Arizona Accident Lawyer Blog

A woman from Van Nuys, California was reported killed in a tragic head-on collision with a tour bus on State Highway 74 east of Wickenburg, Arizona. Although we do not know for sure from the limited report available, the woman may have driven her car into the path of the bus in an effort to avoid hitting an animal. Whatever actually happened, it certainly cannot undo the tragedy of this horrible wrongful death in Arizona. Also, we do not know, from the limited report available, whether or not the woman was in fact trying to avoid a vehicle and if so, what vehicle.

It has been surmised that the most likely scenario is that she attempted avoiding an animal on the road when she steered into the path of the bus. Even so, because of the limited information available, it is possible that she may have been attempting to avoid a vehicle instead, leading to this wrongful death on our Arizona Highways.

The probability that it was an animal raises questions that personal injury lawyers in Arizona have seen before. As experienced Arizona bus accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we see how livestock owners failing to properly fence animals to keep them from roaming onto roads can cause accidents such as this. We do not know whether negligence was the case in this incident, but the possibility that it did is enough to consult a lawyer who is knowledgeable about wrongful death claims in this case.

Continue reading "Woman Killed in Head-On Crash with Tour Bus" »

A new development was reported following an Arizona bus crash that killed Chinese tourists near Hoover Dam. The bodies of the six travelers involved are being sent back to China. In the same report, legal concerns were raised for families of victims seeking justice since it has been reported that the National Transportation Safety Board will not be issuing its findings in the case until 2010.

For a U.S. citizen, even someone a little familiar with the personal injury system, this delay may not signal anything significant. But families in China know little of American personal injury laws and legal claims. Thus they don’t know what they’re entitled to after a tragedy that was apparently preventable. This delay could ultimately cause them to miss important deadlines and bar them from bringing legal claims.

Learn your rights. Not every accident merits a lawsuit. Sometimes no good case can be established where one appears guaranteed. However, when this type of tragedy strikes everyone should contact an experienced Arizona wrongful death lawyer. Other jurisdictions may be a factor, but if the incident occurs in Arizona this is the most likely place to file.

Continue reading "Hoover Dam Bus Accident Victims' Bodies Return Home" »

Arizona Personal injury attorneys do not just help “accident victims” recover money. The truth is, the stories of heroism and courage are heard daily by experienced accident lawyers.

We have all by now heard of the serious bus accident in Arizona that involved Chinese Tourists on their drive towards the Grand Canyon. However, I came across this story recently that is a scary, and yet, in some ways, inspiring as any I have read.

Wu Shougui said that he was the only passenger awake on the bus before the fateful crash that took so many innocent lives because of a negligent bus driver. Forgetting for a minute about the bus accident lawsuits, litigation, and insurance claims that are going to arise from this accident; instead, think about the moment of the crash. Wu was sitting several rows behind his wife and son.

Immediately after the crash you could hear his wife screaming that their son was no longer there. Something was pressing down on her legs and according to the published reports, Wu Shougui had to somehow climb out of this bus through the wreckage. He went through all the terrible sights he must have seen, the sounds and screaming he must have heard, all in the hopes of trying to find his boy who was no longer on the bus. Moments before he had been the only one awake on this bus, and now he was facing the prospect of trying to even find his son in this horrendous wreckage. According to Wu Shougui, “I was frightened to death. I was so scared he was dead.”

Continue reading "Arizona Tourist Bus Accident Story of Missing Boy" »

From a pure grief standpoint, it must continue to get no easier for the families of the Chinese tourists killed in the Arizona bus crash near the Hoover Dam. It has now been reported that the bodies of the six Chinese tourists involved in the bus accident are being sent back to China at this time. Those wrongfully killed reportedly include Meng Qui Sun, 19; Yu Ching Chung, 15; Guo Ying Zhu, 45; Yong Shun Zhu, 39; Zhen Quan Sheng, 56; Xia Zhen Ge, 44; and Wen Ting Chen, 45.

In the same report however, legal concerns are certainly raised for the families of those people who would like to see justice done and would like to make sure that those who relied upon the income of those tourists is not lost forever. It has been reported that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will not be issuing a finding of the cause of the bus accident until 2010.

That means, for even a citizen of the United States that has some familiarity with the personal injury system and personal injury attorneys who can bring claims on behalf of these families, this kind of delay may not raise a red flag and they may lose all of their rights. However, for families from China that know nothing of American personal injury laws and the legal claims they have after such a horrific tragedy that was apparently completely preventable, this kind of delay could ultimately cause them to miss out on important deadlines that could forever bar them from bringing claims that they have the right to bring.

Continue reading "Arizona Bus Accident Victims' Bodies To Be Sent Back Home" »

Reports from the National Transportation Safety Board regarding the bus crash near the Hoover Dam that took the lives of innocent Chinese tourists suggests that the driver of the bus was at fault. According to initial briefing, there is an indication that something about the door distracted the driver and that there may have also been a “sun glare” that blinded the driver before he lost control of the bus.

However, initial investigation did not find anything wrong with the driver-side door or any other mechanical problems on the bus.

Our hearts go out to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. Nothing can replace this loss. There is no lawsuit, no money, no lawyer that can in any way alleviate the incredible grief that these families are undoubtedly suffering. To have tourists from China on a bus near the Hoover Dam enjoying a likely once-in-a-lifetime trip to suffer this tragedy is overwhelming.

However, while people who live in the United States are familiar with what a good and experienced Arizona bus accident attorney may be able to do to provide compensation to help the family recover from the lost wages and all other losses, it is likely that the families from China are not aware of what may be done.

Continue reading "Arizona Bus Crash Near Hoover Dam Kills And Injures Tourists" »

Our heart goes out to the family of Kathy Wetherell of Van Nuys, California. It has been reported that she was tragically killed when her vehicle struck a tour bus head-on on State Rout 74 east of Wickenburg.

It was reported that Ms. Wetherell may have been trying to avoid an animal when she steered into the path of the bus. Whatever happened, it certainly cannot undo the tragedy of this horrible wrongful death on our Arizona Highways. Also, we do not know, from the limited report available, whether or not Ms. Wetherell was in fact trying to avoid a vehicle and if so, what vehicle.

However, this does raise a question that we have seen before as personal injury lawyers in Arizona. We have seen owners of cattle and other livestock fail to properly fence in their property to avoid the wandering of livestock into the roadway. What is going to happen when the owner of livestock does not keep the fence properly secured and allows the livestock to roam right into the pathway of an oncoming car. Tragedies such as this. While we do not know whether or not Ms. Wetherell was a victim of this type of negligence, it must be stopped. The people who own livestock must be held accountable for their actions. Owners of livestock know that livestock will roam. They know that if livestock roams in the way of an innocent motorist, serious personal injury or tragic wrongful death is likely to occur. When that happens, that is a pure negligence case. Lawyers, such as Breyer Law Offices, help people and families bring claims that have suffered as a result of the negligence of others.

Of course, whether in this incident or any others, and even where it is the result of a negligent act of another, the decision whether to bring a wrongful death claim in Arizona is not an easy one. There are many decisions a family must make. It is not simply a matter of whether or not there is a valid wrongful death claim as a result of wandering livestock, or a valid wrongful death claim as a result of a negligent motorist, but whether or not it is the right decision for that person and that family to pursue the claim. Not every claim that exists under law needs to be brought into the courts. However, a family should be able to speak to someone who will give them honest answers so they can make the best decision for themselves in deciding whether or not to consider or pursue a claim.