If you’ve been injured in a semi-truck or 18-wheeler truck accident you may have the right to recover compensation. Contact an experienced Miami truck accident lawyer to learn about your legal rights and options. At Lavent Law, P.A., our attorneys are prepared to help you maximize the financial award you receive after your truck accident at (305) 257-9464.
An accident involving a large truck can be devastating. Trucks tend to weigh between 20 and 30 times more than most smaller vehicles. If you’re walking or riding a motorcycle or bicycle, you’ve got little to protect you if you collide with a truck. As a result, it’s common for truck accident victims to experience debilitating physical and emotional injuries. Unfortunately, the costs triggered by an accident can make a difficult situation even more overwhelming. We’ll fight to make sure that you get the money you deserve.
Why You Should Hire an Attorney After Your Semi-Truck or 18-Wheeler Accident
Truck accidents can be violent and have devastating consequences. If you’ve been injured in a crash with a truck you may be struggling with severe and painful injuries. You may even be forced out of work for the foreseeable future. Flashbacks to the accident may even trigger crippling anxiety or fear, limiting your ability to enjoy your life. You have the right to demand compensation if someone else is (at least partially) to blame.
However, the last thing you need right now is the stress of a lawsuit. Hiring an attorney to handle your legal case is the best thing you can do. Your lawyer will navigate your legal claim and give you the time you need to focus on getting better. When you hire a personal injury attorney from our office, we can handle all communications with the insurers and trucking companies.
Here’s what you can expect when you hire our attorneys to help with your truck accident lawsuit. We will:
- Protect you from insurance companies simply want to deny you the money you deserve;
- Investigate your case to determine cause and liability;
- Pursue damages for medical bills, lost wages, disability, pain and suffering, and more;
- Consult with experts to assess the true value of your injuries and case;
- Devise a custom legal strategy to maximize your financial recovery;
- Limit your liability if you share fault for the crash; and
- Aggressively pursue compensation through negotiations and, if necessary, litigation.
Our goal is to help you get the money you deserve after an accident. We’ll demand compensation from anyone who contributed to your truck accident or injury. This not only includes truck drivers, but also trucking employers, trucking companies, truck manufacturers, other drivers, government agencies, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists.
Causes of Truck Accidents in Miami
There are more than 500,000 truck accidents in the United States every year. That’s more than 13,000 truck accidents every day. Anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 of those accidents are fatal. There are tens of thousands of motor vehicle accidents in Miami-Dade County every year. Many of these accidents involve large trucks. In fact, approximately 4 percent of fatal crashes in Miami involve a truck.
Why are truck accidents so common? There are a variety of factors that can contribute to a trucking accident.
Driver Fatigue: Federal law actually limits the amount of time a truck driver can be behind the wheel at one time. Once a driver has been on the road for 11 hours they must stop for at least 10. Driving a truck can be a physically and mentally draining job. If a driver is on the road for too long they may begin to fall asleep. When a driver is tired, they’re more likely to veer from their lane or cause a hazard for other vehicles.
Driver Error: Truck drivers must be trained before they can hit the road. This training prepares them with the skills and information they’ll need to drive safely. Unfortunately, driver errors still happen. A driver may miscalculate the amount of distance they have to stop or fail to see a car in a nearby lane.
Vehicle Malfunction: Trucks have to be regularly maintained and inspected by drivers and/or their employers. When a truck isn’t maintained, mechanical issues or unidentified defects can cause an accident.
Driving While Intoxicated: Driving while intoxicated significantly increases the risk of a motor vehicle accident. Driving a truck safely takes attention and focus. When a truck driver is intoxicated they’re likely to experience reduced reaction times and mental sharpness.
Environmental Factors: Harsh weather or road conditions can contribute to a Miami truck accident. Large trucks, on average, require almost 100 yards to come to a complete stop when they’re traveling 65 MPH. Wet or slippery road conditions can prevent trucks from braking properly and stopping in time. Wet conditions can also cause trucks to slide from their lane and strike other vehicles.
Rural Driving: Most truck accidents actually happen out on the open road in rural parts of Florida. It’s believed that drivers use less caution and drive faster when they’re not in a large city and/or surrounded by other vehicles.
Third Party Negligence: Truck drivers aren’t always to blame for truck accidents. Drivers of other vehicles can cause an accident if they become impatient with a large truck and try to drive aggressively. Speeding, changing lanes without signaling, or driving in a truck’s blind spot can all cause violent crashes.
Common Miami Truck Accident Injuries
Pedestrians and passengers of smaller vehicles suffer approximately 70 percent of all truck accident injuries. These injuries can range from minor scrapes and bruises to more serious conditions. At Lavent Law, P.A., our attorneys are prepared to help you recover compensation for any injuries you’ve sustained in a Miami truck accident, including:
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Bruising
- Soft tissue damage
- Internal injury
- Burn injury
- Whiplash
- Spinal cord injury
- Concussion
- Eye injury
- Chest injury
- Spine injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Amputation
- Catastrophic injury
- Paralysis, and
- Wrongful death.
Contact our Miami personal injury lawyers to find out how we can help you recover the money you deserve. We offer a free consultation, so don’t hesitate to call for help today.
Types of Miami Truck Accidents
There are many different types of truck accidents. The extent of your injuries will often depend on the type of truck accident in which you were involved.
Broadside Collision
A broadside collision, which is also known as a “T-Bone” accident, occurs when the front-end of one vehicle strikes the side of another. Broadside crashes tend to happen at intersections when drivers don’t follow the law or fail to give a truck enough space to make a turn.
Rear End Collision
A rear end crash occurs when one vehicle strikes another vehicle from behind. These accidents tend to happen when the driver of the rear vehicle is distracted or follows too closely. Trucks need a lot of time to come to a complete stop. Slippery or wet conditions, or driver miscalculation, can prevent a truck from stopping safely.
Jackknife
Semi-trucks and tractor-trailers are often involved in jackknife accidents. A jackknife accident occurs when a truck skids and loses control. The truck begins to rotate and the trailer moves forward. The driver is often unable to control where and how a truck moves while it is jackknifing. As a result, the truck can swing into traffic and cause serious harm.
Rollover
Rollover accidents are responsible for more than one-third of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Passenger cars are vulnerable to rollovers when they are involved in a high-impact collision with a truck.
Overrides and Underrides
Trucks are significantly larger than other vehicles on the road. Override accidents occur when a truck overruns smaller vehicles. The vehicles can become trapped or wedged under the truck’s undercarriage. Underrides occur when a car becomes wedged beneath a truck as a result of a rear-end crash.
Statute of Limitations For Truck Accident Claims in Florida
You only have a limited amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit after your truck accident. In most cases, you’ll have four years from the date of your accident to file your claim. You’ll typically be prohibited from recovering the compensation you deserve if your claim isn’t filed before the statute of limitations expires. It’s important to contact an attorney immediately after your accident to make sure that your claim is filed on time.
Call Miami Truck Accident Attorney Boris Lavent Today
Have you or someone you love been involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer truck or an 18-wheeler? Contact the attorneys at Lavent Law, P.A. to find out how we can help you recover compensation for your injuries. Money won’t turn back time, but it can help to cover the burdensome costs of your injuries. Call to schedule your free consultation with our Miami truck accident lawyers today. We’ll review your case and answer any questions you have.
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