Trucking Accident Attorney Fighting For Fair Compensation
THE TURNBULL LAW FIRM takes A NO-BULL APPROACH To Seeking Results In TRUCK ACCIDENT INJURY CASES for victims in Orlando, Lakeland, and throughout the State of Florida.
Call 407.612.6464 • 863.324.3500 today to schedule a confidential consultation with Trucking Accident Attorney, Sanga Turnbull.
Maximizing Truck Accident Compensation
Truck accidents cause the most serious damage compared to other motor vehicles and can result in severe injuries that can last for months or even years. Over one in three truck drivers have gotten into a serious collision in their career. If your life was put in danger due to the negligence of a semi-truck driver, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries.
If you got into a truck crash, get representation by a reliable law firm like The Turnbull Law Firm. After a truck accident, you should begin taking action by seeking compensation for damages. This is because you were not responsible for the crash and shouldn’t have to pay for your personal injury, wage loss and property damage you endured.
How Do Truck Accidents Happen?
When a commercial vehicle collides with cars, it can be for a vast number of reasons. They may have been distracted while driving or avoiding obstacles on the road. Here are some of the most common causes of truck accidents:
Tire Blow-Out
The biggest cause of an Orlando truck accident is when their tires blow out. About 78,000 truck accidents happen every year because of tire malfunctions. Tire blowouts cause trucks to be imbalanced and wobble, and because most trucks can weigh 60,000 to 80,000 pounds, this can affect their driving. The truck can swerve out of control and roll over or run into nearby vehicles when this happens.
Blind Spots
Trucks have a large number of blind spots all around their vehicle, despite their many mirrors. Directly behind a truck is a blind spot, as is halfway down the side of the cargo compartment. Cars that sit in the blind spot of a truck often suffer collisions because the truck operator couldn’t see them. The truck operator must signal, but they sometimes don’t see smaller vehicles sitting in the lane next to them.
Speeding
While this is illegal and dangerous, semi-truck operators often speed to stick to their schedule. When trucks are speeding, they have a reduced ability to slow down because the truck’s weight is extremely heavy. If the truck driver has to slam on the brakes, it can cause the vehicle to lose control and cause multicar crashes.
Drowsiness
Trucking companies and the NHTSA have strict policies on how many hours a truck driver should be transporting goods. They are not allowed to overwork themselves and have to take scheduled breaks. Some truck drivers skip breaks to meet the demands of their work, breaking federal and company regulations. When this happens, they become fatigued and end up drowsy on the road. This makes it difficult for them to fully focus on driving, resulting in mistakes, poor judgment and possible truck accidents.
Substance Abuse
On average, 3% of truck operators were found to have a blood alcohol content level of .08% or more after getting involved in a fatal truck crash. This is far less than the 25% of car drivers. However, truck drivers were found to have high levels of amphetamine in their systems. It was reported that there were over 25,000 drug violations in 2020, where 28,445 truck operators tested positive for a drug of some kind. They were most likely to be under the influence of cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine and marijuana. Some of these drugs help keep drivers awake but can create performance issues on the road.
Bad Weather
Poor weather conditions can create truck accidents on the road. For example, heavy rain and fog prevent truck drivers from seeing what’s on the road and avoiding obstacles in their way. Motor vehicles can hydroplane on wet and slippery surfaces if they turn at the wrong angle, even at slow speeds.
What Kinds Of Damages Can I Seek In Truck Accidents?
In addition to property damage, you can also list medical bills, pain and suffering, income loss and wrongful death in your truck accident claim.
Medical Bills
When you are injured, you should immediately obtain medical help. Even if you don’t believe you have been harmed, you need to get treatment as brain injuries and soft tissue bruises can appear later. Your medical bill damages can include the initial treatment, emergency room treatment, ambulance trip, on-site stabilization and more. In addition, you can include ongoing clinical visits, medical scans, prescription medicine, physical therapy and anything else health-related in your compensation.
Pain And Suffering
Your pain and suffering include physical and emotional harm. For example, you should explain to your Orlando truck accident lawyer if you have PTSD, depression, guilt, shame or other negative emotions after your truck accident. Also, inform them of aches, soreness and other physical discomforts. They will use a multiplier to estimate how much your damages are worth, making up a large part of the total settlement amount.
Wrongful Death
When you have lost a loved one because of a truck accident in Orlando, you can receive compensation to cover the funeral and burial costs. However, it is not limited to that. The pain and suffering of the victim and their medical bills before they passed can also be included. You will want to add damages such as the loss of consortium, loss of guardianship, loss of companionship and other aspects of the valuable and personal relationships they left behind. The victim’s education, certifications, earning capacity, income level and future income will also be accounted for. Their dependents are an important factor, such as their age and also their life circumstances. This is because their needs are also included in the settlement amount.
Lost Wages
After a truck accident, you will need time off from work to recover from your serious injuries. Unfortunately, this means that you can lose a vast amount of your income, making it more difficult for you to remain financially stable. When this happens, you can have your lost wages covered by your settlement. This includes current income and any income you would have made in the future had you not been injured. The commercial truck’s insurance company will be held liable.
Punitive Damages
When commercial truck drivers are driving recklessly, under the influence of drugs or are engaging in road rage, punitive damages can sometimes be awarded. Intentional or malicious behavior falls under this category and can be punished by the court. If a truck driver was grossly negligent in some way, you could ask your attorney if punitive damages are a possibility when you file a personal injury claim against the trucking company.
How Do Attorneys Help With Florida Personal Injury Claims?
An Orlando truck accident attorney will be very knowledgeable, and their law firm can help you in a truck accident case in many different ways.
They Conduct Investigations
There is a lot of information that you can’t access alone in Orlando trucking accidents, such as finding the background history of a driver or finding surveillance footage of the accident. For this reason, it is crucial to work with Orlando truck accident lawyers who can investigate the commercial truck accident scene and find data that is hard to access. They are experienced in understanding how traffic accidents happen and who is at fault, according to traffic law. The education and experience of the law firm will provide more profound knowledge in this area.
They Are Negotiators
According to Florida law, attorneys are talented communicators and understand how to approach the other party’s insurance company for a settlement. They will carefully negotiate over some time to come to a settlement agreement. Orlando truck accident lawyers have strong professionalism, and the ability to explain detailed information clearly makes it easier for them and the other party to agree to terms.
Representation You Can Count On
When you cannot come to a settlement agreement, your Orlando truck accident lawyer will file a lawsuit on your behalf. They prepare you to appear before the jury and teach you how to speak and dress in court. You will get the opportunity to tell your side of the story, but your Orlando personal injury lawyer will represent you. They will explain your situation to the jury and point out key facts about the accident in the personal injury lawsuit.
Get Help From Dedicated Truck Accident Attorneys
Orlando trucking accidents can be very hazardous, and they can result in lifelong injuries, such as traumatic brain, spine, back and neck wounds. A serious injury caused by distracted driving can result in permanent disabilities. You should treat your truck accident seriously and seek the help of legal advice from a supportive attorney who can guide you on your truck accident claim.
Truck accident lawyers in Orlando are available to help and provide you with the expertise needed to help you secure a settlement. The truck company should be held liable for your wounds. You deserve compensation for your damages and shouldn’t be left with high medical expenses to pay. Call The Turnbull Law Firm at The Turnbull Law Firm for a free consultation with an Orlando personal injury lawyer.