Brandon Truck Accident Attorneys
Standing Up for Injured Truck Accident Victims in Florida
Large commercial trucks are essential to our economy in Florida - and across the United States, as these trucks help ensure we receive the goods we need and want. Along with stocked shelves and packages arriving on our doorsteps, however, trucks also bring about the risk of serious crashes and injuries to motorists.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that about 121,000 commercial trucks were involved in injury-causing crashes in a recent year in the United States, and these numbers are only likely to increase with more and more trucks on the road each year. With so many large commercial vehicles on the road alongside small passenger cars, the risk of being seriously injured in a truck accident is high for even the safest motorists. A truck accident can happen in an instant, but the effects can continue for months or years.
At the law firm of Carman, Bevington & Finegan, P.A., our personal injury attorneys know that truck accident claims can be more complicated than regular car accident claims. We have seen firsthand the devastation caused by commercial truck crashes, and we are ready to stand up for the rights of injured victims. Contact us today to discuss your accident and injuries.
The Risks of Truck Accidents in Brandon, Florida
More than 4,500 people sustained injuries in over 9,000 truck crashes in Florida in a recent year, and these were only the accidents that were reported to the federal database. In addition, at least 288 people lost their lives in these accidents. The final numbers might be much higher, but these statistics still illustrate how truck crashes are a serious risk in the Sunshine State.
In the Brandon area, you might find yourself driving alongside massive commercial trucks on Interstate 75 or Interstate 4, as many truck drivers use this route to make deliveries to south Florida or the Tampa area. However, you do not have to be on the freeway to encounter large trucks, as they can be making deliveries to the Brandon Mall, Publix Super Markets, or homes in neighborhoods like Providence Lakes, Brandon Pointe, Lumsden Reserves, or other residential areas.
Trucks can be equally concerning on highways or on smaller streets, as truck drivers might hit pedestrians or fail to navigate intersections properly. On the Interstate, high-speed crashes can have devastating results, as trucks might roll over or jackknife, causing widespread damage and injuries.
No matter where your truck accident happened in or around Hillsborough County, you want the right Brandon truck accident law firm handling your legal case.
The Basics of Truck Crashes
There are many types of commercial vehicles on the roads and highways of Florida, including big rigs, 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, commercial movers, construction vehicles, tanker trucks, flatbed trucks, buses, and many more. All of these vehicles are much larger than cars and SUVs and can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. The discrepancy in size and weight means that motorists in passenger vehicles regularly sustain devastating injuries in truck accidents.
There are many different types of truck collisions that can cause widespread damage and injuries, including:
- Jackknife accidents - This type of accident happens when the trailer of a truck folds sideways toward the cab, similar to a folding knife. The cab can cause devastating wreckage in adjacent lanes.
- Underride accidents - Rear-end crashes are often more severe with a truck involved, as a smaller car can become wedged under the rear bumper of the truck and dragged.
- Override accidents - If a truck is the rear vehicle in a collision, it can drive onto the back of a smaller vehicle.
- Rollovers - Because trucks have such narrow wheelbases and high centers of gravity, many conditions can cause them to tip over, often crashing into other vehicles in the vicinity.
- Cargo spills - Cargo spilling onto the highway can cause other drivers to crash, and hazardous materials that spill can result in fires, explosions, or toxic exposure.
- Runaway truck accidents - When the brakes on a commercial truck fail, and a driver loses control, the truck can collide with many vehicles before it finally comes to a stop.
No matter what type of collision occurred, victims often require emergency medical treatment, and many truck accident injuries cause permanent disabilities or death. If a victim survives, they may require hospitalization, surgeries, extensive rehabilitation, and many additional types of costly treatment. Often, victims live with impairments and may not be able to return to work. The losses from a catastrophic truck accident injury can be extensive and ongoing.
Extensive Injuries and Losses from Commercial Truck Collisions
Commercial trucks like semis and tanker trucks are much larger and heavier than the passenger vehicles they share the road with. In fact, some commercial vehicles can weigh as much as 80,000 lbs, making them capable of causing extensive damage to other vehicles and severe physical injury to the occupants of other cars and trucks in the event of a collision. Some of the more common serious injuries people sustain in commercial truck accidents include:
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Crush injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neurological injuries
- Severe lacerations
- Internal injuries
In many instances, these and other truck accident injuries leave victims with long-term medical problems or even permanent disabilities. When this occurs, victims may be entitled to compensation for all of their accident-related losses, including their current and future medical expenses, lost income, lost enjoyment of life, and physical and emotional pain and suffering.
In cases that involve long-term medical problems or disabilities, it’s critical that victims work with an attorney familiar with handling catastrophic truck accident cases. It is imperative that you are able to establish your future losses, and doing so often requires working with financial and medical experts who can provide evidence of what your losses will be well into the future. An attorney who regularly handles truck accident cases will likely have a network of experts with whom they work in order to ensure that their clients get the compensation to which they are entitled under the law.
Who was Responsible for Your Truck Accident?
Because of the devastating losses that truck accident victims often face, it is critical to seek help from a lawyer who can evaluate your rights to compensation. Our legal team can determine whether another party may be held liable for your losses, such as:
- Truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Cargo loading crews
- Mechanics or repair shops
- Truck manufacturers
Often, more than one party may be liable for your losses, and our truck accident attorneys will seek compensation from all possible avenues. We know how to handle insurance claims against large trucking companies that work to avoid liability, and we work to obtain the full value of a claim for every client, including filing personal injury lawsuits when needed.
Never Wait to Contact a Brandon Truck Accident Attorney
Florida law gives truck accident victims four years from the date of their accident to file a claim. While this may sound like ample time to file your claim, it’s important to understand that it’s in your best interest to start and file a claim soon as you can after a truck accident.
Truck companies and their insurers know that they operate in a high-risk industry and that they have significant potential liability in the event of a crash. For this reason, their teams of investigators spring into action as soon as they can after an accident. If you want to have a chance of obtaining the compensation you deserve under Florida law, you should retain an attorney to do the same.
Additionally, there is a significant risk that you could lose access to important evidence if you wait to start your claim. For example, if a surveillance camera recorded your accident, there is a good chance that the footage will be deleted as part of the standard procedure unless you officially request that the owner preserve it. Similarly, eyewitness accounts of your accident will become less reliable as time passes, as memories fade. The best way to ensure that you are able to collect the evidence you need to present your strongest claim is to retain an attorney as soon as you can after an accident.
How Truck Accident Claims Work
Typically, after a truck accident caused by the truck driver, the trucking company, or another party involved with the operation of the truck, victims will file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. If the company accepts liability, then the next step involves victims demonstrating their losses by submitting documentation and trying to negotiate a settlement agreement. If a settlement agreement cannot be reached or the insurance company does not concede liability, victims may file a lawsuit in order to pursue compensation for their accident-related losses.
Learn How Our Brandon Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You
After a serious truck accident injury, you can trust the law firm of Carman, Bevington & Finegan, P.A. to stand up for your rights. We let you focus on your recovery from your injuries while we work for your financial recovery. Contact us online or call 813-654-3444 to schedule your free consultation and case evaluation today.