St. Augustine Trucking Accident Attorney
Truck Accidents in Florida
While any motor vehicle accident can be devastating, crashes involving large semi-trucks tend to be particularly severe. In Florida, these accidents are alarmingly common. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were more than 33,000 accidents involving medium and heavy trucks (over 10,000 pounds) in Florida in 2019 alone. Of these accidents, 115 resulted in incapacitating injuries and another 25 were fatal.
For victims of truck crashes, including the surviving loved ones of those killed in fatal accidents, it can be incredibly difficult to heal and move forward. Fortunately, if you suffered an injury in a trucking accident through no fault of your own, or if your loved one died due to a truck driver or trucking company’s negligence, you are protected by tort law. This allows you to file a claim for damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, disability, pain and suffering, funeral costs, and more.
Most areas of personal injury law—including truck accident cases—are complicated and require extensive investigation and expert testimony, so it is imperative to have an experienced and competent attorney, one who is well-versed in trucking industry regulations and personal injury law, to represent your interests.
Learn how Canan Law can help you after a serious trucking accident; call (904) 849-2266 or contact us online for a free consultation with one of our St. Augustine truck accident lawyers.
How Do Truck Accidents Happen?
Like any other motor vehicle accident, truck accidents happen for a variety of reasons, from motorist negligence to traffic law violations to aggressive driving. However, unlike other automobile accidents, crashes involving large commercial trucks often have underlying causes. For example, a fatigued truck driver may be the one to actually cause an accident, but he may have been driving while fatigued due to pressure from his employer to violate federal hours-of-service regulations, which limit the amount of time a truck driver can operate a vehicle. Knowing how to investigate truck accidents and look for these underlying issues is essential to the outcome of your claim.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Drunk driving
- General truck driver negligence
- Traffic law violations
- Overloaded cargo
- Improperly loaded trucks
- Inadequate truck maintenance
- Improper truck repairs
- Defects (e.g., defective tires, brakes, etc.)
- Faulty road design/construction
Trucking accidents can also result from the negligent or wrongful conduct of another motorist on the road, as well as outlying factors such as poor visibility or dangerous conditions. Our St. Augustine truck accident attorneys work with accident reconstructionists, investigators, and other experts to determine exactly what happened—and who is liable.
How Canan Law Can Help
At Canan Law, our St. Augustine truck accident attorneys possess extensive experience in this area of law. Together, our lawyers have over 60 years of combined experience handling cases almost exclusively in St. Augustine, St. Johns County, and Northeast Florida.
We provide aggressive legal representation for clients in our community who have suffered significant physical, emotional, and financial hardships as a result of trucking accidents. Our approach has earned us a solid reputation with local judges, as well as the respect of our clients and peers alike.
For more information on how Canan Law can help you with your truck accident case, please contact our lawyers for a free consultation. Reach us 24/7 online or at (904) 849-2266.
Our legal team specializes in a wide variety of practices and we are ready to fight & advocate on your behalf.
Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident?
Determining liability in truck accident cases is often very complex. Under respondeat superior laws, a truck driver’s employer, the trucking company, could be held liable for the driver’s actions. A trucking company may also be liable if it engaged in negligent hiring practices or failed to properly train or supervise its drivers.
Other parties may also share some (or all) of the liability for a trucking accident. For example, if a repair company failed to conduct adequate maintenance or repairs on a truck, leading to a malfunction that caused or contributed to the accident, that entity may be partially or wholly liable. The same is true of manufacturers, distributors, and other entities that design, create, or sell defective trucks and truck parts.
Our firm evaluates all relevant factors to determine who is liable for your accident and your resulting injuries and damages. We use a collaborative approach to draw on the experience and knowledge of our entire team, pulling together invaluable resources and analysis to build the strongest possible case.
Our goal is to not only help you get back on your feet by maximizing the value of your claim but also to enact changes that make our community a better, safer, and stronger place for all.
Florida’s No-Fault System & Trucking Accidents
Because Florida is a no-fault state, most motor vehicle accident victims turn to their own insurance providers for compensation after a crash. Under your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, you can collect up to 80% of your medical bills and up to 60% of your lost wages regardless of who was at fault. While this can make it easier to get compensated after an accident, PIP coverage is often not enough for victims of truck accidents, who frequently sustain severe, life-altering injuries.
The good news is that you can step outside the no-fault system and bring a claim or lawsuit directly against the at-fault party if you meet the Florida “serious injury threshold.” Because of the severity of their injuries, many truck accident victims meet this threshold.
To go outside Florida’s no-fault system, a victim’s injuries must result in:
- Significant and/or permanent disfigurement
- Significant and/or permanent scarring
- Significant and/or permanent impairment of an important bodily function
- Death
This means that if you were catastrophically injured or if your loved one died in a trucking accident in Florida, you likely have grounds to bring a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the liable person or party.