Find a Truck Accident Injury Lawyer in Florida

An expert truck accident injury lawyer will fight for compensation after something horrible happens on the road. Find a lawyer to help you build a personal injury case to seek damages for your injuries. 

In countries across the world, passenger vehicles share the road with large, oversized trucks. Moving at high speeds on freeways and highways is already dangerous around cars, minivans, motorcycles, and other passenger vehicles. When you throw multi-ton trucks in a hurry to make deliveries on time, things can get hairy. 

Tractor-trailers often take up several lanes on busy streets early in the morning and late at night. They make seeing much harder. Have you ever struggled to make a lane change around an 18-wheeler going faster than 70mph?

Needless to say, accidents involving these large, heavy trucks are often devastating. People die in accidents with trucks every year, and thousands more are seriously hurt. 

What happens to the victims of truck accidents who typically face large medical bills, physical therapy, trauma, and possibly the death of a loved one? 

If you or someone you know is involved in a trucking accident, get legal help now. An experienced truck accident injury lawyer will help you build a personal injury case to hold people accountable. 

How Truck Accidents Happen

Truck drivers are under a lot of pressure. If you read the news, you have heard about a significant trucker shortage in the United States. Even though people have talked for years about how electric and autonomous trucks will replace drivers and put them out of jobs, it’s still a long way away.

The country is going through a significant supply chain crunch, and the shortage of drivers is only making things worse. 

Trucking companies are, as a result, under a lot of pressure to make deliveries faster. The pressure trickles down to the drivers and into the way they drive. They may push themselves on the road longer than they should or drive when they have elevated stress levels. 

Trucks may not get the proper maintenance they need to stay road-worthy, which also makes accidents more likely. 

Here are some of the common causes of truck accidents on the road:

Driver Fatigue

It’s not unusual for a trucker to be away from home for weeks or even months on the road. They drive several hours every day. The government has strict regulations on how many hours drivers can operate. Even then, driver fatigue is a big issue. We know now that driving while drowsy can be just as bad as driving drunk. Tired truck drivers react slower and are less aware on the road. That’s a huge deal when they are towing thousands of pounds behind them that can easily crush passenger vehicles. Even with regulations, there are ways to bypass the rules and truckers often drive many more hours than the rules allow.  Even within the regulations, truck drivers can easily become fatigued while driving an 80,000 pound truck.  That’s 40 tons of steel traveling 70 mph!

Poor Truck Maintenance

18-wheelers and the cargo they carry require a lot of maintenance. Powerful engines need regular checkups to stay in top shape so they can travel thousands of miles across the country. If trucking companies are under the gun, they could miss required maintenance and increase the risk of cargo coming loose on the highway. 

Blown Tires

If you drive on the freeway long enough, at some point you’ll come across the remnants of a blown truck tire. These massive tires start shredding and fly across lanes. It’s an incredible risk to drivers in small vehicles when heavy pieces of rubber fly at them at high speeds. 

These are just some of the reasons specific to trucks. Truck drivers are human too, and many accidents involve things like texting or taking phone calls. When they happen in a truck, though, the consequences are usually dire. 

What To Do After an Accident with a Truck

The first thing you should do is make sure that you and anyone else in your vehicle are ok. If any of you feel injured or if someone is unresponsive, immediately call 9-1-1. Don’t move anyone with obvious injuries unless they are in immediate danger. Wait for the first responders to arrive and manage the scene. 

If you are hurt, you should go to the hospital. See a doctor sooner rather than later. When a truck collides with you or forces you off of the road, your adrenaline will likely spike. In your heightened state of awareness, your body’s fight or flight instinct kicks in. This often makes it hard to notice injuries. Thus, spotting symptoms can be difficult, and you may miss something. 

Go to the hospital to make sure you are fine and treat any injuries right away. 

The next thing you should do is speak with a truck accident injury lawyer. An experienced attorney will know what to do and say to protect you from liability. They’ll also start investigating the facts of the crash to determine liability of people or companies that caused the accident. 

How a Truck Accident Injury Lawyer Works for You

Finding the right attorney makes all the difference. A good lawyer will take the burden of dealing with the aftermath of an accident off of your plate. They’ll handle the legal issues so you can focus on recovery. 

One of the most important aspects of dealing with a truck accident injury case is assigning liability. Who is responsible, and who should pay damages for what happened?

Here’s where a truck accident injury attorney will look:

The Driver

Was the driver driving distracted? Were they beyond their prescribed shift hours? Is there any evidence that they were driving erratically? A seasoned lawyer will examine evidence to establish guilt. They procure driving records, phone records, surveillance, and other documents that serve as evidence in your case. 

The Trucking Company

Was the trucking company placing undue pressure on the driver? Did the company maintain the truck properly and perform all necessary maintenance? What logs did they maintain and what training did they provide? Ultimately, trucking companies hold the most responsibility because the drivers work for them, and the trucks are theirs. 

Truck Manufacturers

Sometimes defective truck components lead to accidents. Your legal team will look to see whether the truck belonged on the road and if the manufacturer bears any responsibility for the accident. 

Other Drivers

Did another driver’s erratic movement cause the truck to swerve and hit you? Sometimes irresponsible drivers make drivers react, and accidents end up happening. Lawyers who specialize in truck accidents know how to examine accident scenes and put the puzzle together. 

Finding the Right Truck Accident Injury Lawyer

After an accident, you’ll field calls from insurance providers, the police, trucking companies looking to settle, and other interested parties. The things that you see and what you do have a significant impact on your case and any damages you might win. 

Here’s what you should look for in a truck accident injury lawyer:

Reputation – When your livelihood and health are on the line, it’s no time to take a flyer on an inexperienced attorney. You need someone with years of experience handling truck accidents. Talk to lawyers who represent accident victims in your situation. Read reviews online to hear about others’ experiences. Choose a legal team with a demonstrated track record. 

Resources – Find a team with the resources to get the job done right. Your case will require people to make phone calls, draft written correspondence, and chase down leads. A lawyer and their team will need to handle settlement negotiations and prepare to represent your case in court (if necessary) at the same time. Working with an established firm ensures they have the proper resources for your case. 

Settlement Negotiations – A good truck accident injury lawyer knows how much your case is worth and how much money you will need to recover from injuries. How do you calculate lost income and medical expenses that could last for the rest of your life? Truck accident lawyers know how to price the accident and pursue settlements aggressively to make sure that you get what you deserve. 

Communication – Your lawyer should set realistic expectations and stay in communication as your case develops. Sometimes accident and personal injury cases take years to resolve, so you need someone you feel comfortable with. They should provide regular updates and let you know anytime something significant happens in your case.

Trial skills –  You should make sure the lawyer you choose is someone who has tried serious crash cases to a jury.  Most personal injury attorneys are not trial lawyers.  Find out what kind of verdicts your lawyers has obtained and whether they are board certified trial lawyers (the highest level of achievement in the field).

Truck Accident Injury Lawyers at Leighton Panoff Law

Leighton law is the premier truck accident injury legal team in Orlando and Miami. For years, we’ve helped our clients seek damages to cover medical costs, lost work income, and other expenses after a truck accident. We have represented many people in truck accident cases, including a recent $7.4 million verdict on behalf of a motorist hit by a semi-tractor trailer.  If you or someone you love is hurt in an accident, call us to discuss the details of your case. We offer no-obligation consultations to help you know what to do next.