Belleview Truck Accident Lawyer
When you are involved in an accident with a semi-truck, nothing will ever be the same again unless you have adequate access to treatment – and the funds to pay for it. But that can be hard to do when you’re out of work from your injuries. If you’re in this situation, you may be struggling to recover and wondering what your next step should be.
Our truck accident lawyers in Belleview can help. When it comes to truck accidents, a moment of negligence can quickly turn into a lifetime of expenses. You need adequate compensation to cover the costs. Meldon Law will fight to protect your rights under Florida law.
The Dangers of Truck Accidents
Accidents with semi-trucks typically result in serious injuries; they are also often fatal due to the enormous weight of these vehicles, which can be up to 80,000 pounds. The average car weighs 4,000 pounds in comparison, so you can see why collisions involving semi-trucks, commercial trucks, and tractor-trailers inflict so much damage.
When you pair the size and weight of these vehicles with poor maintenance, driver fatigue, distracted driving, negligent driving, or a failure to follow state and federal trucking regulations, severe or fatal accidents are all too common.
Truck accidents can result in devastating injuries that require weeks, months, or even a lifetime of care and treatment. If you or a loved one was a victim of a truck driver’s or trucking company’s negligence, you want strong legal representation to get fair compensation.
Getting the Compensation You Need in a Truck Accident Claim
Often, after a truck accident, the trucking company’s insurer will try to pay you off quickly. It offers lowball settlements hoping you will be desperate enough for the money that you’ll sign away your rights. The problem with accepting a quick settlement is it likely won’t leave you with enough money to cover the full scope of your damages.
You may be able to recover the following damages after a motorcycle wreck:
- Medical care, including doctors visits and surgery
- Emergency room treatment, including emergency transportation
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Home and car disability accommodations
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and mental anguish
A Belleview personal injury lawyer will review your evidence and consult experts to calculate the full value of your damages after a truck accident.
How Our Belleview Truck Accident Attorneys Prove Liability
When a truck accident happens, there may be more than one liable party. These include:
The Truck Driver
The truck’s driver might be responsible if they drove dangerously or carelessly and caused the accident. This could mean speeding, driving under the influence, or driving while distracted by electronic devices, all of which are common causes of wrecks involving trucks.
The Trucking Company
The trucking company might be responsible if the truck driver was given an unrealistic schedule, the truck wasn’t maintained properly, the driver wasn’t trained well, or other safety rules weren’t followed. Also, if the company didn’t check the driver’s background prior to employing them, they could be held responsible for a crash.
The trucking company can also be vicariously liable for the truck driver’s negligence. Our team can explain if vicarious liability applies in your case.
Other Drivers
Negligence by other drivers is also a major cause of truck crashes. Drivers need to be alert and drive responsibly around large trucks. When negligence leads to a truck accident, injured victims can seek compensation by proving the negligent behavior caused the crash.
Additional Parties
There are also other parties that can be held liable in truck accidents, such as a manufacturer that made defective parts or a loading company that improperly loaded the cargo. Your truck accident lawyer in Belleview will identify all potentially liable parties so you can get the compensation you deserve.
Can You Get Compensation if You Are Partly Responsible for a Truck Accident in Florida?
Because Florida is a no-fault state, if you are injured in a truck accident, you must use your PIP insurance to cover your initial medical bills and lost wages, up to the limits of your coverage. PIP coverage kicks in regardless of fault. However, truck accident injuries are often severe enough that treatment costs often eclipse PIP policy limits. If another party caused your accident, you may be able to file a claim against them.
You may still get compensation if you are partially at fault for the accident. Florida follows “modified comparative negligence” rules. This means that you can still recover compensation if you contributed to your accident; however, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if you are 20% responsible for the accident and your damage award is $100,000, you can recover $80,000 (100% – 20% = 80% of $100,000). So even if you made a mistake during the wreck, you can still get compensation from other negligent parties. A truck accident attorney in Belleview can help show how the other driver or company was more at fault.
Types of Evidence Our Truck Accident Lawyers in Belleview Use to Prove Liability
- The truck driver’s phone records, to see if they were using their phone during the accident
- Witness reports of the accident, if there are any
- Data from the truck’s blackbox or event data recorder
- Photos of the accident scene
- Traffic camera footage of the accident
- The police officer’s accident report
- The truck driver’s work history and training
- Truck inspection reports
- Maintenance records for the truck
- The truck driver’s log books to check driving hours
- Drug and alcohol test results from after the accident
- Dispatch instructions to the driver
- Weigh station tickets and weigh dock reports
- Expert witness testimony, if needed
Getting enough evidence is important in case fault is hard to prove. An attorney can help gather all useful evidence after a truck accident.
Why You Should Hire Our Belleview Truck Accident Lawyers
If you got hurt because of someone else’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer can help you fight for compensation. We can build a strong case by gathering evidence, talking to witnesses, and negotiating with insurance companies.
At Meldon Law, our truck accident attorneys:
- Know you want a lawyer you can trust
- Care about every one of our clients
- Will always be available to answer your questions
- Will keep you updated about your case’s progress
- Work on a contingency basis, so we don’t get paid unless you win
We will fight to get you as much compensation as possible while treating you with respect during this difficult time. Figuring out who’s responsible for a truck accident can be complicated, but we’ll investigate fully and demand compensation for all of your damages.
Your Case May Hinge on Driver Logs
Truck drivers must follow many state and federal rules, and they are responsible for filling out logs correctly and avoiding driving too many hours. These rules and the data in the driver’s logs can be complicated to try to evaluate on your own without the help of a Belleview truck accident attorney. However, it is these driver’s logs that can make or break your case.
Don’t go it alone after a truck accident. If you plan to file a lawsuit for a truck accident injury, get a lawyer who knows Florida’s trucking regulations well. Understanding state and federal rules takes specialized knowledge of trucking laws.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim After a Fatal Truck Accident in Florida
When someone dies in a truck accident in Florida, the personal representative of their estate can file a claim on behalf of certain family members. These beneficiaries include:
- Spouse of the deceased
- Children of the deceased
- Parents of the deceased
- The personal representative of the estate
A Florida wrongful death lawyer can determine who is eligible to file the claim after a fatal truck accident. We can help you build a case and negotiate fair compensation from the at-fault parties. This compensation can help cover damages like funeral expenses, lost wages and benefits, loss of companionship, and pain and suffering of the family members.
Types of Crashes Our Belleview Truck Accident Lawyers Handle
Our truck accident lawyers manage claims resulting from all types of accidents, including:
- Jackknife accidents: The tractor slides to the side in an L-shape. This happens from braking incorrectly on hills or turns. A jackknifed trailer can hit cars and wreck them.
- Rear-end collisions: Trucks need more time to stop than cars because their weight strains the brakes. If a truck driver misjudges stopping time, a car cuts them off, or the brakes fail, a serious rear-end crash can happen.
- Blind spot crashes: Trucks have big blind spots on the sides, and often drivers can’t see cars there. If a car is in the blind spot, the truck may hit it when changing lanes.
- Rollover wrecks: Trucks are top-heavy and can tip over. This happens from turning too fast or shifting cargo. Rollovers cause huge damage, especially if hazardous materials spill.
Any truck crash can seriously injure car occupants and others nearby. A first collision can even cause more crashes afterward in a chain reaction accident.
Get a Free Consultation With a Truck Accident Lawyer in Belleview, FL
A truck accident lawyer in Belleview, Florida, can protect your rights and fight for your fair compensation. Contact our team 24/7 for legal help. We aren’t afraid to stand up to big trucking companies or their powerful insurance companies, and we will stand by you.
