Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Attorney

Truck accidents are among the most devastating personal injury accidents to plague today's motorists. If you or your family are struggling with the aftermath of a recent collision, you have the right to open an accident case alongside an experienced Fort Lauderdale truck accident lawyer. The Blakeley Law Firm serves as one of the top-rated law firms in Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers have decades of combined experience navigating the civil system. That experience makes it easier for victims of serious accidents to file their personal injury claims and get the financial support they need to recover from their losses. We've secured over $200 million on behalf of clients. Let our team go to work for you today.

Why You Should Hire a Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Lawyer

If you're ready to hire a truck collision attorney in Fort Lauderdale, here are some reasons why you should choose us.

We Have Incredible Courtroom Experience

Not every truck accident claim is resolved out of court. If your claim goes to court, you'll need a reliable attorney by your side. At Blakeley Law Firm, we have many years of courtroom experience, helping our clients navigate simple and complex truck crash claims. You don't have to fear the prospect of going to court—we'll give you the best chance to succeed when the going gets tough.

We Can Help You Prove Liability

In personal injury lawsuits, the burden of proof is on the plaintiff. This means that you have the responsibility of supplying evidence to prove your claims. The defendant can simply maintain their innocence. Your claim will fail if you can't satisfy your burden of proof. Having concrete evidence makes a difference in building an air-tight claim that quickly heads to negotiations. When you choose us, we can help you compile sufficient evidence to back up your claim and prove the defendant's liability.

You Can Collect a Higher Settlement

Truck accident victims who hire an attorney are more likely to collect a massive settlement than those who don't. To begin, many people have no idea how to determine their claim's value. Also, insurance companies will always take their chances fighting against accident victims with no legal representation. Hiring a truck accident lawyer can increase your chances of collecting the settlement you're looking for when filing an insurance claim. On top of that, you can issue a demand letter that doesn't fall on deaf ears. Our legal team is ready to aggressively fight for you so you can maximize your claim's likelihood of success.

You Don't Pay a Retainer

Many truck crash lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means that they don't get paid unless they win a settlement or verdict. Victims who are already in debt can avoid paying for legal representation by hiring a lawyer. On top of that, if an attorney takes on your case, it means they have strong faith in your claim's success. If we decide to handle your claim, we'll invest all our resources to pursue the best outcome possible. Again, you don't owe us anything unless your claim succeeds.

The Dangers of Truck Collisions

Nearly 6,000 people die in accidents involving large trucks every year, so you've heard horror stories of truck collisions from family, friends, and even people on the internet. Trucks are much larger than cars and can cause incredible damage if they collide with other vehicles and pedestrians. In fact, a standard car and its passengers are likely to suffer more damage than if they were struck by a similar car. Since trucking accidents have a high tendency to result in massive property damage, life-threatening injuries, and fatalities, their settlements have high earning potential. If a trucking accident injured you, don’t deal with the consequences alone. At Blakeley Law Firm, our truck crash lawyers in Fort Lauderdale offer world-class representation to our clients to give them peace of mind during the claims process.

How Can Trucking Regulations Try to Prevent Deadly Accidents?

Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) and its Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) work with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to ensure truck drivers in Florida safely operate their vehicles. The most common pieces of legislation dictate:

• How heavy and large a truck can be when on the road
• What safety equipment a truck needs to legally operate
• What qualifications a driver needs to legally operate on the road, including a commercial driver's license
• State-wide drug and alcohol testing requirements
• Regulated hours of driver service
• Maintenance schedules
• What materials a truck is allowed to transport through the state
• The use of electronic logging devices in commercial vehicles

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Trucking accidents are caused by a myriad of factors, including:

• Driver Fatigue: This is one of the most common truck accident causes. Truck drivers normally work long hours and are prone to fatigue and falling asleep behind the wheel.
• Speeding: Speeding violates the rules of the road. It also increases a driver's chances of colliding with another vehicle.
• Improperly Loaded Cargo: If cargo was loaded onto a truck incorrectly, the imbalanced proportion of weight can cause the truck to overturn during turns at high speeds.
• Machine Failure: A vehicle system malfunction can happen at any time. During high traveling speeds and poor weather conditions, these malfunctions can become deadly.
• Aggressive Driving: Weaving through traffic, tailgating, and failing to use turn signals are a few examples of aggressive driving.
• Poor Weather Conditions: Adverse weather conditions can make it difficult to see and drive on the road.
• Distracted Driving: Texting while driving is one of the top causes of deadly motor accidents, including trucking accidents.
• Inexperienced Driving: Truck drivers with inadequate experience are more prone to making dangerous driving mistakes.
• Driving Under the Influence (DUIs): Drugs, alcohol, and illegal substances can impair driving abilities. DUIs can cause both new and experienced truck drivers to crash.
• Failure to Obey Traffic Laws: Running red lights and stop signs can cause all kinds of serious truck accidents and corresponding damage.

Can Different Types of Collisions Lead to Different Truck Crash Cases?

There's no one overarching type of truck accident. Distracted drivers and faulty mechanisms can cause a wide range of accidents, including:

• Rear-end collisions resulting from brake failures, distraction, and/or deliberately reckless driving
• Head-on collisions
• Sideswipes
• Mechanical failures resulting from inappropriate vehicle maintenance, design flaws, and/or user error
• Truck rollovers
• T-bone accidents
• Tire blowouts
• Load shifting leading to a driver's loss of control

This variety of accidents leads to a diversity of injuries and an equally wide array of truck collision cases. For example, truck rollovers may be the fault of poor vehicle maintenance, meaning a truck's mechanic or manufacturer may be to blame for your losses. Comparatively, rear-end collisions may be the fault of a negligent driver. You can discuss how the nature of your accident may impact the creation of an insurance claim (or personal injury lawsuit) when you meet with our team for a free case consultation.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Truck accidents have the potential to cause substantial property damage and bodily harm. Injuries can either be short-term and minor or chronic and life-threatening. Injuries that stem from today's trucking collisions can include:

• Bone fractures
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Burns and lacerations
• Neck and back injuries
• Head injuries and concussion
• Internal bleeding
• Paralysis
• Whiplash
• Soft tissue injuries
• Blunt-force trauma and crush injuries

Almost all of these injuries require extensive medical care and rehabilitation. If the crash wasn’t your fault, you should hire a truck accident attorney in Fort Lauderdale to get you maximum compensation.

Proving Fault and Liability

The crux of any truck accident claim is proving that the other driver was at fault for the collision and your injuries because of negligence, which is the failure to act reasonably and with common sense. To collect a settlement or win a verdict in court, you'll need to prove both fault and negligence through what is called a preponderance of evidence. This simply means that the burden of proof is on you to provide sufficient evidence to back your claim. By hiring a truck accident attorney, you can gather valuable evidence to prove that the other driver holds most or all of the blame for your accident and injuries.

Our Investigators Can Compile the Evidence You Need

The most common forms of evidence to appear in personal injury claims like yours may include:

• Photographs and Videos: Traffic camera footage and corresponding photos can be used to reconstruct the scene of the accident and show what happened.
• Witness Statements: People at the scene of the accident can be called into court to testify about what they saw.
• Electronic Data: A truck's black box is one of the most important pieces of evidence you can integrate into a civil claim, as it goes into explicit detail about how a truck and driver were behaving before, during, and after a collision.
• Police Reports: Police officers create reports based on eyewitness and victim accounts. It can be used to gather more facts about a truck accident and establish fault.
• Medical Reports: Your doctor will compile a medical report that contains your recent diagnosis and treatment procedures.
• Expert Testimony: Your lawyer can call on the help of an expert witness to bolster your claim with their expertise.

This evidence is crucial to building a rock-solid claim. The legal team at Blakeley Law Firm will fight vigorously on your behalf to collect a fair settlement.

Who Can a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer Name Liable for Your Losses?

The aforementioned evidence makes it easier for a personal injury attorney to untangle questions of liability following a serious collision. However, our team also has to account for the way that contracts can impact questions of liability. If you get into an accident with an independent contractor, you may have the right to sue that individual truck driver. However, if you get into an accident with an employee, you may have the right to sue their employer for their negligent hiring practices or corporate negligence. Other parties that our Fort Lauderdale, FL, truck accident lawyers can hold accountable for your truck collision losses may include:

• A truck manufacturer for faulty part designs, ineffective trucking electronics, and inappropriate advertising
• A truck's mechanic whose negligence appears in the form of inaccurate or faulty repairs, as well as delayed or deliberately neglected truck maintenance schedules
• The dealer who sold or rented a truck to a driver, particularly if that dealer misrepresented a truck's features
• A truck's packing team, particularly if the crew failed to abide by weight limitations or packing requirements established by the Department of Transportation and other institutions
• Construction crews, particularly those that fail to put out appropriate signage warning trucks of upcoming hazards, or those who allow their team members to endanger motorists
• Trucking company representatives, including those who might assume responsibility for an on-duty driver
• Government representatives, particularly those who neglect local roadways and cause avoidable hazards to go unaddressed for dangerous periods

Compensation for Truck Accident Victims

Truck accident victims can collect two types of compensation: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are purely tied to the financial losses you've endured because of an accident. These can include:

• Lost Income: If you missed significant time from your job, a truck accident settlement could reimburse you.
• Medical and Rehabilitation Bills: Truck accident injuries can cause medical and rehab bills to pile up. Luckily, your lawyer can collect a settlement so you can recoup these losses.
• Property Damage: A truck accident settlement could reimburse you if a truck accident damaged your vehicle or other property.

On the other hand, non-economic damages aren't usually tied to financial losses. Instead, the most common non-economic damage is pain and suffering. This is the physical and mental anguish you've experienced because of an accident. Pain and suffering can vary based on the severity of your injuries.

When to Ask for Wrongful Death Damages

If a collision with a truck results in the wrongful death of someone you love, you can meet with our team to discuss your right to a wrongful death claim, which allows you to sue liable parties for damages based on:

• A loved one's funeral expenses
• A loved one's pre-death care, including medical treatments and hospice fees
• Your loss of companionship and loss of consortium
• Your family's pain and suffering
• Your reduced quality of life
• Any income lost as a result of your loved one's passing

Statute of Limitations for Truck Accident Claims

The statute of limitations for truck accident claims is two years in Florida (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)). This means that you have two years from the date of your injury to file a claim. Filing a claim is a comprehensive process. If you submit your own claim, it may take several months to compile evidence and issue a demand letter. It's possible that the insurance company won't even take your claim seriously and stonewall you. When you hire a Fort Lauderdale, FL, truck accident attorney, there's a greater chance your claim will be taken seriously.

How Much Is My Case Worth?

The value of a truck accident claim can vary depending on factors like:

• Severity: If you were involved in a serious truck accident with life-threatening injuries, you could command a larger settlement than someone in a minor accident.
• Involved Parties: Depending on the collision, multiple parties could be responsible. This includes trucking companies, vehicle manufacturers, and even government agencies.
• Comparative Fault: Florida is a comparative fault state, meaning that you could be assigned a percentage of the fault in a truck accident. You can command a larger settlement if you weren’t partially at fault for the crash.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Truck accidents claim the lives of thousands of people every year. Survivors often have to live with painful injuries in addition to crippling debt. You shouldn't have to deal with these consequences alone. If someone else has caused your accident because of negligence, you have the right to file a truck accident claim. The truck accident attorneys in Fort Lauderdale, FL, at Blakeley Law Firm have many years of experience, with millions of dollars won for our clients. Let us start working for you today.