Summerfield Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accidents are devastating for victims, with injured people and their loved ones often left dealing with catastrophic injuries that will change the rest of their lives. If you were seriously injured in a truck crash, you may be wondering how you will cover the costs and move on from this tragedy.
A Summerfield truck accident attorney can help you fight back against powerful truck companies and their insurers. In a wreck involving a big rig, semi-truck, or tractor-trailer, there may be multiple parties who share liability, making these cases incredibly complex. Federal and state trucking laws also come into play in truck accident lawsuits.
At Meldon Law, we have been protecting the rights of commercial truck accident victims for decades. Let our personal injury attorneys put our experience to work for you to protect your rights in Florida. Call us today for a free consultation.
How Much Is Your Summerfield Truck Accident Claim Worth?
To find out how much your truck accident case is worth, the first thing you’ll want to do is get a case evaluation from a personal injury lawyer who has a successful track record handling this type of claim.
Our truck accident settlement results show our commitment to our clients:
- $3,000,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a commercial truck.
- $425,000 & $337,500 for a semi-truck vs. school bus accident.
- $135,000 for a passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended by a semi-truck.
These case results were based on the specifics of each claim, such as the medical bills, lost wages, and the long-term effects of injuries. Your case will also be based on evidence that is specific to your unique situation.
These settlements display our proven ability to secure the compensation victims deserve after truck crashes cause them harm. We will examine your evidence to calculate an estimate for your damages.
How Negligence Causes Truck Accidents in Florida
Semi-truck accidents commonly result from a combination of the immense size and weight of these vehicles plus driver negligence or errors. Some frequent causes include:
- Distracted driving – Eating, texting, or adjusting navigation while behind the wheel of an 80,000-lb truck can have catastrophic results. Just a few seconds of inattention can mean disaster.
- Fatigued driving – Truckers operating during overnight hours may nod off and lose control. Many are pressured by carriers to meet unrealistic delivery windows, depriving them of adequate rest.
- Speeding – Going too fast to stop safely or maneuver their large rigs can cause trucks to flip or jackknife, send them through barriers, and cause massive pileups.
- Incorrect loading – Improperly balanced or stacked cargo can cause rollovers or fall from the truck bed creating hazards for other motorists. It can also cause a jackknife accident.
- Jackknifing – Overcorrecting when braking can cause the tractor and trailer to bend into a V shape at speed, devastating anything in its path.
- Equipment failure – When poorly maintained tires, brakes, or other essential components give out, trucks lose stability and safe handling ability.
Truck drivers and carriers must operate safely at all times to prevent horrific crashes due to the size of these extremely dangerous vehicles. A personal injury lawyer can hold these professionals fully accountable when negligence leads to collisions.
How Florida’s Liability Laws Affect Multi-Vehicle Truck Accidents
Truck crashes involving other vehicles often raise tricky legal questions about dividing blame. After all, when multiple vehicles are involved in a wreck—as is often the case with truck accidents—there may be multiple parties who contributed fault to varying degrees.
Florida’s comparative negligence law will ultimately impact how much money each victim may collect. When wrecks result from more than one party’s poor driving choices, our lawyers weigh every party’s responsibility in causing and making the collision worse.
Truckers and truck companies typically hold the most liability. The trucking company can share liability, even if it did nothing to cause or contribute to the accident. This is due to vicarious liability which holds an employer liable for their employees’ negligence on the job. Cargo loaders and shipping companies can also share liability.
The more vehicles, parties, and injured people involved in a crash, the more complex it gets. But that can also mean opportunities to claim damages from multiple sources. Our legal team explores all avenues to cover victims’ losses from all parties who share liability.
Types of Truck Accidents Our Summerfield, FL, Lawyers Handle
Many types of wrecks can result from truck driver and trucking company negligence. Here is a list of truck accidents our personal injury lawyers in Summerfield manage:
- Rear-end collisions – A distracted truck driver can cause a devastating rear-end crash.
- Sideswipe accidents – Improper lane changes and merges can lead to glancing blows and spinout crashes.
- Rollover crashes – Top-heavy trucks can tip when turning too sharply or traveling too fast to handle curves. Unbalanced loads can also cause rollovers.
- Jackknife accidents – Hard braking can cause loaded trailer rigs to fold and slide out, placing surrounding drivers in danger.
- Underride collisions – When smaller vehicles slide under trucks, drivers can suffer traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, lacerations, and even decapitation.
- Lost load accidents – Unsecured cargo falling from trucks can crush nearby vehicles and leave hazards in the roadway.
- Cross median crashes – Trucks losing control leave highways into oncoming traffic with devastating collisions.
- Tire blowouts – Heat and overloading causes violent tire failures at speed, jeopardizing safe handling.
Whether you were injured in one of these types of wrecks or another type of truck accident, we can help you hold the responsible parties accountable.
How Long You Have to Sue After a Truck Accident in Florida
Florida recently passed a new law shortening the deadline for filing injury lawsuits after accidents. For most truck crash cases, victims now only have two years to start their lawsuit instead of four years.
Missing the strict cutoffs means you lose your rights to seek compensation through a lawsuit entirely. It also takes away any leverage you had during negotiations. That’s why contacting an injury attorney quickly is so important after any incident. A Summerfield truck accident lawyer protects your ability to recover damages down the road by immediately investigating, corresponding with insurers, and preparing potential cases.
Who You Can Sue in a Summerfield Truck Accident Claim
Florida truck accident victims have options when it comes to holding negligent parties accountable. With so many potential factors contributing to collisions involving commercial motor vehicles, multiple entities often share in liability. Our attorneys commonly pursue damages from:
The Truck Driver
Truckers failing to drive cautiously, violating safety regulations, or driving recklessly must take responsibility for the harm they inflict on others. Fatigued, distracted, or impaired driving proves especially inexcusable for commercial drivers.
Trucking Company
The trucking company can be vicariously liable or directly liable, depending on the circumstances.
If a negligent truck driver causes an accident, the trucking company is likely vicariously liable. This is because employers are liable for the negligent actions their employees take on the job.
If a trucking company’s actions, such as forcing drivers to violate hours of service regulations or failing to perform a background check, caused or contributed to your accident, you can hold the trucking company directly liable.
Vehicle Part Manufacturers
When defective equipment like failed brakes or tires contributes to crashes, product makers may share blame. The manufacturers of commercial trucks and truck parts owe a duty of care to truck drivers and the drivers who share the roads with them because faulty parts put everyone at risk.
Government/Private Entities
If poor road design, construction hazards, or other government negligence caused or contributed to an accident, you may be able to hold the city or municipality liable. Different time limits may apply. Your lawyer can tell you more about these if they apply to your case.
Resources for Victims of Truck Accidents in Summerfield, Florida
If you’ve been injured or a loved one was killed in a truck accident in Summerfield, Florida, you need to do whatever you can in the immediate aftermath of the accident to preserve the value of your claim. These resources in Summerfield are the first step:
- You can file an accident report in Summerfield with the Marion County Sheriff. Your personal injury lawyer will need this report to prove the facts of your truck accident, including who was involved and an initial determination of fault.
- Visit HCA Florida Summerfield Emergency or another medical facility to have your injuries assessed. It is critical to get medical treatment after a truck accident.
- If you want to pursue damages after a truck accident, you can file a lawsuit at the Marion County Courthouse. You can also have your truck accident lawyer take care of filing your case for you.
Talk to a Truck Accident Lawyer in Summerfield, Florida
Suffering catastrophic injuries in a truck accident often leads to a lifetime of struggling with disabling health conditions, loss of income, and immense financial stress. But Florida law provides injury victims the right to hold negligent truckers and companies accountable.
The team at Meldon Law has seen firsthand how dramatically these complex cases can impact the wellbeing and stability of entire families, especially if the primary breadwinner has been injured or killed. Our team handles the legal details so you can focus on what matters most—recovering while surrounded by your loved ones.
Contact our attorneys today to have advocates working in your interests as you navigate and negotiate your truck accident claim. You can call us 24/7 for legal help.
