Semi Truck Accident Attorneys in Daytona Beach, Florida
Florida is home to some of the busiest highways in the country, including I-4 going east to west across the state and I-95 going north to south along the east coast through populated cities like Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, and Miami. These interstates carry thousands of cars every day, along with hundreds of heavy commercial trucks that are vital to the state economy.
Unfortunately, crashes involving large trucks colliding with passenger vehicles are unavoidable – they’re bound to happen sooner or later. They can be some of the most destructive, severe accidents on the road, often turning into multiple-car collisions. Such accidents can turn many lives upside-down at once. If you’ve been injured or had your car totaled in an accident involving a commercial truck, call the experienced team at Eberst Law to help you seek compensation for your losses.
Damages in a Truck Accident Case
Because of their life-changing nature, commercial truck accidents are known for leaving victims with lots of damages. Thankfully, an experienced truck accident attorney will be able to help you recover your damages in the form of compensation through a settlement offer or payout after a trial win.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are expenses incurred as a result of the accident that have a concrete dollar amount. These include:
- Medical bills
- Physical therapy for long-term disabilities
- Durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, accessible beds, mobility aids, and more
- Modifications to your home, such as wheelchair ramps and bathroom access
- Lost wages due to time off work or having to find a new career
- Lost earning capacity if you’re unable to return to the same field
Non-Economic Damages
These damages are calculated differently, as they are intangible factors that are not assigned a dollar amount lightly. The most common type of non-economic damage is pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is awarded for exactly what the name suggests, the pain and the suffering that the victim has experienced because of the accident and resulting injuries. Other non-economic damages include mental anguish, loss of consortium, and disfigurement and scarring.
Punitive Damages
Courts award punitive damages at the discretion of judges to make exemplary cases out of particularly negligent drivers or truck companies. For example, if the driver willfully ignored road laws or the trucking company operated in a flagrant violation of safety regulations, you may receive compensation for punitive damages.
Common Injuries from Truck Accidents
Truck accident injuries can range from mild to severe and life-threatening. Some injuries may heal on their own or with minor treatment, while others may require life-long treatment or extensive treatment plans.
Back and Neck Injuries
The fragile bones and ligaments in your back and neck are at high risk from any kind of impact, and the high force of a truck crash can cause pain that lingers for days after the crash, even if you have no other obvious injuries. Back and neck injuries can also cause chronic pain or challenges with mobility. Many people who experience these types of injuries find themselves in physical therapy or relying on other methods of pain management.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Injuries to your spine can result in paralysis of your limbs or lower body. Spinal injuries are not easily fixed and can involve months or years of treatments and physical therapy. Because of their severity, most people with spinal cord injuries experience a decreased quality of life. Adapting to a spinal cord injury can take time, and compensation can help ensure you’re able to get the quality care that you deserve as long as you need it.
Burns
Ruptured fuel tanks are no small risk when a heavy commercial truck collides with a passenger vehicle. Fires can spread fast and cause heavy burns to drivers or passengers. Burns may require surgery to reconstruct the skin. Severe burns may even cause nerve damage and result in chronic pain.
Amputation and Disfigurement
Crushing forces from the collision alone can lead to the loss of a limb or if medical personnel determine that the limb is beyond saving in the aftermath. Either way, amputation is a serious injury that requires a lot of medical treatment and care.
Internal Injuries
Internal injuries often don’t display symptoms for days after the crash. Concussions can linger for days if your head takes an impact in the accident, and airbag deployment can cause blunt trauma that may damage your internal organs. You may not know that you have an internal injury from the beginning, which is why it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. That way, your doctor can start treating you before things get worse.
Lacerations and Broken Bones
Cuts, bruises, and fractures may sound like getting off easy, but they can be deceptively serious. Cuts from sharp glass can lead to disfiguring scars or infection. Broken bones can heal by being set in a cast. In some cases, though, they may require surgery. In the case of a severe accident, you may have various cuts, bruises, and breaks.
Common Types of Truck Accidents
There are a few different types of truck accidents. The type of truck accident a person is involved in often plays a huge role in the injuries that they receive. For example, if a truck strikes a car from the side, the driver would be more likely to experience crushing injuries. In the case of a rear-ending, the driver would be more likely to experience back injuries.
Jackknife
When the coupling connecting the trailer to the tractor malfunctions, the trailer can swing out perpendicular to the truck and collide with cars in an adjacent lane.
Runaway truck
Trucks driving downhill can slip out of their driver’s control due to things like brake failure. When this happens, the truck barrels down the highway unimpeded and will hit anything in its path.
Rollover
Semi-trailers are prone to tipping over when drivers take corners too fast due to their high center of gravity. Trucks and can also tip over from sudden maneuvers or high winds, not only potentially landing on other vehicles but also causing road blockades.
Override
With their heavy weight, trucks don’t just rear-end other vehicles. They can actually drive onto the back of smaller vehicles, potentially crushing the trunk and backseat.
Underride
The opposite of an override is an underside. An underride is when smaller cars crash into the back of a truck due to the truck suddenly slowing or stopping and becoming wedged under the trailer. These accidents often kill motorists in the front seat of the smaller car.
Cargo spills
Improperly secured flatbed cargo like heavy pipes or construction materials can fall into the road, where cars can crash into them.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents are often more complex than normal motor vehicle crashes, and understanding the potential causes can help your attorney craft your case.
Driver Fatigue
Truck drivers are supposed to adhere to a schedule of rest breaks to ensure their safety and others. When they push themselves and do not take these breaks, they put other drivers at risk. Driver fatigue may also occur when a trucking company pressures a driver to work extra hours.
Failure to Secure Cargo
As mentioned above, truck drivers handle large loads that can fall off their trucks if not secured properly. Typically if this happens, it is not the driver’s fault, as they are often not the ones overseeing the loading of their trailer. If unsecured cargo causes an accident, the loading team may be liable.
Truck Manufacturer
Some accidents are the result of improper maintenance or faulty parts.
Multiple Party Liability Claims
Truck accidents are unique in that they often have layers of negligence, meaning that plaintiffs can hold multiple parties accountable in the event of multiple factors contributing to the accident. All of them will be equally responsible for paying the damages.
For example, say a truck company manufactured a faulty set of tires that went on a truck. The truck was then driven by a tired driver who failed to notice the tires were faulty. In that scenario, both the tired driver and the manufacturer of the tires would be responsible if that truck collides with a passenger vehicle.
Getting Compensation for a Truck Accident
Truck accidents can be sudden, traumatic events that turn your life upside-down. They can saddle you with heavy amounts of medical debt and cause you no small amount of trauma. In the aftermath of one, you need an experienced attorney to guide you through the process of seeking compensation.
The Daytona Beach brand of the Eberst Law Firm has connections with local law enforcement, local treatment facilities, and other experts that can greatly enhance your case. Because of this, we’re able to receive records fast and start building your case with ease. Our main focus is you, and we’ll do whatever we can to ensure your case is settled in your favor.
Contact a Daytona Truck Accident Lawyer That Really Cares!
We at Eberst Law can help. Our Daytona Beach team is experienced in handling claims for truck accidents and can get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us on our online form here, or call us at 772-225-4900. Our experienced Daytona Beach team is ready to help you.
