Sebring Truck Accident Lawyers

Big rigs are a common sight on Florida roads. Their pervasive presence represents convenience and a growing economy. Unfortunately, this also contributes to serious, often deadly, motor-vehicle accidents. The potentially devastating outcomes of accidents involving tractor-trailers cannot be overstated. Victims suffer from physical injury, emotional trauma, and possible financial ruin.

If you are a truck-accident victim, Howell & Thornhill, P.A. is here to help mitigate the losses you have suffered. Our Sebring truck accident lawyers have been fighting for Florida’s accident victims since 1975, and our Florida truck accident lawyers are prepared to manage your case from its initial filing to its resolution. We will work to seek justice for your suffering and substantial compensation to restore your financial stability.

How Often Truck Accidents Occur

Those sharing the roads with semi-trucks–passenger car occupants, pedestrians, and cyclists, for example–are clearly out-matched when involved in a crash with one of those massive vehicles. Without help from skilled truck accident attorneys, you may also be outmatched by the insurance company adjusters in the fight for compensation. Unfortunately, the occurrence of truck accidents has increased over recent years, according to data reported by the National Safety Council (NSC).

The most updated report shows that nationwide and during a recent year:

• 5,837 large trucks were involved in deadly crashes
• There was a 1.8% increase, from the previous year, in fatal large-truck-involved crashes, and an increase of 49% from the prior 10 years.
• There was a 3% increase in fatal truck-involved crashes per 100 million miles traveled from the previous year and a 24% increase from the prior 10 years
• 120,200 trucks were involved in injury-causing crashes
• There was a 2.5% increase from the previous year in truck-involved, injury-causing accidents and an increase of 18% increase over the prior six years
• Large trucks accounted for 10% of all vehicle miles traveled and represented 6% of all vehicles involved in deadly accidents

Additional NSC data shows that of all 50 states and Washington D.C., Florida has one of the lowest percentages, 7%, of truck-involved, fatal crashes. However, it has the third-highest number, 368, of truck-involved-accident deaths.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has Florida data for the year following the NSC report. This data shows:

• 323 fatalities from 302 crashes
• 5,514 injuries from 10,076 no-fatal crashes

Whether you are hurt or a loved one is killed in an accident, you can put yourself in the best position to receive compensation by connecting with a big-rig accident attorney as soon as possible.

How and Why Truck Accidents Happen

There are various causes and types of truck accidents. Identifying the cause is essential to a successful truck injury case, and your truck accident lawyer from our team will carry out a thorough accident examination to do that.

Common truck accident types include:

• Jackknifes: The cab (or tractor) of the truck is coupled to the trailer. In a jackknife accident, something causes the cab or trailer to swing out, and the two components form a “V” shape, creating a massive road obstacle. The out-of-control truck components can also crash into vehicles as they form the jackknife.
• Rollovers: Heavy trucks can become unbalanced and tip over. As they roll, they can crush other vehicles. After coming to rest from a rollover, the tipped truck presents a dangerous obstacle for other vehicles.
• Rear-end Crash: If a truck follows too closely or does not leave enough time to slow down, the vehicles in front of the truck can be hit from behind.
• Underride Accident: If a truck brakes too quickly, those traveling behind it in smaller vehicles–small passenger cars or motorcycles–can be trapped beneath the truck’s undercarriage.
• Wide-turns: When making a right turn, truck operators typically have to first swing the truck to the left to navigate the turn successfully. Smaller vehicles or pedestrians to the left of the truck can sustain a hit.
• Override Accident: A massive truck can collide with a smaller vehicle and actually ride over it, crushing the vehicle and its occupants.
• Load Spills: Tractor-trailers haul cargo. Liquid cargo can spill or leak, causing slick surfaces, or solid materials can be released, sometimes flying into other vehicles or landing in the path of traffic and causing road hazards.

Along with these truck-specific types of accidents, semi-trucks can also be involved in crashes experienced by any motor-vehicle, including T-bone crashes and sideswipes, accidents caused by tire blowouts or blind spots. Whatever the nature of your accident, an 18-wheeler accident lawyer from our team is ready to talk to you on the phone or in person.

Causes of Truck Accidents

By determining the cause of the accident, your trucking accident lawyer in Sebring, FL, can identify the party at fault and gather evidence to prove that the party’s negligence caused the event leading to your injuries and losses. Victims without representation are not usually equipped to carry out a thorough investigation into the cause and may point the finger at the wrong culprit, an error that can cost them compensation. Trust your case to the experienced trucking accident attorneys from our team.

The FMCSA recognizes the dangers posed by large trucks and has established sweeping regulations governing proper operation and maintenance. In examining your accident, your trucking accident attorney will expose any failures in regulation compliance and hold violators accountable.

Those potentially responsible for your accident include:

• Truck operators: Operators must have appropriate licenses, comply with on-duty, off-duty, and mandatory rest schedules, adhere to strict alcohol and substance use regulations, perform pre- and post-ride inspections, follow safe truck-operating behaviors, and abide by other specific rules.
• Truck companies: Companies must not put pressure on operators to speed or exceed lawful on-duty hours, overload trucks, or otherwise compromise safety to outpace competitors. They must take unsafe drivers off the road, conduct proper evaluations of drivers and trucks, and follow maintenance and other regulations.
• Vehicle inspectors and mechanics: These parties must ensure truck safety, follow proper inspection procedures, keep unsafe vehicles off the roads, and carry out repairs.
• Vehicle and part manufacturers or installers: Trucks comprise several complex systems. If the vehicle or any of its parts has a defect, malfunctions, or is not properly installed, those responsible for the production or installation of those components may be liable.
• Other drivers: Sometimes, other vehicle operators cause a truck-involved accident.
• Government offices: Depending on where the accident occurs, local, state, or federal government entities may bear culpability. Government offices oversee road conditions and traffic signals, and their failures can cause accidents. Further, if the accident is with a government-owned truck, the agency with ownership may hold fault.

Under its statute of limitations for personal injury claims, Florida gives victims two years to file a legal claim, so it is in your best interests to retain a tractor-trailer accident lawyer promptly. The State’s comparative fault laws only allow victims to recover in a lawsuit if they bear 50% or less responsibility for the accident. Should you meet that standard but still hold some fault, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of responsibility.

At-fault parties will try to put as much blame as possible on you to deny your opportunity to collect what you deserve. Count on the 18-wheeler accident lawyers from our team to review your accident circumstances with precision, to work to find evidence to support your claim, and to strive to hold the true at-fault party accountable.

The Damaging Consequences of Truck Accidents

For victims, the horror of a crash does not stop once the roads are cleared. Accident fallout is often comprehensive, requiring medical help, emotional support, and financial recovery. A semi-truck accident lawyer from Howell & Thornhill, P.A is ready to help while you rebuild.

Physical Injuries

It is unlikely to leave the scene of a truck accident physically unscathed. Even a moderate bump by a semi-truck can herniated discs and cause whiplash, other neck or spinal cord injury, or head trauma. Tragically, more violent impacts often lead to life-changing injuries. Victims may sustain:

• Traumatic brain Injuries (TBIs), leaving them physically or cognitively disabled
• Spinal cord injuries, rendering them partially or totally paralyzed and with additional physiological problems
• Crushed bones, requiring surgeries and intervention, pose the risk of infection that may never fully heal, limiting mobility or use of the affected body part
• Amputations, leaving victims permanently disabled and disfigured
• Burns, causing nerve damage, disfiguring scars, and limited mobility in the affected areas
• Internal organ damage prevents body systems from functioning independently

Your truck accident attorney will speak with your medical team and other medical professionals to understand the cause of your injuries, your potential recovery, and your care needs in calculating a settlement demand to cover your needs.

Financial Costs

Medical needs bring high costs. Many truck accident victims require long-term and constant care, so these medical expenses can become astronomical. Property destroyed or damaged in the accident is of lesser importance but still carries value and brings more financial distress. Replacing a car is an expensive necessity.

Victims may also need to pay others to perform duties they (the victims) can no longer manage themselves. Child care, transportation costs, and household maintenance expenses pile up. Should victims need medical apparatus to accommodate their accident-caused disabilities, they may need to make structural changes to their living environments.

The 18-wheeler truck accident attorneys from our firm will not overlook any financial costs incurred by your accident, factoring every loss into your compensation demand.

Quality of Life Losses

Physical pain damages quality of life. So does the emotional suffering caused by that physical pain and disability. Losing the capacity to do the things you enjoy, interact with others, move through your daily life independently, and participate in special occasions or trips can lead to despair and feelings of isolation. You and your loved ones grieve for your lost, anticipated future and the “way things used to be.”

These losses are tremendous, despite not coming with an official price tag. Your trucking accident lawyers will not allow them to be undervalued or go uncompensated.

How a Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney Can Help

The semi-truck accident lawyers from Howell & Thornhill, P.A. will work to cover your legal needs.  We are on your side as soon as we enter a partnership and will immediately begin fighting for justice.

Our firm has decades of experience investigating accidents and relationships with accident reconstructionists who can provide valuable evidence for your case. Your semi-truck accident attorneys will also seek evidence from witnesses, photos and video footage from nearby cameras, police reports, relevant experts, your caregivers, and the truck’s black box–the electronic data recorder that records the truck’s status at the time of the accident (speed, braking, and other elements) and other critical data.

After compiling evidence and identifying those at fault, your semi-truck accident attorney will file your claim with the court if the insurance company does not offer a fair amount. Though many personal injury cases settle through negotiations, it is vital to file your claim within the legal deadline to protect your right to a trial should negotiations prove unproductive.

Your big-rig accident attorneys will send a settlement demand to the at-fault party’s representatives. Most often, the other side will respond with a low offer, and knowing the true value of your case, your lawyer will advise you on whether to accept or continue negotiating. Our tractor-trailer accident lawyers will negotiate with the goal of just compensation.

Our lawyers are not strangers to the courtroom.  If the other side does not make a fair offer or otherwise compromises the negotiation process, your 18-wheeler accident lawyer will be more than ready to fight for justice in court.

Much rides on your personal injury claim. You need substantial compensation for continued access to medical care, justice, and financial access to opportunities to improve your quality of life. Our tractor-trailer accident attorneys will fight to get you every dollar you deserve, as our successful history shows.

As Your Home Team, We Fight for You

As a truck accident victim, you should not fight for justice alone. And you do not have to fight alone. Partner with Howell & Thornhill, P.A., and as your home team, we will fight for you and with you. Put your energy where it belongs–into your recovery–and we will handle the details of your case. Connect with us today. Send a message or make a call, and we will schedule your free case review. To secure significant compensation for a serious accident, you may need experienced representation, and our Sebring Truck Accident Lawyers are ready to provide it.