Daytona Beach Truck Accident Lawyer

Because of their life-changing nature, commercial truck accidents are known for leaving victims with heavy damages. An experienced truck accident attorney will help you recover those damages through a settlement offer or a payout after a trial win.

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 and mobility aids, modifications to your home such as wheelchair ramps and bathroom access, lost wages from time off work, and lost earning capacity if you cannot return to the same field.

Non-economic damages are intangible factors that are not assigned a dollar amount lightly. The most common type is pain and suffering, awarded for exactly what the name suggests. Other non-economic damages include mental anguish, loss of consortium, and disfigurement and scarring.

Courts award punitive damages at the discretion of judges to make exemplary cases out of particularly negligent drivers or trucking 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.

• Back and Neck Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Burns
• Amputation and Disfigurement
• Internal Injuries
• Lacerations and Broken Bones

The type of truck accident often plays a role in the injuries suffered. If a truck strikes a car from the side, the driver is more likely to experience crushing injuries. In a rear-ending, the driver is more likely to experience back injuries.

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.

Trucks driving downhill can slip out of the driver’s control due to brake failure. When this happens, the truck barrels down the highway unimpeded and hits anything in its path.

Semi-trailers are prone to tipping over when drivers take corners too fast due to their high center of gravity. Trucks can also tip over from sudden maneuvers or high winds, landing on other vehicles or causing road blockades.

With their heavy weight, trucks do not just rear-end other vehicles. They can drive onto the back of smaller vehicles, potentially crushing the trunk and backseat.

An underride is when a smaller car crashes into the back of a truck that suddenly slows or stops and becomes wedged under the trailer. These accidents often kill motorists in the front seat of the smaller car.

Improperly secured flatbed cargo like heavy pipes or construction materials can fall into the road, where cars can crash into them.

Truck accidents are often more complex than normal motor vehicle crashes, and understanding the potential causes can help your attorney craft your case.

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.

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, since they often do not oversee the loading of their trailer. If unsecured cargo causes an accident, the loading team may be liable.

Some accidents are the result of improper maintenance or faulty parts manufactured by third parties.

Truck accidents often involve more than the driver who caused the crash. A Daytona Beach truck accident claim may include the motor carrier that hired or supervised the driver, the company that loaded the trailer, a maintenance contractor, a broker or shipper, a leasing company, or a parts manufacturer.

• Driver and motor carrier: Driver fatigue, speeding, distracted driving, poor hiring, inadequate training, and hours-of-service violations can create liability for both the driver and the trucking company.
• Loading company or shipper: Improperly balanced cargo, unsecured freight, and overweight trailers can cause rollovers, jackknife crashes, and spilled-load collisions.
• Maintenance provider: Missed brake inspections, worn tires, steering problems, and ignored repair records can point to a negligent repair shop or fleet maintenance vendor.
• Parts manufacturer: Defective tires, brakes, underride guards, coupling systems, or other truck components can make a product manufacturer part of the claim.

The Eberst Law Firm reviews driver logs, dispatch records, inspection reports, maintenance files, loading documents, electronic control module data, and insurance policies to identify every party whose negligence contributed to the crash.