Orlando Truck Accident Attorneys Representing Injured Victims Throughout Central Florida

Many drivers may not think about the differences and serious consequences of a truck accident compared to an accident involving a smaller and possibly less powerful vehicle. Your risk of injury is potentially greater in a truck-involved accident. What’s more, determining fault can be more complicated because you are likely dealing with a trucking company, possibly multiple drivers, and one or more insurance companies.

Professional trucking companies have much more experience dealing with large-scale accident claims than the average driver. They have attorneys working for them with extensive experience defending accident claims and you should have that level of representation as well. A road-tested truck accident attorney who understands the complex legalities of these cases will be your best chance at winning against corporations or companies who will fight to protect their drivers and finances.

Do Trucks Really Have a Black Box with Information Recorded When They Are Involved in Accidents?

The short answer to that question is yes. The reason why that answer is so vital to your case has to do with proving fault during a trucking accident. Almost all commercial trucks now have some sort of black box that records critical information about an accident, including everything from the vehicle’s speed to whether brakes were applied before or during the crash.

All of that information could be highly valuable in proving fault for the accident, but the black box information is owned by the trucking company. That means that if you don’t have an attorney who knows how to get a court order to obtain that information, it could be destroyed or lost by the company. Trucking companies know that information could be valuable to injury victims, which is bad for them. That’s why it’s important to have an experienced truck accident injury attorney help you with the difficult and sometimes expensive process of obtaining that data before it is gone forever.

What Types of Personal Injury Damages Might You Be Compensated For?

While many of the types of personal injury damages you can be compensated for are the same for trucks as they are for cars, the extreme size and weight of trucks means the potential for considerably more damage. Some of the types of damages that you could be compensated for are:

Medical Costs

Medical costs cover the initial costs of immediate and emergency care, such as emergency transportation by ambulance or helicopter, life-saving help, and hospital costs. However, it can easily extend well beyond that, when you factor in future costs for specific medical equipment (such as wheelchairs, ramps and other home alterations), reconstructive or recovery-based surgeries, continued physical therapy or rehabilitation, in-home skilled nursing care, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and other costs.

Funeral Costs

If a loved one was killed in a trucking accident, the family should not be responsible for paying for their funeral expenses, especially given the death itself was due to another party’s negligence. Funeral and burial costs can be included in a wrongful death claim.

Pain and Suffering

Medical costs are one thing, but the pain and suffering that someone goes through as the result of an accident is an entirely separate issue that deserves recognition and compensation. Pain and suffering would include any physical or emotional pain that resulted from the truck accident, as well as any loss incurred in your ability to enjoy certain activities. If your quality of life is seriously diminished by an accident, you deserve to be compensated for that loss.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are awarded less often than other damages, but it’s worth pointing them out because these damages may be awarded if the truck driver or trucking company violated regulations that were involved in or led to the accident. Punitive damages are awarded as a way of financially punishing the at-fault party, and they can be substantial if they apply.

Is There a Time Limit for Accident Claims in Orlando?

Like most kinds of lawsuits, there is a statute of limitations on how long you have to file for a truck accident case. In Florida, you have two years from the date of the accident to file for damages (Four-years if the incident occurred prior to March 24, 2023). If the truck accident led to a wrongful death, then the loved ones of the deceased also have two years from the date of their loved one’s passing to file.  Furthermore, if the truck is owned by a governmental agency, there are very different and complex timelines in which you have to file your claim.

A good rule of thumb is to contact an attorney as soon as possible after the accident and try to file a claim as soon as you are able to. The longer a case takes to be filed, the more likely an insurance company will say that your situation and your injuries were not an emergency.

How Can a Local Truck Accident Attorney Help You?

The impact of a truck accident on you and your family can be traumatic, dire, and far-reaching. Your physical and emotional health can be negatively affected, and as your well-being suffers, so can that of your family and even your career.

RTRLAW understands the seriousness of the situation you face. The struggle to deal with insurance companies and trucking companies – whose interests extend only to their own bottom-line — is not a fight you should take on alone, especially when you are enduring possible health and physical difficulties.

An  experienced Orlando truck accident lawyer is crucial when it comes to getting the compensation you deserve to get the physical and mental care you need from your injuries. Your RTRLAW personal injury attorney can take over communication with the other parties, conduct and aid in investigations to determine responsibility, and fight to get you fair compensation from all the parties involved who might bear some of the blame. Depending on the circumstances, an experienced law firm like RTRLAW might even bring forth expert witnesses to help with your claim.

Since our founding in 1988, RTRLAW has represented tens of thousands of clients in Florida and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and settlements for our clients. Our attorneys are available to meet with you over the phone, by video conference, in person at our Orlando office, or at one of our 6 convenient offices throughout Florida. If you can’t come to us, we can come to you – even if you’re in the hospital, or we can take care of all the paperwork electronically via email and text for your convenience. Let RTRLAW help you today.