Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death  /  Commercial Truck Accidents

Practice Focus · Phoenix, Arizona

Commercial Truck Accidents

Catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, fleet vehicles, and other commercial vehicles across Arizona.

The crash is only the beginning of the investigation.

A serious collision involving a commercial truck can extend well beyond the driver and the scene. The relevant evidence may be held by a motor carrier, employer, vehicle owner, maintenance provider, contractor, or another business connected to the vehicle’s operation.

Jennifer Rebholz represents individuals and families in serious injury and wrongful death matters involving commercial vehicles in Arizona. Her broader practice is concentrated on catastrophic injury and wrongful death—cases in which the consequences are permanent and the investigation is substantial.

For representation, Jennifer practices through Zwillinger Wulkan in Phoenix.

Important facts may sit outside the crash report.

Commercial transportation cases can involve company records, electronic data, business relationships, and decisions made before the vehicle ever reached the road. The work is identifying which of those facts actually matter in the specific case.

01 / DATA
Vehicle and electronic information
Depending on the truck and its equipment, information may exist about vehicle operation, location, driving time, braking, speed, or other events surrounding the collision.
02 / RECORDS
Carrier and company records
Driver qualification materials, dispatch communications, inspection and maintenance records, policies, training materials, and contracts can provide context that is not visible at the scene.
03 / PARTIES
More than one business may be involved
Commercial vehicles can be owned, operated, maintained, loaded, leased, or dispatched by different entities. Sorting out those relationships is part of determining whose conduct is legally relevant.

What may need to be identified and preserved early

The categories vary from case to case, but commercial truck litigation can require looking beyond photographs and a police report to information controlled by the companies involved.

Driver & Operations

Electronic logging information, hours-of-service materials, dispatch records, route information, driver qualification files, training records, and communications.

Truck & Equipment

Vehicle or engine data, telematics, inspection history, maintenance and repair records, onboard video, and physical evidence from the truck and its components.

Company Decisions

Safety policies, supervision records, contracts, ownership or leasing documents, and records that help explain who controlled the work and the vehicle.

Collision & Loss

Scene evidence, witness testimony, reconstruction materials, medical evidence, employment records, and expert analysis addressing both how the collision occurred and what it changed.

Not every case involves every category of evidence. What exists, who controls it, and whether it is legally relevant depends on the vehicle, the companies involved, and the facts of the collision.

The driver may be only one part of the case.

The investigation follows the evidence and the commercial relationships surrounding the vehicle.

Being involved in the transportation chain does not, by itself, establish liability. Legal responsibility depends on the facts and applicable law.

Driver
Operation of the vehicle, training, licensing, fatigue, distraction, impairment, and compliance with applicable requirements.
Motor Carrier or Employer
Hiring, supervision, dispatch, safety practices, qualification decisions, and the relationship between the company and the driver.
Vehicle Owner or Lessor
Ownership, leasing arrangements, responsibility for equipment, and contractual control over the vehicle.
Maintenance or Repair Provider
Inspection, repair, maintenance, and the condition of safety-critical vehicle systems when those issues are relevant.
Loading, Shipping, or Contracting Entities
Cargo, loading, contracting, or operational decisions when the evidence connects those activities to the collision.
Manufacturer or Component Supplier
Vehicle or component issues when a product condition is supported by the evidence and material to the crash.

Jennifer’s practice is built around the severity of the loss.

Jennifer does not define a case by the size of the vehicle alone. Her plaintiff practice is concentrated on catastrophic injury and wrongful death—matters where the injury is permanent, the consequences are life-altering, and the case may require extensive investigation, expert work, or trial preparation.

That can include collisions involving tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, commercial fleets, delivery or box trucks, and other vehicles being operated for business purposes. The broader standards she uses to evaluate serious injury and death cases are explained on the Catastrophic Injury & Wrongful Death page.

Cases most closely aligned with the practice

  • Wrongful death arising from a commercial vehicle collision
  • Traumatic brain or spinal cord injury
  • Amputation or other permanent physical impairment
  • Severe orthopedic or multi-system injury with lasting consequences
  • Commercial cases requiring substantial factual or expert development
See the broader practice ↗

Defense-trained, without repeating the biography here.

Jennifer spent eighteen years representing insurers, businesses, and other defendants before moving to plaintiff-side injury and wrongful death work in late 2023. That experience informs how she approaches commercial cases involving insurers and corporate defendants.

The full career history, trial record, and professional credentials are documented elsewhere on this site so the supporting record can be reviewed directly rather than restated on every practice page.

Commercial Truck Accident Cases

Q1

What makes a commercial truck accident case different from a typical car crash case?

A commercial truck case may involve evidence held by a motor carrier or other company, multiple business relationships, commercial insurance, vehicle and electronic data, maintenance records, driver qualification materials, and other records beyond the crash report. Which issues matter depends on the facts of the collision.

Q2

What evidence can matter in a commercial trucking case?

Depending on the vehicle and the parties involved, relevant evidence may include electronic logging information, vehicle or telematics data, dispatch communications, driver qualification records, inspection and maintenance records, video, company policies, contracts, and physical evidence from the vehicles and scene. Not every case involves every category.

Q3

Who can be responsible for a commercial truck collision?

The investigation may involve the driver, motor carrier, employer, vehicle owner, maintenance or repair providers, loading or shipping entities, contractors, or manufacturers. Identifying an involved entity is not the same as establishing legal responsibility; responsibility depends on the evidence and applicable law.

Q4

What trucking cases are the right fit for Jennifer’s practice?

Jennifer focuses on catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters. A trucking case is most closely aligned with her practice when the collision causes permanent, life-altering injury or death and requires substantial investigation, expert work, or litigation. More about that case-selection focus is on the broader practice page.

Q5

Does Jennifer handle commercial truck cases outside Phoenix?

Yes. Jennifer represents clients in serious injury and wrongful death matters across Arizona. Her trial record includes civil jury trials in Maricopa, Pima, Coconino, Pinal, and Yavapai counties.