How much you should settle for after a Fort Lauderdale truck accident varies depending on many factors. Truck accident settlements generally fluctuate based on the cost of the damages suffered, the extent of the victim’s physical injuries, and the role of the liable party.
A Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer with our firm can look at the specifics of your truck collision as they collect evidence. We can help you identify the liable parties and pursue the maximum compensation possible for those who are at fault.
What Damages Can You Recover With A Truck Accident Settlement?
In addition to their injuries, truck accident victims often must cope with expensive medical bills, hefty vehicle repair costs, and income loss. After a Florida car accident, victims must return to their personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to recover medical expenses and other damages. However, once you exhaust your PIP, you can pursue compensation from a negligent party with a liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
In general, a truck accident settlement may include compensation for the following:
- Current and ongoing medical treatment, including emergency transportation and emergency services, hospital and doctor fees, rehabilitation, surgeries, follow-up care, extended nursing, and medical devices and equipment
- Lost wages, earnings, and employment benefits, including compensation for lost earning capacity if you cannot return to your previous job, must permanently reduce your workload, or leave the workforce
- Vehicle repairs or the cost of replacing your car if the damages are a total loss
- Physical pain and suffering, including scarring, disfigurement, severe and chronic pain, and loss of mobility
- Mental and emotional distress, including stress, depression, anxiety, loss of enjoyment, and diminished quality of life
- Wrongful death of a loved one, including medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, loss of the deceased’s financial support, services, care, and companionship, and survivors’ mental pain and suffering
When you have a lawyer from our firm working on your side, they will look at your damages and determine how much you should settle for to satisfy your truck accident losses. Compensation depends on the specifics of your situation, but we will calculate all your economic and non-economic damages and fight for every cent owed to you.
Can A Truck Accident Lawyer Help You Get A Better Settlement?
After a truck accident, you could face serious health challenges, which may make it a less-than-ideal time to handle a legal case alone.
While there is no guarantee working with an attorney will get you a better truck accident settlement, it can take the burden of building your case off your shoulders. In addition, an experienced personal injury lawyer can use their skills and knowledge to protect your rights and ensure you do not leave money on the table.
An injury attorney with our firm can help you with all the details of your case. Our job is to seek the best possible settlement available, freeing you to focus on healing. We can:
Gather Evidence Of Negligence
To secure compensation after a truck accident, you need to show that the truck driver, the trucking company, or another party acted carelessly, recklessly, or wrongfully. We can get to work immediately gathering crucial evidence demonstrating negligence, which may include:
- Police reports
- The truck’s black box data recorder
- Dashboard camera details
- Trucking company logbooks
- Records of past company/commercial motor vehicle driver (CMV) violations
- Accident reconstruction data
- Traffic camera footage
We can also investigate other sources of evidence to determine if other parties could be liable for the accident, such as information from cargo loading companies, truck parts manufacturers, private and government roadway owners, and third-party motorists. As you can imagine, gathering evidence quickly is important because things can get lost or deteriorate, and witnesses’ memories can fade.
Prove The Extent Of Your Injuries And Damages
Truck accident injuries can be severe and catastrophic. You could face a long recovery from a back injury, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or many other painful conditions. Furthermore, your everyday expenses don’t stop just because you’re hurt.
We will work to determine all the costs associated with your injuries, proving that they are serious, you have monetary losses, and you deserve the appropriate compensation. Evidence used to establish economic and non-economic damages include:
- Bills, receipts, invoices, and pay stubs
- Estimates regarding your future medical costs, lost income, and other ongoing expenses
- Your medical records
- Notes from your doctors
- Expert testimony proving the extent of your injuries
- Your prognosis and whether or not you will make a full recovery
- Testimony from family, friends, and colleagues outlining how your injuries affect your mental and emotional health and daily life
Handle Negotiations Or Take Your Case To Trial
We can take the evidence proving the facts of your case and use it to seek the settlement you deserve after your truck accident.
Obtaining advantageous compensation can take time, as trucking companies may want to wait to pay out your claim. We will handle negotiations, which saves you time and energy, provides you with an ally who can represent your best interests, and protects you from accidentally saying or doing something that could hurt your case.
Deal With Pushback From Large Trucking Companies
Our firm has experience dealing with large trucking companies. Therefore, we are familiar with tactics the other party’s adjusters and lawyers may use to lower your settlement amount. For instance, the trucking company may try to claim that your injuries aren’t as serious as you say or that your actions contributed to the accident.
I want you to know that standing up against accusations of wrongdoing on your part is important because recent changes to Florida’s comparative fault laws under HB 837 bar plaintiffs from recovering financial compensation if the court finds them more than 50 percent at fault for their personal injuries. We know how to deal with these challenges and fight allegations that could reduce your compensation or eliminate your right to recover your losses.
Meet The Statute Of Limitations For Truck Accidents In Florida
According to HB 837/SB 236, you have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida. Again, this is due to a recent change to the law. Previously, injury victims had four years to file suit. When you connect our firm after an accident, we can begin to collect evidence and build a case that represents your legal position.
However, if you fail to act within the statute of limitations, you will likely find yourself with no options for pursuing your truck accident damages.
Large Trucks Can Cause Large Accidents
Because of their size and weight, trucks, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, and other large CMVs can cause severe and catastrophic injuries and damages during a collision.
Due to their potential to cause serious harm, commercial drivers and trucking companies must uphold a higher standard of care by obeying Florida traffic laws and special rules and regulations laid out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). For example:
- CMV drivers must follow Hours of Service (HOS) regulations to prevent driving drowsy
- Drivers must obtain special licenses and receive proper training
- Trucking companies must ensure drivers have the correct licensing and experience
- Employers must conduct mandatory drug/alcohol screenings
- Trucking companies must inspect and maintain their fleet of vehicles
Contact The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine About Your Truck Accident
How much you should settle for after a truck accident depends on a variety of factors. However, a lawyer from the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you identify and calculate your damages and build a case proving your right to financial compensation.
Please reach out to our office today to schedule a free legal consultation and find out how we can take your case on contingency. You worry about getting better. We take care of everything else. We want to put our knowledge, experience, and resources to work for you.
We Can Help.
