Apollo Beach Truck Accident lawyer

Apollo Beach Truck Accident Attorney

Commercial truck drivers are essential parts of the supply chain of the United States, moving billions of tons of goods and materials across the country every day. Truck drivers have demanding jobs, driving for hours at a time while meeting tight delivery schedules and following stringent regulatory requirements. While most drivers encounter large trucks on the road without any problems, it is important for all drivers to realize the risks that large commercial trucks can present, and they must also know what to do when accidents occur.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Apollo Beach, FL, Truck Accident Victims

Large commercial trucks are capable of inflicting far worse damage than standard passenger vehicles due to their size and weight. This fact and the fact that truck drivers operate these vehicles as their primary job duty means that every truck driver has a greater duty of care to prevent accidents than the average driver in their personal vehicle. Trucking companies also have a duty of care to follow and enforce industry regulations at all times. Failing this, trucking companies risk vicarious liability for the actions of their drivers, including causing devastating accidents.

If you or a loved one recently suffered harm in a truck accident that someone else caused, it is crucial that you speak with an Apollo Beach truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Whether you were involved in a high-speed crash on I-75 or experienced a truck accident due to unpredictable circumstances along US-41 or Apollo Beach Boulevard, the first steps you take in the aftermath of the accident can have a strong influence on the quality of your recovery. The sooner you reach out to an attorney you can trust, the more likely you are to recover as fully as possible from your damages.

Why You Need an Apollo Beach Truck Accident Attorney

It’s vital that you do not underestimate the importance of hiring an Apollo Beach truck accident attorney to help with your recovery efforts. While it is technically possible to attempt your recovery on your own, you are much more likely to maximize your compensation if you have a seasoned attorney handling your case. Santini Law Firm regularly assists clients in Apollo Beach and surrounding communities of Hillsborough County with all types of personal injury cases, including those arising from commercial truck crashes and other vehicle accidents. We can help determine the optimal path to recovering your losses and streamline all the recovery efforts you attempt.

If you do not have legal counsel advising you for your truck accident case, you risk missing procedural deadlines or settling for less than you legally deserve. The state’s no-fault rule for vehicle accidents requires drivers to use their own insurance after accidents, but this does not mean you will not have grounds for legal recourse against the party responsible for causing the accident that injured you. Your Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can help navigate the insurance claim process for as much initial compensation as possible, and once you exhaust these recovery options, they will be invaluable for the help they can provide in building a personal injury suit against an at-fault driver.

Ultimately, you are not only more likely to succeed with the recovery efforts you attempt when you have an attorney representing you, but you will also be able to rest and recover from your injuries with peace of mind thanks to the assistance they provide. Santini Law Firm approaches every case we accept with the goal of helping our client recover as fully as the law allows. If you believe another driver is responsible for causing your recent truck accident, it’s crucial that you reach out to our team as soon as possible so we can start building your recovery plan.

How to Prove Liability for a Commercial Truck Accident

Florida enforces the no-fault standard for vehicle accidents, meaning every driver in the state must have personal auto insurance that includes personal injury protection (PIP). This coverage will apply to medical bills and lost income after an accident, regardless of who caused the accident. To some drivers, the no-fault rule appears to mean that they cannot pursue compensation for their damages from the driver who actually caused their recent accident, but this isn’t necessarily true. Once an injured driver has recovered as much compensation as they can through their insurance, they have grounds for legal recourse against the at-fault driver if they suffered severe injuries and their insurance cannot fully pay for their damages.

If you believe a truck driver or other party caused your recent truck accident in Apollo Beach, you must gather evidence that proves this is the case before you can recover any compensation for your damages. Digital evidence, traffic camera footage, and testimony from eyewitnesses are often crucial pieces of evidence for proving fault for a vehicle accident.

Truck accidents, like all other motor vehicle accidents in Hillsborough County, most often result from negligence behind the wheel. The term “negligence” applies to any failure to act with reasonable care. A few examples of negligence that can cause a serious truck accident in Apollo Beach include:

• This not only increases the chance of an accident happening but also the severity of the resulting damages. Catastrophic or fatal injuries are more likely to result from accidents that happen at higher speeds, and this is especially true for truck accidents. Excessive speeding could also lead to reckless driving charges for the at-fault driver if they caused serious bodily harm or death.
• Distracted driving. This is a leading cause of vehicle accidents throughout the country each year. Whenever a driver isn’t paying full attention to their surroundings and the safe operation of their vehicle, they can easily cause a devastating accident. A fatal 2019 distracted driving accident spurred lawmakers to create a new law banning the use of cell phones behind the wheel, but cell phone use while driving is still the most common form of distracted driving reported throughout the United States.
• Moving violations. Drivers must follow posted traffic signals and signs at all times, and failure to do so can lead to severe damage for everyone involved. Failure to yield the right-of-way, performing an illegal turn, or running a red light or stop sign are just a few examples of moving violations that can result in serious accidents. Traffic camera recordings are often crucial pieces of evidence for proving that an accident happened because of a driver’s moving violation.
• Truck driver errors. Commercial truck drivers are responsible for handling some of the most inherently dangerous vehicles on the road, and they drive as their primary job responsibility. This means they have a greater duty of care when it comes to driving safely. Trucking companies could face liability for the errors their drivers make if those companies fail to ensure proper certification and training for their employees.

Aside from these common examples of negligence, it is possible for a commercial truck accident to happen in many other ways, including illegal misconduct behind the wheel. Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs is the most common example of this, and a driver who causes a DUI accident in Apollo Beach faces criminal charges along with their liability for the damages they inflict on others. If a truck driver causes an accident because of DUI, they are likely to lose their commercial driver’s license (CDL), forcing them to find a new job as a consequence of their actions.

Proving fault for a truck accident is often more difficult than establishing liability for a standard passenger vehicle accident due to the legal concept of vicarious liability. This issue will arise whenever an employer bears fault for the actions of their employee. For example, a trucking company could be liable for a truck driver’s actions if the company failed to ensure proper training, failed to conduct an appropriate background check, or assigned an inexperienced driver a route they could not handle.

If that vicarious liability applies to your case, your Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can advise you as to how this could impact your recovery efforts. It’s also vital to know what happens if you share fault for causing the accident. The state upholds the modified comparative negligence rule, which will come into play in any civil case in which the plaintiff shares fault with the defendant for causing the damages. As long as the plaintiff is less than 50% at fault, they can still recover compensation for their losses. However, their fault percentage is taken from their final case award as a penalty. If they are 50% or more at fault, they lose the ability to claim compensation from the defendant.

Filing Your Auto Insurance Claim in Apollo Beach

Proving fault can be a complex and stressful ordeal, but a good attorney can guide you through this aspect of your case. However, even if fault for your recent truck accident in Apollo Beach rests with another driver, filing a claim against your own auto insurance policy is a requirement under Florida law and an important first step in your recovery efforts.

You have a limited time in which to file your auto insurance claim after an accident, and you are typically required to notify your insurance company about the crash within a few days of the incident. You should refrain from discussing a settlement with your insurance company until you have legal counsel advising you. Your Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can ensure that the insurance carrier handles the claim in good faith and offers a fair settlement offer. If the insurance company engages in any bad faith tactics or if they raise unfair disputes against your claim, your attorney can address these problems for you.

Once you recover as much as you can through the insurance claim process, your attorney can then assist you in building a comprehensive personal injury claim against whoever caused your truck accident. The no-fault rule allows an injured driver to seek compensation from the driver who caused their accident when the accident resulted in serious harm and the victim’s insurance cannot fully cover their damages.

Claiming Compensation With a Personal Injury Suit in Apollo Beach

If you cannot recover full repayment of your damages from a truck accident with an auto insurance claim, your next option for recovery is filing a personal injury suit against the driver who caused your truck accident. The main objective of any personal injury claim is to identify the party responsible for causing your damages and then prove the full extent of those damages. State law allows a personal injury plaintiff to seek compensation for the entire extent of financial losses they suffered because of a defendant’s negligence or misconduct, which may include:

• Medical expenses. PIP coverage in a personal auto insurance policy typically only covers up to $10,000 in damages after an accident, but if you can prove another party is directly responsible for injuring you, then you can hold them accountable for all the medical expenses you incur because of their actions. A good attorney can help their client secure compensation for immediate and future medical treatment costs resulting from a truck accident, including any ongoing rehabilitative care the plaintiff may need for treating a severe injury.
• Lost income. Similar to medical expenses, PIP in an auto insurance policy may be used to compensate a claimant for the income they cannot earn after an accident, but they can only expect the coverage limit of the policy. If your truck accident has left you unable to work, an experienced Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can assist you in claiming compensation from the at-fault driver for the future income you are no longer able to earn.
• Property damage. The driver who caused your truck accident is liable for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle along with any other personal property lost in the accident.

You may be able to accurately calculate your immediately noticeable damages, but assessing the full long-term financial impact of your accident is likely to be far more challenging if you do not have an Apollo Beach truck accident attorney helping you. Additionally, economic damages are just part of your personal injury case. Florida law also allows a personal injury plaintiff to seek compensation for their non-economic damages.

When you hear the term “pain and suffering” and realize that you have the right to claim financial compensation for these intangible losses, it’s natural to feel a bit lost when it comes to determining a fair amount to reflect the severity of your condition. The state does not enforce a limit on the amount of pain and suffering compensation you can seek from a defendant in a truck accident case, but the amount sought should reasonably reflect the overall severity of your injuries, the time it will take for you to fully recover, and the extent of long-term or permanent harm caused by your injuries.

An Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can help their client determine suitable pain and suffering compensation based on the total of their economic damages and their projected recovery time. A plaintiff who has suffered permanent damage from a truck accident is likely to recover much more pain and suffering compensation than a plaintiff expected to make a full recovery. Santini Law Firm will closely review the details of your injuries and help maximize this aspect of your case award.

What to Expect From Your Apollo Beach Truck Accident Attorney

The right legal representative can make a tremendous positive impact on the outcome of your truck accident case. When you have legal counsel you can trust advising you, you can focus on your recovery from your injuries with peace of mind because you will know your legal affairs are in capable and trustworthy hands. Santini Law Firm has extensive experience handling truck accident claims in Hillsborough County, and we are ready to leverage this experience for you as you seek compensation for your damages.

When you choose our firm to represent your case, you can expect personalized and compassionate legal counsel without adding to your financial troubles. We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will only pay an attorney’s fee once we win your case, and the fee is a percentage of the total amount we recover for you. There is no fee if we are unable to obtain compensation for you, so there is no financial risk to you in choosing our firm to represent your case.

It’s vital to act quickly in the aftermath of a commercial truck accident if you want to reach optimal results in your recovery efforts. You have a limited time in which to file your auto insurance claim, and you must also meet the statute of limitations if you intend to pursue a personal injury claim. Connecting with an Apollo Beach truck accident attorney as soon as possible will help to ensure you can collect the evidence you need to prove fault and accurately establish the full extent of your damages in a timely manner. If you are ready to learn what a seasoned Apollo Beach truck accident attorney can do for you in your case, contact Santini Law Firm today to schedule your free case review with our team.