Comparative Fault in Florida Semi-Truck Accidents: How It Affects Your Compensation
If you’ve been injured in a collision with a semi-truck in Florida, you may be […]
Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Palatka
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If you’ve been involved in a truck accident in or around Palatka, Florida, you will want to talk to an experienced truck accident lawyer right away. On the surface, a semi-truck accident may seem just like any other motor vehicle accident. However, there are some important differences. For example:
- Truck accident cases often involve both state law and federal regulations
- Florida laws that don’t apply in car accident cases can have a significant impact on a semi-truck accident case
- Truck accident cases often involve defendants in other states, requiring procedural knowledge that doesn’t often come up in car accident cases
- Different types of experts may be required to establish liability in a commercial truck accident case
- The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) typically investigates all serious truck accidents
So, it’s important to seek out an experienced truck accident lawyer when you’ve been injured in a large truck crash. The Palatka accident attorneys at Harrell & Harrell have the knowledge and experience to effectively negotiate a truck accident claim, and to take your truck accident case to trial if that’s in your best interest.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Semi Truck Accident Attorney in Palatka
At Harrell & Harrell, we want to make it as easy as possible for injury victims to get the information they need. We offer free consultations to Palatka truck accident victims and others who have been injured through someone else’s negligence. To learn more about how we can put our skills and knowledge to work for you, call us today at (904) 251-1111 or fill out our contact form.
Special Considerations in Florida Truck Accident Cases
The complex network of state and federal regulations for commercial truck drivers means there may be more evidence available than in other types of car accident cases. For example:
- Semi truck drivers and other commercial truck drivers are limited in the number of hours they are allowed to drive in a certain time block, and are required to keep “hours in service” logs
- Newer trucks are typically equipped with electronic tracking of hours in service, along with other information such as the speed the truck was traveling just before the crash, whether the driver braked, and possibly even information about tire pressure and whether the truck was overloaded
The exact information available may vary depending on the trucking company and the type of device installed in the truck. However, there is usually some valuable information available from these devices–if your semi truck accident lawyer acts quickly to secure the data.
How Common are Truck Accidents?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 536,424 police-reported crashes in the most recent year reported. Those crashes resulted in more than 160,000 injuries and nearly 6,000 deaths.
Many more people are killed and injured in car accidents than large truck accidents. However, a disproportionate number of traffic deaths and serious injuries occur in truck accidents. That is mostly because semi trucks and other commercial vehicles are so much larger and heavier than passenger cars. They have greater momentum and sit higher than cars, light trucks, and SUVs. Often, that means they do a lot more damage on impact. The vast majority of people killed in large truck accidents were somewhere other than in the truck–usually in the other vehicle involved in the collision.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Semi truck accidents have one important thing in common with other motor vehicle accidents: most of them could have been avoided. Outside factors like road conditions, weather, and visibility can play a role in collisions. But Florida drivers are expected to take those conditions into account and adapt.
Truck accidents can happen for all the same reasons car accidents happen. For example:
Drowsy driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
Driving while fatigued can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That’s why commercial truck drivers are legally required to take breaks. But, there’s no way to compel a driver to sleep during that break. Operating a vehicle–truck or car–when you are too tired to do so safely is both dangerous and negligent.
Commercial truck drivers face tougher legal restrictions on drinking and driving, but it still happens. Semi trucks and other large, heavy vehicles are more difficult to maneuver and take longer to stop under the best of circumstances, so impaired response times are especially dangerous.
The faster a vehicle is traveling, the longer it takes to stop and the more damage it does when it collides with another vehicle. For the same reasons mentioned above, those risks are magnified when the vehicle is a large truck.
These are just a few examples of common types of negligence that may cause or contribute to a commercial truck accident. Non-driving factors such as an overloaded or poorly loaded truck or negligent vehicle maintenance can also play a role.
Trucking companies and their insurance carriers often fight hard to avoid liability or minimize the payout to an accident victim. An experienced semi truck accident attorney can investigate and work with experts to establish who was at fault.
Talk to a Semi Truck Accident Lawyer in Palatka
When you hire the accident attorneys at Harrell & Harrell, we will put decades of experience to work for you. Our attorneys know the ins and outs of state and federal law governing semi truck drivers and their vehicles and the procedural intricacies of interstate personal injury cases.
The sooner we can get started, the better our chances of recovering evidence before vehicles are repaired, data is overwritten, or other information is lost. Connecting with a lawyer right away will also spare you having to engage with insurance company reps whose job is to trip you up and try to avoid paying you fair compensation.
To learn more, call us today at (904) 251-1111 or fill out our contact form.
DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS THAN YOU DESERVE.®
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I had an auto accident but did not believe there was going to be a positive outcome, as the opposing insurance companies fought the process. However, Lauralee Rodriguez assured me that she would be persistent in the case, if I would be patient. Well, I was patient (as well as doubtful, lol), but SHE DID IT and SHE DID IT WELL!!! I am very satisfied with the service and the outcome of the case. GREAT FIRM!!! Thank you Harrell & Harrell for employing competent staff.
