St. Petersburg Truck Accident Attorneys
Over the last decade, truck accidents have steadily increased throughout the U.S., despite new safety procedures and regulations. In the State of Florida alone, there were over 30,000 truck accidents in 2018 that caused 39 deaths.
If you have been injured in a truck accident, you may have suffered multiple injuries. You may now be facing the need for ongoing medical treatment and the expense this will entail. You may also be traumatized and unable to work and participate fully in normal, everyday activities. If this sounds familiar, help is available.
The experienced St. Petersburg truck accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA can help you hold the at-fault party accountable and obtain the compensation you deserve. We have helped hundreds of Florida accident victims get the compensation they need, and we want to help you get compensated fairly and fully for your injuries, pain and suffering.
Causes of St. Petersburg Truck Accidents
A wide variety of factors can contribute to a truck accident: however, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, common causes of trucking accidents include:
- Improper maintenance – Routine maintenance is essential for large trucks to run properly and pre-trip inspections are required by law. When maintenance is put off, or an inspection is rushed, tire/wheel defects, brake defects, and unsecured or overloaded trailers may result in a collision.
- Driving when drowsy — Federal law restricts the number of hours a truck driver can drive. Nevertheless, drowsy driving contributes to 87 percent of crashes caused by trucks, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- Distracted driving –Federal law also prohibits all truck drivers from texting while driving; however, that law is also routinely ignored. Cell phones are not the only distraction. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determined that a truck driver is 8.9 times more likely to cause an accident when they use a dispatch device and seven times more likely to cause an accident when they look at a map.
- Impaired driving – Alcohol and drugs, including over-the-counter and prescription medications can impair a driver’s ability to avoid dangerous situations and collisions.
- Speeding – When truck drivers speed, they endanger everyone on the road. Trucks cannot stop quickly to avoid crashes, and speeding worsens the situation.
Liability for a St. Petersburg Truck Accident
As an injured victim of a trucking accident, or the surviving family member of a fatally injured victim, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries or loss. Identifying the liable party in a trucking accident can, however, be a complex task because the negligent party (or parties) could be any of the following:
- Driver
- Trucking company
- Owner of the cargo
- Truck manufacturer
- The company responsible for maintenance/repairs
An experienced truck accident attorney will identify all possible defendants and bring each one into your truck accident claim to ensure that you are fully and fairly compensated for your injuries or loss.
Compensation in a St. Petersburg Truck Accident
If you are the victim of truck accident injuries due to someone else’s negligence, you could be able to recover damages to help compensate you for your physical and emotional injuries. Compensation may be awarded for:
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and permanent scarring Diminished qualify of life
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and other care costs
- Income lost because of time off because of accident injuries
- Loss of earning capacity in the future
- Other damages recoverable under Florida law
If you are a family member of a truck accident victim, you could also be entitled to compensation as the claimant in a wrongful death lawsuit or for loss of consortium if a spouse or parent can no longer provide the companionship, care, and support they did before the accident.
Help Is Available from Experienced St. Petersburg Truck Accident Attorneys
If you suffered injuries in a truck accident, or a family member was fatally injured in one, help is available from the experienced St. Petersburg truck accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA. We aggressively pursue all potentially responsible parties to ensure that victims are fully and fairly compensated for all of their injuries.
The truck accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA provide expert support throughout the entire legal process. We will collect all necessary evidence to prove negligence, and we will negotiate aggressively with insurance companies on your behalf. When a settlement is not possible, we will advocate fiercely for you at trial to ensure that you receive all the compensation to which you are entitled for your physical injuries and emotional trauma.
Many injury lawyers settle early with insurance companies to avoid going to trial, but we won’t back down. We will build a powerful case demonstrating your need for compensation for physical, emotional, and financial damages resulting from the truck accident and will put our trial experience and litigation skill to work fighting for the compensation you deserve.
Call us at 855.529.3366 or fill in the FREE CASE EVALUATION form on our website to get started on your case.
Sources:
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. (2018). Traffic crash facts.
https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/crashreports/crash_facts_2018.pdf
U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (2018). Large truck and bus crash facts 2018.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2018#A1
U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (2020). Our roads our safety. Tips for truck and bus drivers.
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/tips-truck-and-bus-drivers