Fuel trucks may be among the heaviest vehicles on the roads of Tampa, and accidents involving fuel trucks could have an elevated threat of danger to you or your loved one. The impact that a fuel truck has when it collides with your vehicle could cause significant injury, and secondary injuries such as burns may also occur due to the combustible nature of fuel. In any case, you may seek compensation with help from a Tampa truck accident lawyer.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free consultation about how we may help you after an accident involving a fuel truck.
Fuel Trucks Can Be a Danger to Your Life
Being in a motor vehicle accident can cause serious injury no matter the specific type of vehicle that strikes yours, but a fuel truck may pose a higher risk of danger due to several of its features. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy notes that the weight difference between large trucks and smaller vehicles can be tens of thousands of pounds.
Such weight differences may be extremely relevant when an accident involving a fuel truck occurs. Because of its significant weight, a fuel truck may:
- Take a longer time to slow down or stop
- Have a substantial capacity for inflicting damage to other vehicles, and the individuals who occupy those vehicles at the time of a collision
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) notes that, because trucks tend to far outweigh the vehicles that they may crash into, it is those in the vehicles they strike who generally suffer serious or fatal injuries. Truck drivers and those responsible for the actions of truck drivers must understand the great dangers that trucks pose when accidents occur and take extreme caution to avoid causing a collision.
How Fuel Truck Drivers May Violate Their Duty of Care
The Legal Information Institute (LII) explains that a duty of care requires someone to act as a reasonable person would, and in the case of fuel truck drivers, this may generally mean operating their truck in a safe manner. There are several ways that truck drivers may act unreasonably by putting others at risk of being in an accident, including by:
- Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Making dangerous turns
- Failing to check blind spots thoroughly before changing lanes
- Drifting out of one’s own lane
- Using a mobile device for any purpose while driving
- Eating or drinking while driving
- Failing to maintain functional headlights, brake lights, and other safety features of a fuel truck
- Running a red light, stop sign, or yield sign
- Driving beyond the number of hours legally permitted for truck drivers
Truck drivers are required to operate their vehicles in the same safe, conscientious manner that all motorists are. As professionals driving vehicles that require a commercial driver’s license (CDL), they may even be held to higher standards than non-CDL drivers.
Truck drivers who cause accidents may be held responsible for the losses that those accidents cause, including the losses suffered by you or your loved one. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for details about how a Tampa fuel truck lawyer may handle your case for fair compensation.
Your Lawyer Will Aim to Pinpoint Responsible Parties
One of the earliest responsibilities a Tampa truck accident lawyer may handle as your legal representative is determining who is at fault for your accident. They may begin by examining precisely how your accident was caused, and specifically what the fuel truck driver may have done to cause the collision.
The company that employs the fuel truck driver could also have liability for your accident. The American Bar Association (ABA) explains that strict liability may be one standard for liability in a personal injury (or wrongful death) lawsuit and could be a factor in your case. An employer may be strictly liable for the actions of their fuel truck drivers while they are on the clock.
Once your lawyer determines all of the parties to name as defendants in your lawsuit, they may proceed with your case.
A Lawyer May Handle Your Lawsuit from Start to Finish
Your lawyer’s approach to your lawsuit may depend on whether yours is a personal injury or wrongful death case. If your case involves a non-fatal injury, then your lawyer may work with you to understand how your injuries have affected your life. If you bring a wrongful death case, they may speak with you and other surviving loved ones of the deceased.
The approach to a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit may be similar in that your lawyer may:
- Gather all available evidence from the accident in question
- File your lawsuit as soon as possible
- Determine the amount of compensation you or others deserve based on accident-related losses and issues of liability
- Document your injuries and medical care
- Form all relevant arguments for liability
- Hire experts to participate in your case
- Interview witnesses and record their accounts
- Negotiate a settlement
- Complete a trial (if necessary)
The goal of either lawsuit type may also be the same: to secure fair compensation to cover the losses due to a fuel truck accident. Losses could include the cost of medical care for you or a loved one, lost income for those injured or killed in the accident, pain and suffering, and damage to property. Losses could vary slightly or significantly between wrongful death and personal injury cases.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine Today
You may have experienced a traumatic, injury-producing fuel truck accident or may be acting on behalf of a loved one who was injured or passed away in such an accident. In either case, hiring a Tampa fuel truck lawyer may help you seek the compensation that you may be entitled to.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free consultation about how we will go the extra mile in helping you or your loved one seek justice.
We Can Help.
