Truck Accidents are too Common Across Florida
When you’re looking for Florida truck accident attorneys, you want a team of true legal experts who will provide aggressive, skilled representation. If you’ve suffered a severe injury, the stakes are going to be incredibly high – and you’re going to face extremely motivated opposition. That’s why you’ll need someone on your side who knows how to defeat the deep-pocketed insurance companies who will fight you at every turn.
That’s the kind of representation you’ll receive when you choose Penn Kestner & McEwen. We’ve helped our clients obtain millions of dollars in compensation for injuries they suffered in cases similar to yours. We never guarantee results – no reputable attorney ever would – but we will guarantee that no other law firm will fight as hard on your behalf.
Schedule a free consultation by contacting us online or calling (800) 732-3070.
Florida Truck Accident Statistics
The number of truck accidents on Florida roads is unsettling, to say the least. Not only have severe injuries increased nearly 100% since 2010, fatalities have gone up almost 40%. In 2020, Florida was the third-deadliest state in the country, with 344 deaths. Only Texas (643) and California (398) had more.
Types of Truck Accidents in Florida
Any kind of truck accident can be devastating, of course. The following are a few of the ones that tend to happen more often.
- Override accidents. An override is where a truck rolls over the top of a passenger car after hitting it from behind. As you can imagine, the truck will crush not only the car, but very likely all of its occupants as well. One of the most common reasons this happens is a failure of the truck’s brakes. This usually happens because the trucking company negligently ignored critically important maintenance.
- Underride accidents. Conversely, when a car slams into the rear of a truck that doesn’t have an underride guard, the top of the car will usually be sheared off. Even though the law requires these guards to be installed, there are still far too many trucks that don’t have them.
- Jackknife. A jackknife accident occurs when the component that keeps the trailer attached to the cab, known as the coupling device, malfunctions. This causes the cab to swing out to the point it nearly touches the trailer. The result sort of looks like a jackknife that has been opened, hence the name. A jackknife accident will result in a loss of control, and the truck will destroy anything that’s in its way.
- Rollovers. As the name implies, this occurs when a truck rolls over on its side. One of the chief causes is a sudden shift in cargo, usually due to negligent loading. Once that happens, there’s basically no way the driver will be able to maintain control. However, truck drivers can also cause a rollover when they try to take a turn too fast, either because they’re too tired to focus properly, they’re unqualified, or they’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Injuries Associated with Truck Accidents
There’s a very good reason that the insurance policies that cover commercial trucks are commonly valued at $1 million, or even $2 million or more. It’s because the injuries that result from these accidents are usually severe. They require more intense medical treatment, and that costs an incredible amount of money. These are just a few examples.
- TBI (Traumatic brain injury). A TBI occurs when the victim’s head strikes something hard. In the case of a truck accident, it could be a side window, the windshield or even the pavement. If a TBI is severe enough, the victim may be left unable to perform even the most basic of everyday tasks.
- Internal organ damage. Violent truck accidents can cause a passenger car driver to slam into the steering wheel, which could damage the kidneys, liver and other vital organs. Pieces of glass and metal can also tear through the body. Regardless of the cause, this kind of damage can result in potentially fatal internal bleeding if the victim can’t get to the hospital quickly enough.
- Spinal cord damage. When a truck hits a car, the occupants of the smaller vehicle are subjected to forces that are almost too strong to fathom. This can often result in spinal cord damage that is so catastrophic the victim is paralyzed completely for life.
Who’s Liable for My Accident?
How can a victim of a severe truck accident injury get the money needed to pay for treatment? By hiring an attorney as fast as possible. If you’ve been badly hurt, your attorney can investigate the accident to determine who’s to blame – and there could be several parties that share responsibility.
The driver could have been fatigued or drunk. The trucking company could have failed to replace a worn-out tire that blew out – or the company that manufactured the tire may have been negligent, because the tire was defective. It will take a detailed investigation to sort everything out and make sure all responsible parties are held accountable.
What Types of Damages Can I Recover?
Why is it so important to identify all the liable parties? Because you’ll be targeting them with legal action in order to recover your damages. These are the financial losses you’ve experienced due to the negligence of others. Damages include lost wages, medical bills, pain and suffering, mental and emotional trauma, and many others.
How Can Penn Kestner and McEwen Help Me?
Not a single person deserves to be forced into a life of pain and misery because of the negligence of another person or entity. But the unfortunate fact is that it happens far too often. A truck accident can rob a person of their quality of life – or rob them of their life altogether. All parties responsible for that accident must be forced to pay dearly.
The attorneys with Penn Kestner & McEwen will do everything they can to make that happen so you get the full and fair compensation you have coming. Schedule a free review of your case by contacting us online or calling (800) 732-3070.