What are the common causes of truck accidents in Miami?

ommon causes of truck accidents in Miami include driver fatigue from violating hours-of-service regulations, distracted driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding to meet delivery deadlines, defective equipment, overloaded trailers, improper cargo loading, mechanical failures and poor road conditions. Many of these causes involve violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations by the truck driver or trucking company.

What kinds of injuries are common in truck collisions?

Truck accident injuries are typically more severe than those in standard car accidents due to the size and weight of commercial trucks. Common injuries include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones and crushed vertebrae, internal bleeding and organ damage, severe burns, loss of limbs, permanent paralysis and wrongful death. Many truck accident victims require long-term medical care and rehabilitation.

What makes a truck accident case more complicated than a car accident?

Truck accident cases involve multiple potentially liable parties including the driver, trucking company, cargo loading company and parts manufacturers. Commercial trucks are backed by large companies with aggressive legal teams and high-limit insurance policies. Federal FMCSA regulations add layers of complexity, and critical evidence like black box data and electronic logging device records must be preserved quickly before it is overwritten or destroyed.

What types of damages can I recover in a truck accident lawsuit in Florida?

You may recover economic damages including medical expenses, lost wages, future lost income, property damage and home modifications for new disabilities. Non-economic damages may include compensation for pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost companionship and diminished quality of life. In cases involving particularly reckless conduct, punitive damages may also be available.

How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Florida?

Florida Statute 95.11 gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This deadline was reduced from four years to two years in March 2023 under HB 837. If you miss this deadline, your claim is permanently barred regardless of the strength of your case. Contact an attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights.

Miami Truck Accident Lawyer

What’s Inside: Miami Truck Accident Legal Guide & Resources

Large trucks like the 18-wheeler are essential elements of the modern US economy. But these are dangerous machines, especially in the event of equipment failure or driver error. Smaller vehicles are commonly smashed right through or run over by semi-trucks, often causing severe injuries and death. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists are even more at risk of catastrophic injuries, being that they are relatively unprotected when a semi-truck comes bearing down on them. A Miami truck accident lawyer can assist you with your legal options.

The US government’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has implemented numerous federal laws and safety regulations to hopefully limit the dangers posed to motorists sharing the roads with large trucks. But these FMCSA regulations are often ignored or thwarted in the pursuit of profit, putting everyone in jeopardy.

If you’ve been injured or have lost a loved one in a truck accident, you may be able to recover damages by filing a lawsuit against the truck driver and their employer. However, this is no ordinary personal injury case involving a traffic accident. Commercial trucks are backed up by giant companies, protected by teams of lawyers, and safeguarded by insulated insurance policies. Even a smaller privately owned trucking company is likely to have a team of lawyers capable of intimidating even the most self-assured claimants.

It is highly recommended that you consider hiring an experienced truck accident attorney to represent you in these matters. These cases can be hard fought, taking place over months and years, and you should not be asked to contend with all the complications of such a legal matter on your own.

At the Miami-based law firm Mausner Group Injury Lawyers PLLC, our attorneys are well-versed in state and federal laws pertaining to trucking company accident cases. We have a history of success representing clients in traffic accident cases, and we are confident that we can provide you with the dedicated legal representation that your case deserves.

Schedule a free case evaluation with a member of our legal team to discuss the potential of your truck accident case today.

What Are the Statistics of Trucking Accidents in Florida?

The commercial trucking industry is worth more than $700 billion annually. Truck companies have been called the backbone of the US economy, and truck drivers have been called the blood that makes the heart go. The industry employs millions of drivers and those drivers chart routes that take them across billions of miles as they deliver goods and essentials to the American people.

There are also thousands upon thousands of truck accidents annually, resulting in approximately 130,000 injuries and 4,000 deaths a year. Fatal crashes have only gone up over the past decade. Drivers and passengers of other vehicles make up more than 90% of truck accident-related fatalities.

What Are the Common Causes of Truck Accidents?

To the victim of a tractor-trailer accident, the cause that led the truck to collide with their vehicle probably matters very little. But in understanding what causes these accidents, we may be able to prevent them from happening in the future. Additionally, some of these causes are so unforgivable, backed up by indefensible greed, that it may give you more encouragement to pursue your truck accident lawsuit.

Common causes of truck crashes include:

Defective equipment is sometimes the fault of the truck’s manufacturer and sometimes the fault of the maintenance crew.
Distracted driving is steadily on the rise in the age of handheld personal technology devices such as cell phones, GPS, and MP3 players. But other distractions exist as well. Truck drivers spend most of their days in their trucks, so they may be eating, grooming, talking to others, or staring off into the distance in a tired, bored complacency.
Driver fatigue is possibly caused by the company not allowing their employee to take a break to sleep.
Driving under the influence of drugs, often illegal narcotics meant to keep drivers awake and alert.
Drunk driving is the cause of numerous vehicle accidents, and truck accident claims show that truckers are no different.
Improper lane changes, dangerous swerving, and unsafe turns can result in tragedy.
Mechanical failures maybe nobody’s fault, but they can be deadly just the same. A runaway semi-truck is one of the most frightening sights to see on a busy street.
Overloaded trailers can pose a danger to the truck driver and everyone who shares the road with them. Large trucks can tip over or jackknife if the driver loses control. Cargo can sometimes come spilling out of the trailer, too, littering the road with dangerous obstacles.
Poor weather conditions, such as icy, rainy, and foggy roads, can affect a trucker’s control or limit their visibility.
Road disrepair can be felt by smaller vehicles, but large trucks are impacted by them, too. When larger trucks lose control, the consequences can be deadly.
Speeding, sometimes to extremes, in an effort to meet deadlines.
Unevenly stacked and loaded cargo which can cause a truck to roll or lose control.

What to Do After a Truck Accident in Miami

If you have been involved in a truck accident in Miami, the steps you take immediately after the crash can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. Your first priorities should be getting to safety and calling 911. Once emergency services are on the way, document the scene by photographing vehicle positions, damage, skid marks and the truck’s USDOT number (located on the cab door). Seek medical attention right away, even if you feel fine — injuries like traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding may not show symptoms for hours or days.

It is critical to preserve evidence early in a truck accident case. Commercial trucks carry black box data and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) records that can prove driver fatigue, speeding or hours-of-service violations. This data can be overwritten within 30 to 60 days if not properly preserved. Do not provide a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney.

Florida’s two-year statute of limitations (Florida Statute 95.11, updated under HB 837 in 2023) means you have a limited window to take legal action. Contact Mausner Group Injury Law for a free case review to ensure your rights are protected from day one.

For a detailed step-by-step guide, read our full article on what to do after a truck accident in Miami.

What Kinds of Injuries Are Often Suffered in Truck Collisions?

Truck accident victims suffer similar injuries to those in other automobile wrecks, but truck crash injuries can be more severe.

Common truck accident injuries include:

Blood clots
Broken bones, fractures, and crushed vertebrae
Bruising
Burns
Concussions
Contusions
Cuts and lacerations
Disability
Disfigurement
Internal bleeding
Internal organ damage
Ligament strains and tears
Loss of hearing
Loss of limbs
Loss of sight
Permanent or temporary paralysis
Soft tissue damage
Spinal cord injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
Whiplash
Wrongful death

The insurance company may only offer a limited settlement for your insurance claim. You may be able to recover maximum compensation with the help of an aggressive truck accident lawyer. Please get in touch with our law offices to discuss your claim.

What Makes a Commercial Truck Accident More Complicated Than a Typical Car Accident?

In a typical car accident between two civilian drivers, you may have a hard legal fight on your hands as lawyers attempt to prove that a driver’s negligent actions led to the wreck. However, these matters are even more complex when commercial vehicles are involved.

Though truck companies are reined in by rules and regulations, they remain powerful and influential figures in American industry. Even if the driver was an independent contractor, taking on a trucking company may prove costly and feel virtually impossible at times.

Do not go into a trucking accident case thinking that it is just like any other vehicular accident case. It’s not. You need to treat this case with respect and understand that, unfortunately, the big companies may not respect you back.

For this and so many other reasons, we must advise you to speak with attorneys at our firm to ensure that your case is properly prepared and ready to take on the brunt of the trucking company’s legal might.

What Types of Damages Could an Accident Victim Potentially Recover in a Lawsuit?

With a well-argued trucking accident lawsuit, it is possible to recover a fair settlement that can go a long way to lifting the financial burden felt as a result of the accident. This settlement may include economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages may include compensation for lost wages, property damage, medical expenses, lost future income, wrongful death, lost benefits, and modifications made to a survivor’s home to accommodate new disabilities.

Non-economic damages could include financial recovery for pain and suffering, lost companionship, emotional distress, psychological anguish, and diminished quality of life.

The maximum compensation for your case that you could recover can be a significant financial reward. Still, the only way to know for sure what kind of potential the case has is to speak with a lawyer familiar with similar cases. Please schedule your free initial consultation with a member of our staff to discuss your claim in more detail and determine what legal actions you should pursue from here.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers Today

With a successful premises liability suit, it is possible to recover compensation that may help lift the financial burden that came with your injuries and ease your suffering. These settlements can take the form of both economic and non-economic damages. Big rigs are marvels of American machinery that keep the economy humming, but they are also dangerous, destructive, and seemingly unstoppable forces of violence on wheels. When everything is going according to plan, a tractor-trailer is just part of the background, part of the American scenery. But when things go wrong, these large trucks can cause destruction and death like almost nothing else on civilian roads.

If you or a loved one got caught in the path of a semi-truck, we offer our sympathy and wish you strength as you recover during this challenging time. But thoughts and prayers do not pay the medical bills or pay off lost income. For those things, we must consider taking legal action and hope to hold any at-fault parties accountable for the damage that they have wrought upon our lives.

Mausner Group Injury Lawyers PLLC has years of experience representing accident victims in personal injury, traffic accident, and trucking company crash cases throughout South Florida. Our firm is based out of beautiful, sunny Miami and offers a free case review to any new prospective clients looking to better determine the worth and validity of their truck accident claims.

Additionally, our law firm operates on a contingency fee basis, which means that you will not owe us anything in legal fees unless and until we are successful in recovering a financial settlement for your claim. If you don’t win, we don’t get paid. It’s that simple.

The free consultation is risk-free and comes with zero obligation to retain our legal counsel if you decide that we are not the right lawyers for you. If your goals do not align with how we would represent your case, you are free to move on after the consultation. With that being said, you will be impressed by our legal team and the compassion that we show our clients. We understand that, for you, this is no mere legal case. This is a life-altering event of a scale that you’ve rarely ever encountered before. With that in mind, we will endeavor to treat your case with the utmost respect it deserves.

Please get in touch with our Downtown Miami-based law offices without further delay to schedule your free case evaluation with a member of our staff today.

Call 305.344.4878

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