Commercial transportation is the backbone of our economy. Trucks transport many consumer goods from Point A to Point B. While professional truck drivers do their best to ensure that they drive safely and responsibly, accidents with other vehicles do happen.
Vehicle crashes involving commercial motor vehicles can result in severe injuries, property loss, and devastating fatalities. Suffering injuries from a vehicle accident with a commercial truck can traumatize victims and their families. Insurance companies might not compensate you for all the costs that you incur in a truck accident. A small insurance payout from your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage may not fully cover your hospital costs alone.
Due to their large size, weight, and speed, large commercial trucks have far more capacity to inflict serious damage to cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. When an out-of-control truck plows into a car, it can result in total devastation.
To recover damages incurred in such an accident in Brevard County, you might want to turn to a law firm to help you navigate a personal injury lawsuit against the truck driver, trucking company, and truck manufacturer. You could consult a Melbourne truck accident lawyer as soon as possible after getting into an accident with a large commercial truck. Call the legal team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today at (844) 430-1030 for an initial, no-fee consultation with a team member.
Truck Accidents
Accidents on U.S. roadways involving trucks with other vehicles occur every day. In Florida, the state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) reported that more than 1,600 injury accidents involving medium or heavy trucks (over 10,000 pounds) occurred on Florida roads in 2018, including 44 fatalities.
You can usually find accident hotspots in and around major cities: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and others. The state suffers from a high volume of truck accidents involving semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, and big rigs. These massive vehicles can weigh 25 times more than an average vehicle, and when these large trucks plow into a car or other vehicles, they can cause significant damage.
For a free legal consultation with a truck accidents lawyer serving Melbourne, call (844) 430-1030
Truck Safety
To curb these accidents, state and federal regulators hold trucking companies and drivers to high standards to maintain high safety levels on the roads. Many truckers perform safety checks on their vehicles to verify their worthiness for the road. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates not only annual inspections for every commercial truck but can also issue Roadside Inspection Reports and Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports. The parts covered by these inspection reports include:
- Service brakes, including trailer brake connections
- Steering system
- Lights and reflectors
- Tires, wheels, and rims
- Windshield wipers
- Coupling devices
A truck’s overall mechanical conditions could play a significant role if the vehicle becomes involved in a roadway accident. After a crash, a personal injury lawyer would conduct due diligence to check the most recent safety inspections, the truck’s condition, and permits and documents to ensure they are current. If an attorney discovers missing or invalid documentation, that could affect the amount of a personal injury settlement.
If you have suffered severe injuries in an accident with a commercial truck, you could contact a Melbourne truck accident lawyer to help you navigate the complicated negotiations with trucking companies and insurers regarding liability and compensation. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC, today to learn more.
Melbourne Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me (844) 430-1030
Truck Accident Information
Truck accidents can happen in an instant and seriously affect the lives of those involved. Ensuring your safety after a collision with a truck is the most important thing to remember. Stay calm, check your body for any bruises, bleeding, cuts, or other injuries. If necessary, get immediate medical help for injuries that you or others may have suffered. If you see any onlookers or other persons nearby, ask them to contact the police for immediate assistance.
You will next want to gather contact information from all drivers involved in the accident. This step could become essential for any eventual personal injury lawsuit. Getting the truck’s license and vehicle information is important, if possible, after an accident. Taking pictures and videos of the vehicles’ damage and conditions at the accident scene can help a personal injury case move forward much more quickly.
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Truck Accident Liability
Having a personal injury attorney can help in filing a claim against an at-fault truck driver or truck company. Trucking accidents could have multiple layers of liability. A truck accident attorney can work on your behalf to find the driver liable for negligence while operating the truck, but that’s only the start.
You could also hold other parties liable for the accident involving the truck, including:
- The trucking company
- The company that services the truck
- The truck manufacturer
- A truck parts manufacturer
- The company that loaded the truck
These additional parties could make an already emotional personal injury claim that much more challenging due to its complexity and drawn-out time frame. Add in that you must account for Florida Statutes § 95.11, which sets a four-year time limit on personal injury lawsuits based on negligence, and you can see why having a Melbourne truck accident lawyer on your side could benefit you greatly.
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Contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC, Today
Because Florida is a no-fault state, you must first file an insurance claim against your PIP policy no matter who caused your truck accident. However, Florida Statutes § 627.737 allows drivers or passengers whose medical bills exceed their PIP coverage or suffer injuries that meet the statutory threshold to sue the driver, company, or other parties responsible for their damages. A person’s family could file for wrongful death if a fatality occurred in the accident.
You might think lawsuits only allow wealthy people to recover damages, but everyone has the legal right to pursue a lawsuit when they suffer significant and permanent injuries in a truck accident. If you need legal help, you could contact a Melbourne truck accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC, to discuss your crash with a representative of our legal team. Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation at (844) 430-1030.
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