacks have equal rights to pursue a claim that happened off the property.
On the other hand, Arizona dog bite law prevents any lawsuit to take place after two years. To make matters even more restrictive, somebody who has been attacked by a pit bull in Arizona must bring a lawsuit within one year of the date of the incident or they lose some of the legal protections they have. Therefore, while in theory a lawsuit can be brought up to two years after an attack, it is very much to the benefit of a dog bit victim to seek out a lawyer early enough that the investigation can be accomplished and the chance to file the lawsuit in less than one year can be pursued.
If you or a loved one has been attacked by a dog, and especially a pit bull, you may want to seek out an experienced lawyer soon enough after the incident to enable a lawsuit to be filed within a year, if necessary. It is our opinion at Breyer Law Offices, however, that such cases can and should instead be prevented, so that Arizona dog attacks become a rare event.
The destruction and serious injuries caused by DUI accidents in Arizona outrages me. Those who drink and drive must be prosecuted, and drunk drivers ought to be sued by the injured victims in civil court by personal injury attorneys.
A January 10 report in the East Valley Tribune left me shocked and saddened. A family of four was hit at a four way stop when a pickup driven by two teens went through the stop sign without stopping, broadsiding the family’s car. It was determined that excessive speed caused the crash, and that the two teenagers were under the influence of alcohol. Two boys, aged 6 and 11, died in the crash, and the wife was in critical condition.
The line must be drawn somewhere for those who drink and drive. We as a society must do everything possible to prevent such tragic Arizona drinking and driving accidents from happening.
As Phoenix lawyers that deal with serious injury and wrongful death in Arizona, we aid Mesa, AZ families who have experienced injuries due to accidents. In this case, there is nothing we can do to bring back the lives of these two boys, nor can any settlement bring solace to their parents. Even if we sued the teenagers and their families for everything they had, it would not undo the harm they have caused. Yet it is imperative that drunk drivers be punished not only in criminal courts but also with personal injury cases in civil courts. We at Breyer Law Offices have never defended drunk drivers nor have we taken on drunk driving criminal defense cases. We cannot ethically do so. Rather, we will stand up for the rights of the victims of drunk drivers.
After any drunk driving accident, there are usually innocent victims. These innocent bystanders not only should be compensated for their losses, but as members of society their personal injury suits serve as an added punishment, and hopefully a future deterrent, to drunk drivers. Those who drink and drive must know that they are not only putting their freedom at risk should they be caught, but they may also lose their assets as well. Victims of drunk drivers and their families should contact experienced Arizona DUI accident victim lawyers to both punish drunk drivers as well as receive the compensation that is due them.
Our condolences go out to this family, who can never be compensated enough.
