In Florida, trucks may legally be up to 80,000 pounds and 75 feet long – 20 times the weight of a 4,000-pound passenger car. If these two vehicles collide, the auto is most likely to be smashed and the people inside are at a high risk of being injured. Our Florida truck accident lawyers specialize in these accidents and are here to help.
The severely injured may have to cope with life-altering physical impairment, lost wages, huge medical expenses and emotional trauma. Family members may have to struggle to help their loved ones out with medical expenses or restructure their lives to become caregivers. If the accident results in the death of a loved one, surviving family members and/or friends may be left to cope with emotional turmoil, loss of companionship, funeral expenses, and the potential loss of an income stream for a child who was dependent on the decedent.
Common causes of truck accidents are driver inattention or aggressive driving. Other serious risks may include fatigue, intoxicated driving, illness, distraction or lack of appropriate training.
If you have suffered a bodily injury or loved one’s death due to another driver’s negligent or reckless behavior while driving, no amount of money can replace all of what you lost. Liability issues may be complicated since the commercial trucking company or truck operator may have violated state or federal codes that specifically relate to the truck’s size or weight restrictions or the number of hours on the road without taking a break.
Experienced trucking accident attorneys such as those at Swope, Rodante P.A. are prepared to go to battle on behalf of the injured party to hold the negligent party responsible. When handling a personal injury claim for bodily injury or a wrongful death claim related to a trucking accident, our trucking accident lawyers will take the time to investigate liability theories and determine if any state or federal regulations were broken.
The injured party may be able to recover economic damages for accident-related costs including medical expenses, possible noneconomic damages, and punitive damages in some cases of “reckless disregard” or drunk driving punitive damages may be recovered. Our trucking accident lawyers at Swope, Rodante P.A. are deeply committed to achieving the best possible resolution for our clients. If you would like to speak with a representative at our firm, please contact us.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been in a Trucking Accident?
Since bodily injuries suffered in a trucking accident may often be severe, it’s critical to seek immediate medical attention. As in any other accident, it’s also important to obtain witness statements and photographs at the scene of accident. Artifacts in the roadway, such as gouge marks and debris may help experts in reconstructing exactly how the trucking accident occurred. It’s also important to obtain the truck driver’s travel and repair logs to determine whether or not drivers were in compliance with trucking regulations. An experienced trucking accident law firm such as Swope, Rodante P.A. may be able to help you gather this evidence and bring a case to life in front of a jury. If you would like to speak with a representative about your case, please contact us.
Trucking Accident Statistics
With 263 fatalities in 2008, Florida is one of the deadliest states in the nation for trucking accidents. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), only Texas and California had more of these fatalities that year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration created FARS in the U.S. to provide an overall measure of highway safety.
The NHTSA reports 276,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2010, resulting in 3,675 people killed and 80,000 people injured.
Large truck tractors pulling semi-trailers accounted for 62 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 48 percent of the large trucks involved in nonfatal crashes.
76 percent of fatalities, involved occupants of other vehicles – 14 percent were occupants of large trucks and 10 percent were non-occupants. 73 percent of individuals injured were also occupants of other vehicles in crashes involving large trucks.
Large trucks accounted for 10 percent of all vehicle miles traveled and 4 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. In motor vehicle crashes, large trucks represented:
- 8 percent of vehicles in fatal crashes
- 2 percent of vehicles in injury crashes
- 3 percent of vehicles in property-damage-only crashes.
A 2006 U.S. Department of Transportation release on the Large Truck Crash Causation Study shows that drivers of large trucks and other vehicles involved in crashes are 10 times more likely to cause an accident than weather, road conditions and vehicle performance.
The total national sample of 967 crashes between 2001 and 2003 included 1,127 large trucks, 959 non-truck motor vehicles, 251 fatalities, and 1,408 injuries. Action or inaction by the driver of either the truck or other vehicle was the critical reason for 88 percent of the crashes.
If you’ve been injured in an accident due to the negligence of another driver, do not settle for becoming a trucking accident statistic. Instead, consult with an experienced trucking accident lawyers such as those at Swope, Rodante P.A. to get more information on your legal rights.