Sarasota Truck Accident Lawyer

Despite laws and regulations intended to make trucks on the road safer, trucking accidents are on the rise. In 2018, there were over 30,000 truck accidents in Florida alone. Unfortunately, these accidents often mean life-changing injuries for the people involved in the crashes.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, you may be suffering from multiple physical injuries as well as emotional trauma. You may be faced with multiple bills for medical expenses, loss of income, and diminished enjoyment in life. If any of this sounds like you, please know you do not have to face all of the challenges alone.

The truck accident attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA want to help you. We have helped hundreds of Florida accident victims pursue justice in holding negligent parties accountable for their actions and in obtaining the compensation they deserve for their injuries, pain and suffering. Let us help you get the justice and just compensation you deserve.

Causes of Truck Accidents

Trucking accidents are often complex events that can be difficult to investigate and unravel. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, however, the most common causes of trucking accidents include:

• Distracted driving –Federal law prohibits truck drivers from texting while driving; however, that law is 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 truck driver’s ability to avoid dangerous situations and collisions.
• Fatigued driving – The number of hours a truck driver is allowed to drive is regulated by the federal government; however, the need to meet unrealistic delivery schedules often prompts drivers to ignore those limits. The result is that drowsy driving contributes to 87 percent of truck accidents in which the truck is at fault, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Speeding – When truck drivers speed, they endanger everyone on the road. Trucks cannot stop quickly to avoid crashes, and speeding worsens the situation.
• Maintenance failures – Routine maintenance and pre-trip inspections are not just smart; they are required by law for a large truck operator. Unfortunately, however, maintenance is often delayed and inspections rushed, leading to dangerous conditions, such as tire/wheel defects, brake defects, and unsecured or overloaded trailers.

Who Is Responsible for a Truck Accident?

One major hurdle to recovering damages for a truck accident victim can be determining who is legally responsible if the truck was at fault. When a truck is wholly, or partially, at-fault, any (or all) of the following could be held liable:

• 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 the claim to ensure that you are fully and fairly compensated for your injuries or loss.

What Compensation Is Available for a Sarasota Truck Accident Victim?

If you have been injured in a Sarasota trucking accident, you could be entitled to compensation for both your economic and non-economic damages, which may include:

• Income lost because of time off because of accident injuries
• Medical expenses
• Rehabilitation and other care costs
• Loss of earning capacity in the future
• Diminished qualify of life
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering
• Disfigurement and permanent scarring
• Other damages recoverable under Florida law

If you lost a family member in a truck accident, you may be entitled to file as a claimant in a wrongful death lawsuit. As a spouse or child of a claimant, you could also be entitled to compensation for loss of consortium if the accident victim can no longer provide the companionship, care, and support they did prior to the accident.

Get Expert Help from an Experienced Sarasota Truck Accident Attorney

If you have been injured in a truck accident, a Sarasota truck accident attorney at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA can help you navigate the legal process required to obtain compensation for your injuries. If you are the surviving family member of a fatally injured victim, we can also help you pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. Our experienced truck accident attorneys will aggressively pursue all potentially negligent parties to ensure that you are compensated fairly and fully.

Getting legal help from the attorneys at Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA means you will have experts advocating for you throughout the entire legal process – from gathering evidence, to negotiating with insurance companies, to going to trial, if necessary. We will collect all necessary evidence to prove negligence and negotiate vigorously with insurance companies on your behalf.

Unlike other accident attorneys, we will not settle with insurance companies just to avoid going to trial. We will not stand down until justice is served. We will build a powerful case demonstrating your need for compensation for physical, emotional, and financial damages resulting from the truck accident and will use our trial experience and litigation skill to win maximum compensation for you.

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