Titusville Truck Accident Lawyer

Everywhere that you go in Florida, you see heavy commercial trucks. Tractor-trailers fill the interstates and concrete mixers move between job sites on city streets. The obvious size and weight of these vehicles mean that any impact with them could very well be devastating for the occupants of a passenger vehicle. Due to the super-sized traffic hazards created by commercial trucks, the federal government formed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for the specific purpose of imposing safety standards on the trucking industry. After being hurt in a truck accident in the Titusville area, you may want to find out if any trucking safety regulations were violated. In addition to numerous regulations, truck accidents are often more complicated for victims than car accidents. Multiple layers of ownership and responsibility could apply to the truck that hit you. A truck accident attorney could uncover crucial information necessary for collecting the compensation that you need.

Determination of liability can be difficult

Many entities frequently have a hand in the operation of commercial trucks. The cause of the accident may lie with one or more of the parties involved, including:

• the truck driver
• the driver’s employer
• the owner of the truck, which can differ from the driver’s employer
• the company that loaded the cargo
• the company responsible for truck maintenance
• the manufacturer of the truck or truck parts

Once the cause of the accident has been determined, the responsible party or parties may become easier to identify. A truck accident lawyer works first to establish the facts and then inform the responsible party and its insurer about your accident claim.

When conducting an investigation, we check for compliance with applicable trucking regulations as well as traffic law. We can request records from truck operators about their hours of service, licensing, traffic accident histories, maintenance logs and company policies. Any of these details could aid your ability to win a settlement.

Major causes of truck accidents

Just as with car accidents, many things can go wrong and result in truck accidents. Traffic flow problems that cause problems for cars result in worse problems for big commercial trucks. They need more space to stop if something obstructs their path, and they have less space to maneuver due to the length of their vehicles.

Factors that commonly contribute to truck crashes include:

• brake failure
• tire blowout
• shifting cargo
• driver fatigue
• driver prescription drug use
• speeding

Sometimes a police report written at the time of the accident reveals the cause. A truck driver might admit that the brakes failed, and a tire blowout that made the truck lose control should be obvious.

Other issues like driver fatigue or medication use may not emerge unless thoroughly investigated. For example, an inspection of a driver’s work hours could reveal hours-of-service violations and no opportunity for sleep. Checking a truck’s maintenance records will be needed to see if the brakes had been properly serviced. Interviews with witnesses or a specialist’s examination of tire marks might support the claim that the truck was speeding.

Serious and catastrophic injuries

A truck accident can alter your life and produce ripple effects that make life difficult for your family. People in passenger vehicles often suffer from very bad injuries when hit by a tractor-trailer or other heavy vehicle.

In February 2020, a multiple-vehicle accident in Titusville caused a dump truck to lose control near the intersection of East Brevard Avenue and North 34th Street. The dump truck hit a parked car where a woman and her young child were sitting in the backseat. They suffered critical injuries according to the Titusville Police Department.

Critical injuries will require expensive medical care and potentially inflict lifelong disability. Truck accidents also produce many fatalities, which could at times warrant a wrongful death claim by the estate.

Common truck accident injuries are:

• paralysis
• brain damage
• loss of arms or legs
• excessive burns
• internal organ injuries
• broken bones
• back injuries

On top of your immediate medical bills, you may have long-term financial damages. You might be unable to return to work or need rehabilitation therapy. Your home could require retrofitting to make it wheelchair accessible.

Trucking industry ready to defend itself

Due to the potential to inflict so much damage, commercial truck insurance policies will have coverage well into the 6 or 7 figures. Just because insurance exists, however, does not mean that the insurer wants to pay what you deserve.

As soon as a truck accident occurs, a large trucking company could dispatch an investigator to the accident scene to take pictures and collect other evidence. A defense attorney may also be assigned to managing your anticipated accident claim. While you are riding to the hospital in an ambulance, a deep-pocketed company may already be plotting ways to limit your settlement.

By the time that you have the capacity to pursue damages, the responsible party might be in a position to control the narrative about your accident. For this reason, we encourage truck accident victims or their close family members to obtain legal advice as soon as possible after the wreck. Should you choose to retain legal representation, we can launch an independent accident investigation. We could send out letters to preserve evidence regarding the trucking company’s records and the driver’s licensing status and activities prior to the crash.

Truck accident lawyers who fight for you

Couture Law P.A. employs a legal team known for thoroughness and compassion. Truck accident victims in Titusville can rely on us to defend their rights in the face of aggressive tactics meant to deny you rightful compensation. Our personal injury law firm has the resources to compete with corporate and insurance defense teams that want to deflect liability. When we represent you, we work hard to gather compelling evidence that illustrates the negligence that resulted in your serious injuries and lost income. We can calculate a realistic value for your settlement that reflects all of the economic damages that threaten your future well-being. You deserve to know your rights after a truck accident. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.