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Florida Truck Accident Lawyer

Protecting Florida’s Large Truck Accident Victims

Florida Truck Accident LawyerDid you know that the typical fully loaded tractor-trailer weighs around 40 tons? If you or a loved one have been involved in a large truck accident, you have probably already discovered a big difference between a car crash and a crash with a big rig or 18-wheeler.

You are likely facing catastrophic injuries, thousands of dollars in medical bills with no way to pay them, and considerable pain. While you might feel lost, confused, and angry, you have options. Our Florida personal injury lawyers can help you explore them and manage the claims process on your behalf.

Call Meldon Law today for a free consultation: (352) 373-8000.

We Can Navigate the Complexities of a Truck Crash

A truck accident differs in several ways from a standard car crash. You are probably more severely injured, and you will face multiple complex insurance issues, powerful insurance companies, and the potential for many parties that can be held responsible for the accident, such as:

  • Driver and owner of the truck
  • Employer
  • Supervisor
  • Truck loader
  • Mechanic
  • Inspector

In addition to several potentially liable parties, federal and state laws regulating interstate trucking are complex. This can be especially problematic when several different insurers claim the other policy is responsible for paying damages. These insurance companies are also notoriously efficient when making a proper investigation as difficult as possible.

These are the circumstances facing any truck accident injury victim. Those who have been through a truck accident should get legal counsel and help. Contact the Florida truck accident attorneys at Meldon Law today.

Why Choose Meldon Law?

Since founding his practice in 1971, attorney Jeffrey Meldon and the Meldon Law team:

  • Have gained a comprehensive knowledge of crucial subjects to a successful case, including accident reconstruction, biomechanics, economics, vocational rehabilitation, engineering, and medicine.
  • Have become known throughout Florida by trial attorneys and insurance company attorneys as a tough negotiator with exceptional trial skills. We put insurance companies on notice that their standard delays and lowball settlement offers will not work.
  • Have hired only the best associates with many years of practical courtroom experience, who stay up-to-date with the latest legal research, accident reconstruction, and technology.
  • Have built relationships with the best and most distinguished medical, vocational rehabilitation, and accident reconstruction experts.

We also thoroughly research and investigate every single case. There will be no “courtroom surprises” when a Meldon Law truck accident lawyer is on your side.

Meldon Law is an established regional law firm dedicated to giving every one of our clients the resources, expertise, and time they deserve.

We Are Selective About Our Cases So You Get Our Full Attention

We don’t accept every single case that walks through our door. Larger firms that spend millions on advertising are often no more than “settlement factories,” with crucial negotiations handled by first-year associates with hardly any practical legal experience or who don’t have paralegals to assist them.

That does not happen here. Every case accepted by Meldon Law gets our full attention and the benefit of our many years of experience.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a semi-truck crash in Florida, contact our Meldon Law team at (352) 373-8000 for a free case assessment today.

Large Truck Accident FAQs

Truck accidents throughout Florida are unfortunately common. When you suffer a severe injury in a truck accident, it is important to understand the issues you may face. Truck accident survivors often feel frustrated to learn how long the road is to recovery.

After a truck accident, you will undoubtedly have many questions. You will want answers to those questions so you can learn more about the legal process and how truck accident lawsuits work.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about truck accidents.

What Can I Recover for a Truck Accident?

You can recover any accident-related expense in your truck crash claim, including:

  • Medical care expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity
  • Miscellaneous expenses
  • Pain and suffering

If you lost a loved one in a truck accident, we would be honored if you would allow us to seek justice for them. We can file a wrongful death claim and hold the negligent party(s) accountable.

Do I Need an Attorney After a Large Truck Accident?

After a truck accident in Florida, insurers and trucking company agents immediately spring into action. Their main goal is to reduce their liabilities and pay you as little as possible. To do this, they quickly gather evidence and begin to spin it in their favor. They may say that you drove above the speed limit or that your injuries are not as severe as you claim.

To combat this, you want a Florida law firm on your side whose legal team will fight for your rights.

What Do I Do If the Insurer Offers Me a Settlement?

Insurers do not want to pay you what you deserve, and they will often try to offer you a low settlement in the hopes that you will sign. Never sign anything without first speaking to your Meldon Law attorney. Your truck accident attorney can protect you and ensure that you get the money you need to put your life back together after a serious truck accident.

How Do I File a Large Truck Accident Lawsuit in Florida?

You must first file any truck accident claims with your personal injury protection (PIP) insurance policy. You can do this without the need to establish fault or prove liability. However, it only covers the first $10,000 in expenses. Large truck accident victims often require significantly more compensation and must file a personal injury lawsuit to recover the rest.

The first step in filing a lawsuit is to hire a truck accident attorney from Meldon Law to represent you. Your attorney will meet with you in a free initial consultation and get to know you and your case. They will help you learn more about the legal options available to you so you can determine how you would like to proceed.

Once you retain your Meldon Law attorney, your attorney will gather the evidence needed to build your case – a crucial step that should start as soon as possible.

What Will an Attorney Do for Me?

In addition to investigating your truck accident, your attorney can:

  • Collaborate with your medical team
  • Evaluate your injuries
  • Hire accident reconstruction experts
  • Gather medical receipts and lost wages
  • File the necessary forms within the appropriate time limits
  • Negotiate with insurance companies
  • Litigate your case in court if necessary

While most truck accident cases settle out of court, you want to choose a law firm with experienced litigators. If your case goes to trial, you can rest assured knowing you have a team of attorneys with experience and success in winning courtroom battles. With Meldon Law, you have that assurance.

Meldon Team

We are here for you 24/7

(Consultations are Free)

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How Serious Are Large Truck Accidents?

Large commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. In comparison, the average passenger vehicle weighs just 3,000 pounds. Due to the size and weight differences between these two vehicles, you can see why truck accidents continue to cause life-altering injuries, especially to the occupants in the passenger vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 5,700 people lost their lives in truck accidents in 2021—a 17 percent increase from 2020. Seventy-two percent of those who passed away were drivers or passengers in other vehicles.

What Are Some of the Causes of Large Truck Accidents?

Driver error is the most common cause of truck accidents. Some of the most common commercial vehicle accident causes include:

  • Truck driver fatigue
  • Driving under the influence
  • Poor vehicle maintenance
  • Improper loading
  • Distracted driving
  • Speeding
  • Improperly trained or inexperienced drivers
  • Truck defect or malfunction

Who Is to Blame After a Large Truck Accident?

Like many motor vehicle accidents, drivers are often to blame for their mistakes and decisions on the road. However, with truck accidents, many other parties may share the blame for the accident.

Unfortunately, identifying these other parties is not easy. You will need to perform an extensive investigation into your accident to locate all responsible and negligent parties.

This is not something you want to handle alone. You will need to be aware of many different federal regulations and their potential effect on your case. An attorney from our firm will investigate your crash and determine who caused or contributed to it.

Some potentially liable parties include:

  • Truck driver
  • Other drivers
  • Trucking company
  • Truck manufacturers
  • Truck maintenance company
  • Shipping or loading company
  • Trucking part manufacturers
  • Government entity responsible for maintaining roadways

Proving liability after a semi-truck wreck can be difficult because trucking companies often have large legal teams and insurance companies on their side. After a crash, they arrive at the accident scene, sometimes within hours, to assess the damage and begin reducing their liabilities.

For this reason, you want an experienced truck accident lawyer from Meldon Law on your side from the very start.

What Is the Black Box?

Most large commercial trucks built and manufactured after the 1990s will have a black box integrated into their engine. This black box has many names, including the electronic control module, event data recorder, and electronic logging device.

Its function is to record data, such as:

  • Speed
  • Time drove
  • Time spent driving over 65 mph
  • Average engine RPM
  • Seat belt usage
  • Airbag performance
  • Hard braking and sudden stops
  • GPS coordinates
  • Use of cruise control
  • Truck’s idling time

When an accident occurs, this data is useful for establishing liability and showing what caused the crash. Unfortunately, collecting this data is not always easy.

Your attorney needs to obtain this evidence and preserve it. However, trucking companies may record over this data in about 30 days, so your attorney must act quickly. The moment you hire a Florida truck accident attorney from Meldon Law, we send the transportation company a spoliation letter advising them of your claim to prevent them from destroying the data on the black box.

Can I Afford a Lawyer for My Injury Claim?

Yes. Our attorneys work on a contingency-fee basis, which means you don’t pay our attorney fees upfront or out of pocket. You only pay if we recover compensation for you.

Speak with a Florida Truck Accident Attorney Now

If you have any other questions about large truck accidents in Florida or have been in one, don’t wait. Contact Meldon Law today to get our Florida truck accident attorneys started fighting for your rights!

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