There are a lot of semi-trucks out there on Florida’s roads. It’s beneficial when it comes to having the consumer goods we need, but it comes with an increased risk of truck accidents. The fact is that — due to the immense size and weight of semis — truck accidents are some of the deadliest out there, and it is the occupants of the other vehicles involved who are at greatest risk of being seriously harmed in the process.
If a negligent truck driver causes you to be injured, an experienced Plantation truck accident lawyer is on your side. Pick up the phone and call Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys.
Truck Accident Risk Factors
Trucks pose considerable risks on roadways throughout Florida and the nation at large, and specific risk factors include:
- Truck drivers spend long hours behind the wheel, which leaves them more vulnerable to the dangerous effects of exhaustion.
- Truck drivers experience large blind spots along all four sides of their immense rigs, which leaves anyone traveling in those blind spots at increased risk when truckers fail to take the necessary precautions when leaving their lanes for any reason.
- Semis travel on 18 tires and tire blowouts are not uncommon. The immense pressure of these occurrences can cause serious accidents, and the resulting debris on the road is also dangerous.
- 18-wheelers require far more stopping distance on the road, which leaves forward vehicles exceptionally vulnerable to rear-end accidents when truckers don’t leave adequate distance between them.
- Big rigs require far more room when taking right turns, and when such turns aren’t well executed, it can put nearby vehicles at considerable risk.
Truck drivers are professional drivers legally bound to safely account for these risk factors and many more.
Truck Accident Statistics
The National Safety Council (NSC) highlights exactly how dangerous truck accidents are with the following statistics:
- In 2020 alone, there were 4,842 fatal truck accidents.
- This number is 33 percent higher than the number of fatal truck accidents in 2011.
- The accident rate per 100 million miles traveled in 2020 was up by 18 percent over 2011.
- Tractor trailers account for 4 percent of all registered vehicles on our roadways, but they put in 10 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. 9 percent of all fatal traffic crashes in the U.S. are truck accidents.
- In 2020 alone, there were 107,000 injury-causing truck accidents.
The risk of being seriously injured in a truck accident is very real.
Truck Driver Negligence
As mentioned, truck drivers are professional drivers, which means they face more careful safety restrictions. Nonetheless, truck accidents are often the result of truck driver negligence, which can take a range of life-threatening forms, including:
- Distraction
- Exhaustion
- Excess speed
- Aggression
- Impairment
- Failure to follow the rules of the road
Truck drivers who fail to make safety their top concern make our roadways much more dangerous for all who travel on them.
Your Physical, Financial, and Emotional Losses
The losses – or legal damages – you face as a result of a truck accident are likely to be immense and generally fall into the following basic categories:
- Property damage to your car
- Your current and ongoing medical expenses
- Your lost income, which may stretch into your future
- Your pain and suffering, which can complicate every facet of your recovery
How a Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
Your trusted truck accident attorney will help guide your claim smoothly forward toward fair compensation by skillfully taking on all the following primary tasks:
- Gathering and meaningfully compiling all the available evidence, including eyewitness testimony
- Helping you understand the claims process and ensuring that you have the information necessary to make sound decisions that support your rights throughout
- Communicating with the insurance company to ensure that you won’t need to – insurance reps are skilled at obtaining claimant statements that don’t do their claims any favors
- Hiring expert witnesses who bolster the facts of your claim and having accident models built that back these experts up
- Skillfully negotiating with the insurance company for a settlement that addresses your complete losses
- Helping to ensure that the insurance company remains within the parameters of the law
- Preparing to take your case to trial in the event that the insurance company refuses to settle for a fair amount
Obtaining fair compensation is too important to your recovery not to work closely with a seasoned Plantation truck accident firm.
The Insurance Company’s Money-Saving Tactics
The insurance company handling your claim is focused on keeping your settlement low, and toward this end, it may engage in some less-than-forthright practices, such as the following:
- Pushing an early, lowball settlement offer
- Denying your claim from the outset
- Making the claims process as lengthy and complicated as possible
- Denying that your losses are as severe as you claim
- Claiming that you – not the truck driver – are responsible for the accident
Protecting Your Truck Accident Claim
While your claim will be unique to you and the specific details involved, there are some universally helpful steps that every claimant can benefit from, including:
- Seek the immediate medical attention you need and follow your medical team’s advice and instructions carefully.
- Reach out to a savvy truck accident lawyer early in the process.
- Don’t sign off on a settlement offer before discussing the matter with a truck accident lawyer who is up to speed with your claim.
- Leave communications with the insurance company to your truck accident lawyer.
- Stay off social media while your claim is pending. There’s no reason to provide the insurance company with any information, and you can count on them to patrol your social media accounts.
Call an Experienced Plantation Truck Accident Lawyer
Rocco Scarfone is a capable truck accident attorney who puts his clients first. Trust the Scarfone Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys in Plantation, Florida, to skillfully guide your truck injury case. We are here to help.
Pick up the phone and call Scarfone at 561-609-1200 – or contact us online – for more information today.