When an accident occurs that involves a Semi-Truck, there is a very high likelihood that the accident will be a very serious one. A semi-truck with a full trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and therefore, the damage caused can be catastrophic. Semi-Truck accidents on this scale are far more likely to cause serious injuries and damage, as well as the potential for loss of life.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a semi-truck accident, the repercussions can be endless. In addition to figuring out how to pay for medical treatment, you may be missing paychecks and falling behind on other bills. Unfortunately, the complex legal nature of truck accidents can make claiming compensation difficult. For this reason, you will need help from an experienced Tampa truck accident lawyer from The Law Place.
Our law firm has accumulated a wealth of legal knowledge over 75 years and is well experienced with semi-truck accident cases like yours. Our semi-truck accident lawyers have the legal expertise to help you win the compensation and justice that you deserve following a semi-truck accident. Our law firm is based in Sarasota, but we represent cases from Tampa and all over the state of Florida. Contact us today for a free consultation on 941-444-4444. A skilled Tampa personal injury attorney is waiting to take your call.
Florida Semi-Truck Accidents
Trucks are frequently used across the state of Florida for transporting goods and materials for businesses. We rely on these trucks to deliver almost everything, from food to clothes, so it is unsurprising to see such a high number of them on our roads.
Unfortunately, however, large truck accidents are some of the most serious that occur on Florida’s highways. Approximately every day in Florida, there are 11 truck accidents. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were 41,088 commercial vehicle crashes in Florida in 2016 alone.
By the large size of these vehicles, it often means that those semi-truck accidents tend to be catastrophic. They cause a great deal of damage and can result in serious, life-changing injuries. It is not unusual for a semi-truck accident of this kind to lead to loss of life.
At The Law Place, we have a semi-truck accident attorney for you, and you can ensure that our personal injury, accident lawyers have the legal expertise and knowledge to represent your case to win the compensation you deserve.
Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents
Just like a typical car crash, the truck driver at the center of your case may be the cause of your accident, or they too may have been a victim. Along with the typical dangers a driver may face on the road, such as distracted drivers and speeding, a truck driver faces the additional danger of fatigue. This is often because truck drivers are usually paid by the number of deliveries they make, so they are inclined to drive for large periods of time to earn more money. This lack of rest is regulated; however, these regulations are frequently violated.
Typical causes of semi-truck accidents are:
- Blind spots.
- Inadequate driver training.
- Overloading.
- Blown out tires.
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
- Drowsy driving (Fatigue).
- Driving over the hours of service limit.
- Incompetent driver.
- Poor truck maintenance.
- Defective vehicle part.
- Improper/unsafe cargo loading.
Regardless of the cause of the incident, if you or a loved one has been the victim of a Tampa semi-truck accident or anywhere else in Florida, we have a semi-truck accident attorney to help you. Contact us at The Law Place today to speak to an accident lawyer in a free consultation.
We’re here to serve you. Our phones are open 24 hours a day.
The Cost of Being a Victim of a Semi-Truck Accident
If you or a loved one has been the innocent victim of a semi-truck accident, you may have faced a great number of financial losses as a result. You may have been left with severe injuries, unfairly impacting on your quality of life and taking away your ability to work. For example, the crash may have resulted in you experiencing very traumatic brain damage or a spinal cord injury. Once a lawyer at The Law Place establishes who is the negligent party, they can then assist you with their legal expertise in winning the compensation that you are entitled to.
Some of the areas that we frequently recover compensation for our clients are:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of employment
- Future medical expenses
- Permanent damage or disability
- Wrongful death
- Pain and suffering
No amount of compensation will ever restore your life back to the way it was before the incident, but our lawyers can help you reduce the financial burden you face and lift some of the weight off your shoulders. You don’t need to go through this alone.
We’re Florida’s top litigation team with over 75 years of combined experience
Tampa Semi-Truck Accident Insurance Claims
Florida is a no-fault state in line with Florida Statute 627.7407. This means that victims involved in semi-truck accidents in Tampa must seek compensation from their own insurance companies in the first instance. This can mean smaller compensation amounts for innocent victims who have suffered injuries and financial losses. They should, therefore, pursue a Tampa semi-truck accident personal injury claim with the support of a qualified lawyer.
It is important to note that the no-fault system bars Tampa semi-truck accident victims from pursuing claims outside of the no-fault insurance system unless there are certain circumstances involved in your case, for example:
- The crash resulted in permanent injuries.
- The victim suffered scarring or disfigurement.
- The crash results in significant and permanent loss of important bodily functions.
If your Tampa semi-truck accident case did not involve one of these things, you could still use help from a semi-truck accident attorney or settlement negotiations with your insurance company. Insurers may try to offer you a smaller amount than your case is worth or deny your claim altogether, even though the trucking companies should be held liable. Our lawyers can help you go up against these insurance companies. If the injuries you sustained in the trucking accident qualify for filing a claim outside of the no-fault system, you have the opportunity to seek greater recovery through a personal injury lawsuit case.
A personal injury claim can lead to full compensation for your injuries, including:
- All medical costs.
- Lost wages from missed time at work.
- Compensation for physical pain and emotional suffering.
Coverage from your insurance company alone will not award you sufficient compensation. If you have been involved in a Tampa semi-truck accident, speak to our attorneys at The Law Place to discuss your options.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers.
Tampa Semi-Truck Accident Liability
In the past, Trucking companies would often escape liability for accidents by leasing their trucks and using independent contractors. If the company did not own the vehicles or employ the drivers, it couldn’t be legally responsible in most accident cases. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) put a stop to truck employers escaping liability. Now, a trucking company can be liable for any crash involving its trucks or driver regardless of ownership or employment status.
In Tampa, a trucking company will be held liable for the actions and behaviors of its commercial drivers. Therefore, accident victims can likely pursue damages from the trucking company and not just the individual driver. Victims may be able to file claims against the trucking company for:
- Driver negligence.
- Distraction.
- Recklessness.
- Breaking traffic laws.
Claims against the trucking company can often result in larger settlements and verdicts, as the trucking company will have insurance to pay damages.
Florida courts may also hold a trucking company liable for an accident if the company itself was negligent in some way, and that negligence resulted in a crash. Trucking companies have to obey many strict FMCSA regulations, including various hiring, training, and retention laws. If a trucking company fails to conduct a background check, properly train drivers, or maintain other safety standards, it is the company who might be held accountable for accidents and not truck the driver.
Who Can be Held Accountable?
In Tampa, more than one party can be held accountable for a trucking accident, including:
- The truck driver.
- The truck driver’s employer.
- Owner of the truck.
- The parent company of the trucking company.
- Truck or truck part manufacturer.
- Truck maintenance company.
- A third-party involved in the accident.
- The city or town in which the accident occurred.
Types of Semi-Truck Lawsuits
Once one of our semi-truck accident lawyers at The Law Place has investigated the circumstances of your accident, they may then file for a lawsuit or personal injury claim based on one of the following:
- Negligence – This will seek compensation for both the emotional and physical injuries caused as a result of the semi-truck accident, as well as the financial losses experienced as a direct consequence of those injuries suffered.
- Product liability – This will occur if it was found that it was a defective part or repair of the truck that resulted in the accident, and the trucking company is at fault.
- Wrongful death – If the semi-truck accident resulted in a loss of life caused by their injuries sustained.
You can ensure that a semi-truck accident lawyer at The Law Place has the legal expertise to win you the maximum amount of compensation your case deserves. An accident lawyer from our law firm is well experienced with taking on insurance companies In Tampa and filing lawsuits of any sort.
Talk to an Semi-Truck Accident Attorney
A semi-truck accident lawyer from The Law Place understands the federal, state, and local laws regarding the trucking industry. We can investigate your case and gain access to information that may be able to prove the driver or the company did something that qualifies as negligence.
If you are a truck driver or the victim of a semi-truck accident in Tampa and are seeking legal representation for your case, please contact us today at The Law Place on 941-444-4444 for a free consultation. You may have suffered some incredibly serious injuries, and you may be entitled to compensation. The very nature of these trucks being large vehicles means that whenever they are involved in a crash, the results can often be catastrophic. You do not have to experience all this suffering alone; we are here for you.
You can trust that with over 75 years of combined experience that you are in the most capable hands in Florida, A semi-truck accident lawyer at The Law Place is ready to fight your case to win you the justice that you deserve.
