Tucson is Arizona’s second-largest city and a major gateway on I-10 between El Paso and Phoenix, with the Nogales port of entry to the south generating significant cross-border commercial truck traffic. Agricultural haulers, border cargo carriers, and long-haul interstate freight all share the area’s corridors. Below are five highly rated law firms in Tucson that handle truck accident and personal injury cases.
1. Karnas Law Firm
About the Firm: Attorney David Karnas has spent nearly 30 years representing accident victims in cases against major trucking companies and insurers. Karnas Law Firm has the right mix of skills to obtain significant settlements and handles cases across Tucson, Yuma, and Phoenix. They have offices in all three cities.
Services:
- Truck and tractor-trailer accident claims
- Trucking company liability investigation
- Commercial vehicle negligence cases
- Wrongful death representation
- Free consultations, contingency fee
Address: Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 571-9700
Website: https://karnaslaw.com/tucson-truck-accident-lawyer/
2. Hollingsworth Kelly Law Firm
About the Firm: Since 2012, Hollingsworth Kelly has been named a Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report, Best Lawyers. Louis Hollingsworth is a Certified Specialist in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the State Bar of Arizona and is actively involved in every case the firm handles.
Services:
- Semi-truck and 18-wheeler accident claims
- Spinal and traumatic head injury cases
- Wrongful death from truck crashes
- Insurance dispute resolution
- Complex multi-party liability cases
Address: 3501 North Campbell, Suite 104, Tucson, AZ 85719-2032
Phone: (520) 882-8080
Website: https://www.hollingsworthlaw.com/tucson-truck-accident-attorneys/
3. Ruhmann Law Firm
About the Firm: The Ruhmann Law Firm’s Tucson semi-truck accident attorneys understand the complex layers of truck accident injuries. The firm is available 24/7 and operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay nothing upfront. They pursue the maximum financial recovery for each client’s unique needs.
Services:
- Semi-truck and tractor-trailer accident representation
- Catastrophic injury claims
- Wrongful death litigation
- 24/7 availability
- Free consultations, no fees unless you win
Address: Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 502-3500
Website: https://www.ruhmannlawfirm.com/truck-accident-lawyer-tucson/
4. Rockafellow Law Firm
About the Firm: For more than 35 years, Rockafellow Law Firm has provided quality legal representation for personal injury victims including truck accident cases. Founder Leighton H. Rockafellow is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated and certified as a specialist in personal injury and wrongful death by the State Bar of Arizona.
Services:
- Truck and commercial vehicle accident claims
- Brain and spinal injury representation
- Long-term care cost recovery
- Wrongful death cases
- Pima County and statewide Arizona representation
Address: Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 334-1354
Website: https://www.rockafellowlaw.com/
5. AZ Injury Law (Beale, Micheaels & Slack, PC)
About the Firm: The board-certified attorneys at AZ Injury Law have been recognized as AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, named to Arizona Super Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America®, and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100. The firm handles truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and other serious injury cases throughout Tucson and Arizona.
Services:
- Truck accident personal injury claims
- Commercial vehicle negligence litigation
- Catastrophic injury and wrongful death
- Insurance company negotiation
- Free consultations
Address: Tucson, AZ
Phone: (520) 790-5600
Website: https://www.azinjurylaw.com/
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accidents in Tucson, AZ
Tucson sits on I-10 between El Paso and Phoenix and near the Nogales port of entry. If the truck involved in my accident entered from Mexico through Nogales, how do I pursue a claim?
The analysis is the same as with any cross-border haul: once the accident happens in Arizona, Arizona law governs. Your immediate focus should be verifying the carrier’s FMCSA operating authority and US insurance coverage, and identifying any US-based freight broker who dispatched the load. The Nogales port generates significant fresh produce truck traffic that moves through Tucson on I-19 and I-10 using primarily Mexican carrier trucks with US operating authority. Arizona requires carriers operating in the state to maintain minimum liability insurance, and the Arizona Department of Transportation has enforcement checkpoints that document which carriers are active on Arizona highways. Your attorney can use ADOT records and FMCSA data to establish the carrier’s legal status at the time of the crash.
Tucson’s high summer temperatures rival Phoenix in terms of road surface heat. Does Arizona hold truck carriers to any specific standard for heat-related mechanical failures?
The standard is the same as elsewhere, but the context creates stronger negligence arguments. FMCSA regulations require pre-trip inspections that include tire condition and brake systems. When ambient temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees and road surface temperatures reach 150 degrees or higher, tires that are marginally acceptable in cooler climates become genuinely dangerous. A carrier that sends a truck through Tucson in August on tires that were borderline during a March inspection has made a maintenance decision that ignores foreseeable operating conditions. Expert testimony on heat-related tire degradation rates is well-established in Arizona truck accident litigation, and carriers cannot effectively argue that summer heat in Tucson was an unforeseeable condition that excuses their maintenance obligations.
What is Arizona’s statute of limitations for truck accident claims, and does it change for accidents near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or on Arizona State Route 86?
Arizona gives you two years from the date of injury under ARS §12-542. Wrongful death claims also carry a two-year window under ARS §12-542. For accidents involving government vehicles at or near Davis-Monthan, the FTCA applies with its own two-year administrative claim process. For state highway accidents where ADOT road conditions contributed, the Arizona Tort Claims Act under ARS §12-821 requires written notice to the relevant state agency within 180 days of the injury. This notice requirement is strictly enforced in Arizona courts and is independent of the standard two-year limitations period. Failing to file the 180-day notice bars claims against ADOT and other state entities even when the two-year personal injury window remains open.
Tucson’s unique position as a major stop on the Union Pacific Railroad’s Sunset Route creates an above-average density of active railroad grade crossings on city arterials, where commercial trucks cross active main line tracks at multiple points on South Tucson, Park Avenue, and the warehouse district west of I-10. The Federal Railroad Administration’s grade crossing hazard elimination program has identified specific Tucson crossings for safety improvement based on truck traffic volume and sight-line deficiencies, and a truck accident at an active grade crossing implicates potential claims against the railroad under the FRA’s federal crossing safety standards as well as the carrier. Arizona’s proximity to the US-Mexico border at the Nogales port of entry, located 63 miles south of Tucson on I-19, means Tucson-area roads carry significant cross-border produce carrier traffic from Sonora, and Mexican-domiciled carriers serving the Nogales crossing are required under FMCSA Docket No. FMCSA-2011-0090 to maintain US-level commercial vehicle standards once they enter the US commercial zone. A Tucson truck accident involving a Mexican carrier that lacked valid FMCSA authority at the time of the crash creates potential liability for the US freight broker that arranged the load without confirming operating authority, in addition to the direct carrier claim. Arizona’s two-year limitations period under ARS §12-542 applies to both foreign and domestic carrier defendants.