Starke Truck Accident Lawyer
Have you or a loved one been injured in a trucking accident in Starke, FL? You may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. An experienced Starke truck accident lawyer at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can help you fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
Our team of lawyers and former insurance adjusters have fought to secure fair compensation for injured clients across Central Florida for decades. We’re ready to fight for you.
All you have to do is call our law offices to speak with a lawyer in Starke, Florida, today. Your first consultation is free, so give us a call today.
How Allen Law Firm, P.A. Can Help After a Truck Accident in Starke, FL
Recovering compensation in a truck accident case takes time and resources. It can be difficult to invest those things if you’re seriously hurt–making it tempting to accept whatever settlement the insurance company offers.
Fighting for the full compensation you deserve can seem impossible–but you don’t want to settle for less than you deserve. If you make that mistake, you could be on the hook for your own medical bills down the line.
Let our experienced Starke personal injury lawyers take over the fight so that you can focus on your recovery.
Hiring our legal team in Starke, FL means you’ll have an attorney that will:
- Locate all evidence establishing negligence in your case
- Hire respected experts and industry specialists to assess the true value of your personal injury claim
- Defend you if the insurance company tries to blame you for the crash
- Demand fair compensation from every responsible party
- Handle all negotiations with the insurance company
When a large commercial insurance policy is at stake, insurance adjusters tend to throw everything they have into minimizing your settlement. Our Starke personal injury attorneys have decades of experience working in the insurance industry–and we know what it takes to fight back.
Ready to get started? Call our lawyers today for a free case review.
How Common Are Truck Accidents in Starke?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that 5,096 large trucks and commercial vehicles were involved in fatal crashes in 2018. Approximately 112,000 truck wrecks caused injuries that year.
In 2019, 5,005 large trucks were involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents across the U.S. Not surprisingly, 349 of those fatal truck accidents occurred in Florida.
What is My Starke Truck Accident Case Worth?
It’s impossible to put a dollar value on your truck accident case without first understanding what happened. However, it is helpful to understand the factors that are used to determine what your personal injury case is worth.
Valuing your economic damages is relatively simple. Usually, you’ll use receipts, medical records, and other documentation to support the value.
Calculating pain and suffering damages can be much more difficult. These non-economic damages can make up a substantial part of your compensation award.
The value of your damages award will usually be based on:
- The nature and severity of your injuries
- Whether you are permanently disabled or disfigured
- The type of medical treatment and rehabilitation required
- The level of physical pain you endured
- The emotional trauma of the event
- The circumstances of the accident
The insurance company will want to have complete control over determining what your case is worth. If you were hurt in a truck accident, you don’t have to take the insurance company’s decision at face value. In fact, you should expect them to start out with the lowest possible settlement offer. It’s your attorney’s job to fight for a higher dollar value.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Truck Accident Victims?
Our goal at Allen Law Firm, P.A. is to make you as whole as possible after an accident. That means fighting to recover all available damages in your personal injury case.
There are a few different types of damages available in personal injury cases. Economic damages represent your financial losses because of the injury, including your medical bills.
Common examples of economic damages include:
- Past and future expenses, including the ER visit, hospitalization, surgeries, and more
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Rehabilitation
- Medications
- Property damage
Non-economic damages compensate for the suffering you’ve incurred because of the injuries.
Examples of non-economic damages in Florida include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
Don’t underestimate the costs of a serious injury. If you or a family member were injured, it’s important to fight for the full range of damages available–or risk leaving money on the table.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Truck Accident in Florida?
You can still recover damages if you’re partly responsible for your accident in Florida, so long as you’re not mostly responsible.
Truck drivers, trucking companies, and other responsible parties often try to blame the victim for causing the accident. If they succeed, you’ll recover less compensation. Under Florida’s modified comparative fault laws, your compensation award is reduced to account for your share of the blame. You also cannot recover compensation if you are 51% or more to blame.
When the insurance company blames you for getting hurt, it’s important to fight back. You’ll need proof to show what really caused the accident. At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we know how to fight allegations that you caused the crash. Give us a call today to learn more about how we’ll put our resources to work for you.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Truck Accident Injuries
Auto accidents involving semi-trucks and 18-wheelers can cause some of the most serious injuries imaginable. A loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Unfortunately, it’s the people in lighter passenger vehicles that tend to suffer the brunt of the injuries.
At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we’ll fight to recover compensation for all of your truck accident injuries, including:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burn injuries
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Broken bones
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Crushing injuries
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
Sadly, many truck accident injuries turn out to be fatal. If you lost a loved one in a fatal truck accident, we can also help you file a lawsuit for wrongful death.
What Causes Most Truck Accidents in Starke, Florida?
Truck drivers spend long hours behind the wheel. It’s no surprise that they often become impatient to reach their destination. Some drivers even violate FMCSA hours-of-service rules and become tired behind the wheel.
Some of the leading causes of truck accidents in Starke, Florida, include:
- Loss of control
- Failure to stay in the lane of traffic
- Distracted driving
- Driver fatigue
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Tailgating (following too closely)
- Excessive speeds
- Aggressive driving
- Unsafe passing
- Dangerous or illegal turns
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Road hazards
Of course, defects in the vehicle itself can also cause a truck crash. Trucking companies are required to conduct regular inspections to make sure their trucks are in safe condition. Failing to maintain the vehicle is a form of negligence–and can put dangerous trucks with faulty brakes, tires, and safety equipment on the roads.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Truck Accident in Florida?
Truck accident victims usually have to prove negligence to recover compensation.
To prove negligence, you’ll have to convince the insurance company or a court that:
- The responsible party owed you a legal duty of care
- The at-fault party breached that duty
- The breach caused the accident
- You suffered damages
Commercial truck accident cases often become complex because more than one party may be liable. It’s important to identify every responsible party to get the fair amount you deserve.
Responsible parties may include:
- The truck driver
- Trucking companies
- Maintenance companies
- Other drivers
- Manufacturers of defective brakes, tires, or safety equipment
- A company responsible for the truck’s cargo
- Employers of negligent parties
To prove negligence, our Starke truck accident attorneys will obtain all relevant evidence, including:
- Police reports
- Toxicology reports
- The driver’s hours-of-service log
- Maintenance records
- Past safety reports
- The driver’s driving record and commercial driver’s license information
- Eyewitness testimony
- Camera footage
- The truck’s black box recording device
We’ll even bring in accident reconstruction specialists and other experts as needed. Armed with the full range of evidence available, we’ll greatly increase your chances of recovering maximum compensation in your case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Truck Accident in Florida?
Florida law was recently changed regarding personal injury lawsuit deadlines. The statute of limitations is two years if the accident happened on or after 3/24/2023, and it is four years if the accident took place before that date. In fatal crash cases, surviving family members have only two years to sue for damages. Once the deadline passes, you’ll lose your right to compensation. There are exceptions to these deadlines in some cases, so it is best to confirm the appropriate timeline for your case with an attorney.
Contact a Starke Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we’ve spent decades helping truck accident victims recover fair compensation for their injuries. If you were hurt or lost a family member, call a Starke truck accident lawyer for a free consultation today.
