Semi-Truck, Tractor Trailer, 18-Wheeler, or Commercial Truck or Vehicle Accidents

The damage caused by a large commercial vehicle colliding with a smaller passenger vehicle is almost certainly catastrophic. Semi trucks, commercial trucks, tractor trailers, big rigs, dump trucks, parcel or mail trucks, buses, or 18-wheelers crowd our highways and are involved in accidents with passenger cars or pedestrians which can cause extensive damage to the smaller vehicle. Victims may suffer a full range of bodily injuries from traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, quadriplegia, or wrongful death, to simple sprains and strains.

While trucking accidents can occur anywhere, Florida's Turnpike, Interstate 4 (I-4), Interstate 75 (I-75), Interstate 95 (I-95), the East-West Expressway (S.R. 408), the Beach Line (S.R. 528), and the Greenway (S.R. 417) are all common locations of commercial vehicle accidents in the Central Florida / Orlando area.

Causes of Accidents

Large commercial vehicles can weigh more than 10,000 pounds, and some as much as 80,000 pounds including cargo, and can be up to 75 feet in length. Large vehicles like these traveling on our roadways can be difficult to control at high speeds. Drivers are held to strict Federal, State and even their company's rules and regulations. The Federal Government regulates trucking companies' employee screening and background checks, truck weights, and time drivers spend on the road. The Federal Government also requires large truck operators to acquire a commercial driver's license, undergo specialized training, and undergo limited drug and alcohol testing.

However, all too often, accidents with commercial vehicles are the result of driver distraction or error; sleepy, tired or fatigued drivers; mechanical or equipment failure such as brakes, warning lights, reflectors, lights or other warning or safety features; driver intoxication; inadequate training or experience; failure of driver to follow company, federal and/or state mandated regulations; overloaded or improperly loaded cargo; failure of driver to yield the right of way; poor visibility; failure of driver to recognize blind spots at the front, back and sides of the truck; wide turns; running passenger vehicles off the road ("squeeze play") when a driver tends to swing wide to the left in order to negotiate a right turn or ("off track") when a driver turns at high speed and swings into an adjacent lane unexpectedly; dangerous, reckless or aggressive driving behavior; and/or speeding or inadequate stopping distance resulting in a rear-end collision. Studies have shown that many trucks are overloaded which affects their handling, stability and stopping ability.

Trucking Accidents

Trucking companies involved in an accident often send representatives from their insurance company to the accident scene. Their objective is not to look out for the medical and financial interests of injured victims, but rather to limit their own client's financial liability. In addition, the companies that own the cab, the trailer, the cargo, and that hired the driver are often different, thus determining liability can be difficult. Many times the trucking, hauling and leasing companies dispute whose insurance will provide for victim compensation.

These different companies' representatives know that the ideal time to confront an accident victim is immediately following the event. In the aftermath of a truck accident, the traumatized victim will need to make important decisions that will impact their future. Grieving, anxious and injured people can be pressured by trucking and insurance companies' tactics.

Too often, the victims and their families struggle through the difficult after-effects of truck collisions alone. Additionally, trucking accidents are much more complex than the typical car accident. It is often necessary to subpoena information from many different parties, including the driver's records and logs, data from GPS devices and black boxes carried on most commercial vehicles, and vehicle maintenance records. It is important for victims and their families to consult an attorney as soon as possible.

What To Do

Being involved in a semi truck, commercial truck, tractor trailer, big rig, dump truck, parcel or mail truck, bus, or 18-wheeler accident, or any other traumatic event can leave a victim caught up in a complex maze of legal, medical and financial issues at a time when they are least prepared to deal appropriately with those issues. Until you can speak to an attorney, we hope that the general information found on our page regarding what to do if you have been involved in an accident will be helpful.

Recoverable Damages

Damages that are available to be claimed in an automobile, motor vehicle, or car accident lawsuit are varied and complex. These damages are intended not as a reward, but as a way to restore the victim to his or her pre-accident status. Since circumstances will vary widely, you should get specific advice from an attorney. For general information, please visit our page on potential recoverable damages.

Contact the Kane Law Firm, P.A.

If you have been injured in a semi truck, commercial vehicle, tractor trailer, big rigs, dump trucks, parcel or mail trucks, bus or 18-wheeler accident, you should contact an experienced truck or commercial vehicle accident lawyer who can evaluate your claim and protect your legal rights. Keep in mind that there are time limitations (statutes of limitations) involved with filing your claim. As a result, it is important to act quickly and contact a lawyer with any questions or issues you may have. An experienced truck or commercial vehicle accident attorney will help determine what medical benefits and other compensation you will be entitled to.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of a commercial vehicle, truck, bus, or semi tractor trailer collision or accident, please call the Central Florida Trucking Accident Attorneys at the Kane Law Firm, P.A. in Orlando, Florida at (407) 898-9130, submit a contact form on our website, or email us at Info@KaneInjury.com.

We offer a free initial consultation, and if we agree to take your case, we will work on a contingency basis. This means we will get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds.