Semis and tractor-trailers are familiar sights in and around Boca Raton. Commercial vehicles are a constant sight, using I-95 to get to I-75. Unfortunately, this heavy volume of truck traffic creates a significant risk for commercial vehicle accidents. This year, Palm Beach County has seen over 8,000 motor vehicle injury crashes, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).
Truck accidents often cause severe injuries or wrongful deaths. When they do, our Boca Raton personal injury lawyers provide robust representation in Boca Raton truck accident claims to help accident victims receive fair compensation from negligent truckers and trucking companies.
How Our Boca Raton Personal Injury Attorneys Will Manage Your Truck Accident Case
After a truck accident, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and unsure of your next steps. When you hire an attorney from Ged Lawyers to manage your case, we can determine the at-fault party, seek compensation, and file your truck accident claim on your behalf. We will also:
- Offer legal advice throughout your case
- Negotiate with the liable party’s insurance company for a fair settlement
- Explain whether filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit is in your best interest
- Collect evidence, such as the police report, medical records, witness statements, and visual evidence from the accident scene
- Be available to take your call 24/7
- Take your case to trial, if necessary
- Prepare you for trial in our mock courtroom
- Advocate for your best interests
Our team is prepared to navigate the legal process for you. Truck accident victims do not need to worry about managing their cases alone.
Recoverable Truck Accident Damages in a Boca Raton Truck Accident
Our personal injury attorneys can help you understand all recoverable damages in your semi-truck accident claim. Insurance companies often will not share information that could help you get more money. Our attorneys will protect your rights by insisting you recover everything you are entitled to under state law.
When you start adding up the expenses stemming from your accident, you will see how quickly that number grows. Your injuries could take years to recover from or, worse yet, could lead to permanent disability. Our job is to ensure you seek every dollar you deserve.
When you have bills piling up, need more medical services, and are dealing with lost income, the insurance company has you where it wants you. Once you sign the check, the insurer is no longer obligated to pay for your future costs. We are here to protect your interests and help you understand the value of your claim.
Types of Economic Losses You May Pursue in Boca Raton
Economic damages are the kinds of losses that have bills attached to them. Injured truck accident victims may be entitled to compensation for the following monetary damages:
- Medical bills, such as ambulance charges, the costs of prescription medications, doctor’s appointment copays, and the price of traveling to appointments
- Loss of income and future earning potential if you are not able to work because of your truck accident injuries
- Rehabilitation costs, such as physical therapy
- Property damage, such as damage or destruction to your car or any personal items in it
Types of Non-Economic Damages You Could Recover
You might be able to get a compensation award that covers more than just your financial losses. Non-monetary damages are more challenging to quantify but are recoverable with the help of an experienced truck accident lawyer. You may be entitled to a settlement that covers the following:
- Mental anguish, including crash-induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
If your loved one was killed in a crash with a big rig, tractor-trailer, or another large vehicle, our truck accident lawyers could help you seek compensation for Boca Raton’s wrongful death expenses. We can advise you further during a free initial consultation.
Why Truck Accident Victims Choose Our Boca Raton, Florida Law Firm
Clients decide to work with Ged Lawyers for several reasons. We are dedicated to legal advocacy and always have your best interests at heart.
Some reasons former clients have worked with us include:
Our Personal Injury Case Results
Our firm has won many past claims with enormous settlements. We are proud of our case results, including our $7,130,000 verdict win in a commercial truck accident case.
If a trucker or trucking company is responsible for your injuries, allow us to assist you with an accident claim or personal injury lawsuit so we can get you the money you need.
We Make Our Legal Services Affordable
Our personal injury lawyers represent truck accident injury victims on a contingency-fee basis. You don’t need money to get started when we accept your case.
Our firm will front your case’s costs, and if we recover financial awards for you, we will keep a percentage of your settlement or court-ordered compensation award as our payment. If we fail to win your case, you won’t owe anything.
Our Initial Consultation Is Free
Our firm offers a no-fee, no-obligation consultation with a personal injury attorney. It is a free case review where a legal representative will examine the merits of your claim.
We can let you know if you have a case and estimate your chances of success. After we inform you of your legal options, you can decide your next steps, such as filing an insurance claim or pursuing a truck accident lawsuit.
See a Doctor and Follow Through With Your Treatment Plan After a Truck Accident
You deserve to prioritize your health after a truck accident, especially since the resulting injuries can be severe. You may be facing a lifetime of medical care, and you shouldn’t have to foot the bill for it. Our Boca Raton truck accident attorneys can also use your medical bills and records to establish another party’s liability for the accident.
They can then get an idea of how much your accident-related injuries will cost, both now and in the future, so they can go after fair compensation. You deserve nothing less than that.
How Truck Accidents Differ From Car Accidents
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), of the total 4,014 truck accident fatalities in the most recent data year, 15% were truck drivers, and 68% were drivers and occupants of other vehicles.
In the same year, 38,824 accidents involved large semi-trucks, making up just over 6% of total motor vehicle accidents. But truck accidents result in twice the percentage of fatalities on our roads. Unfortunately, most fatalities occur to the drivers of other vehicles.
A commercial rig’s sheer size and weight are significantly more dangerous in any accident. When a large truck weighing at least 80,000 pounds crashes into the average car weighing in at about 4,000 pounds, the resulting accidents and injuries can be catastrophic.
Compared to other auto accidents, truck accidents can result in the following:
- More significant injuries
- More extensive medical and rehabilitative costs
- Greater property damage
- Complications in determining liability
- Greater chances of fatalities
We understand what it takes to establish negligence in a truck accident and work diligently to ensure our clients pursue fair compensation after a crash. Our truck accident attorneys can hold negligent truck drivers and the companies that employ them accountable.
Unrealistic Schedules and Other Practices in the Trucking Industry Can Lead to Truck Accidents
One of the leading causes of truck accidents, especially with our current logistical and supply problems, is the pressure on cargo haulers to get their loads to their destinations on time.
Some truckers and the companies they work for push their schedules beyond reasonable limits. This means more truckers drive while tired or impaired, hauling heavier loads and not taking the time to maintain their rigs properly.
It also means they do not take the required downtime as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires. These behaviors put everyone on the road in danger.
Hours-of-Service Violations and Truck Accidents in Boca Raton
Another common cause of commercial truck accidents is drowsy driving, and driving while tired is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Consequently, the law requires truckers to comply with the FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations, but many don’t.
Hours of service (HOS) refer to the maximum time a commercial driver is permitted to be on duty. Specifically, HOS regulate the number of hours truckers can actively drive and the length of the rest periods they must take.
Unfortunately, Palm Beach County truckers often violate hours-of-service regulations to meet deadlines. An accident caused by a truck driver’s drowsiness can leave the trucker and their employer liable for personal injuries or wrongful death.
How Black Boxes Help Establish Liability in a Big Rig Truck Accident
Our truck accident lawyers will diligently seek evidence from logbooks and black boxes to determine whether the driver was operating within HOS regulations. We could hold the other party liable for an accident in cases where the driver was not compliant.
Most commercial trucks are equipped with electronic control modules. Like black boxes on commercial aircraft, these devices can provide critical data regarding an accident, including:
- Any driver input
- Pre-crash vehicle dynamics
- Pre-crash system status
- Whether restraints were used and if airbags were deployed
- Post-crash data from an automatic collision notification system
While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and FMCSA recommend black boxes for all commercial trucks to monitor compliance with federal regulations, having a black box onboard is still voluntary.
Most truck companies have now implemented these devices, which can provide irrefutable evidence after an accident. Our truck accident lawyers can subpoena black box information and use it to support your injury claim.
Dangers of Trucking Accidents in Boca Raton
A fully loaded tractor-trailer’s immense size and weight can deliver tremendous force in a collision, placing the occupants of a smaller vehicle at risk for catastrophic injury or death. Large, heavy trucks are challenging to handle, requiring increased reaction time and stopping distance.
In addition, a semi-truck driver has blind spots that extend across multiple lanes of traffic and for several car lengths in front of the cab and behind the trailer. Other motorists navigating around the truck have limited visibility.
On top of the inherent dangers brought on by the size and weight of a semi-truck, poor maintenance issues can also contribute to accidents. Common causes of trucking accidents attributed to a tractor-trailer include:
- Out-of-adjustment brakes
- Defective or missing brake components
- Worn or defective tires
- Unbalanced or overweight load
Common Causes of Boca Raton Truck Accidents
Vehicle issues aside, driver error remains a leading cause and contributor to semi-truck crashes. Truckers are motivated to get to their destination as quickly as possible, which may lead to speeding and driving recklessly, driving while fatigued or distracted, or falling asleep at the wheel.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) oversees the trucking industry. It sets regulations governing the inspection and maintenance of a company’s trucking fleet and its drivers’ credentials and hours of service.
Commercial truckers routinely ignore these regulations and drive beyond the maximum allowable hours, sometimes falsifying logbooks and other records to appear in compliance. Our truck accident lawyers are familiar with these tactics and will work hard to uncover evidence of this kind of negligence.
Truck accidents are often caused by the following:
- Large blind spots
- Lack of driver training
- Inadequate vetting practices by the trucking company
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Texting while driving
- Driving under the influence
- Poor truck maintenance
Determining Liability in a Boca Raton Truck Accident
Accidents involving large commercial trucks can be highly complex, with multiple responsible parties. Claims against large commercial enterprises require establishing negligence, but that is where it gets complicated.
Potentially Liable Parties in Your Truck Collision Case
Liability may fall on the following parties:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The company that owns or leases the truck
- The business that owns or leases the trailer
- The company that contracted the haul
- The truck’s manufacturer
- A parts manufacturer
- The mechanic or repair shop that serviced the truck
Sometimes, there may be more than one negligent party. If so, our team will not hesitate to hold more than one party accountable for your losses.
Get Responsive Legal Help From Our Boca Raton Truck Accident Lawyers
When a driver’s negligence, inexperience, or reckless driving leaves you or a loved one with devastating injuries after a commercial truck accident, a Boca Raton truck accident lawyer with Ged Lawyers could evaluate your case.
If your injuries prevent you from traveling to our Boca Raton office, a team member will gladly come to you at your home or visit you in the hospital. We are here to help you recover compensation for all you’ve endured. Contact us today to begin your case with a free legal consultation.
