Wrecks involving passenger vehicles and trucks often cause fatalities, usually among the occupants of the smaller vehicle. When people do survive these crashes, it will often leave painful injuries.
Truck accident claims are not always like car accident claims. Trucking is a powerful industry and the trucking companies work hard to avoid liability. A successful claim requires the help of a Tavares truck accident attorney. Contact a local personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the incident. The sooner you have legal representation, the stronger your case is likely to be.
In the past, Florida allowed people four years to bring a lawsuit against the negligent parties responsible for injuring them. However, the law changed, and anyone in an accident after March 24, 2023, must file a lawsuit seeking damages within two years of the accident date. Someone injured before the effective date of the new law still has four years from the date of their accident to sue.
However, the statute of limitations is not the only reason to get an attorney on the case immediately. When someone suffers severe injuries in a truck accident, representatives of the trucking company’s insurer often approach the injured victim soon afterward. They offer a quick settlement for a sum that might seem generous in the moment but is far less than the claim’s value.
When an injured person has legal counsel, the insurance companies cannot approach the injured person directly. Instead, they must present the settlement offer to the lawyer who could advise their client to reject the offer if it is too low. A Tavares attorney could handle all communication regarding the truck accident, sparing the injured person from that stress and ensuring that the company representatives do not manipulate or take advantage of the plaintiff or their family members.
Auto accidents in Florida are managed through the state’s no-fault system. Everyone registering a vehicle must purchase personal injury protection (PIP), which covers injuries to the policy holder and others in their household regardless of who is at fault in the accident. Minimum PIP coverage in the state is $10,000.
Truck accident survivors typically exhaust their PIP benefits quickly. Their injuries often qualify them to bring a lawsuit against the negligent parties as Florida Statutes § 627.737 allows. A survivor could seek compensation for the expenses that exceed their PIP coverage, as well as pain, suffering, and other non-economic losses.
A truck accident claim often involves multiple potentially responsible parties. A Tavares attorney could investigate the circumstances of the truck accident to determine whose negligence might have contributed to the incident. Defendants in a truck accident case could include the trucker, trucking company, vehicle manufacturer, maintenance contractor, the firm that loaded the truck, and others.
People who survive truck accidents often suffer injuries that leave them permanently impaired. Trucking companies carry commercial insurance policies with high coverage limits, but sometimes they are not enough to cover damages for a permanent injury. Bringing claims against several responsible parties increases the available coverage and ensures an injured person receives a settlement that provides adequate compensation.
A truck accident survivor could seek payment for their vehicle and its contents, the wages and benefits they lost while recovering, and, if they cannot return to work, their diminished lifetime earning capacity. A survivor could receive reimbursement for current and future medical and rehabilitation expenses, home renovations necessary to accommodate the injury, adaptive equipment, and the cost of in-home or nursing home services.
The negligent parties also owe compensation for the non-economic impact of the accident. Damages for these losses include money to acknowledge a survivor’s disability, lost enjoyment of life, physical pain, embarrassment and humiliation, emotional trauma, and other subjective losses. A Tavares attorney could help an injured person catalogue their losses to prove their non-economic damages.
A truck accident is traumatic physically and emotionally, and your recovery might take a long time. Work with an attorney who has experience managing claims against this powerful industry.
A Tavares truck accident is ready to put their skills to work for you and your family. Reach out to The Umansky Law Firm for further advice.
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