There are millions of trucks operating on roads across the country. Some of them transport dangerous components. Some of them are driven by tired drivers. It is not surprising that eventually, a semi-truck will be involved in an accident. You may be on your way to work, home, or some other place as normal. In a flash, a semi-truck may crash into your car, potentially altering your entire life.
With their large size, semi-trucks can cause severe injuries. If you have been in a semi-truck accident, you should know that you can seek compensation. Although, the road to recovering damages will have various complexities. This is because many different parties may have a role to play in your claim. Our Hollywood semi-truck accident lawyer can help you bypass these challenges to get compensation.
Holding Liable Parties Responsible for Your Semi-Truck Accident
A Hollywood truck accident lawyer can help you establish which party holds responsibility for your accident. The driver can be held liable if their negligent behavior resulted in your accident. Negligent actions by the driver include driving while intoxicated, speeding, and failure to yield the right of way. These reckless actions can cause you to suffer injuries such as fractures, head injuries, and paralysis.
In some instances, the trucking company’s reckless actions may have contributed to your accident. If this happens, you can hold them liable. Some actions that may constitute recklessness by the trucking company include:
- Employing unqualified/under-qualified drivers
- Encouraging drivers to work more than the required hours
- Poor truck maintenance
- Overloading the semi-truck
The truck’s manufacturer may also have a part to play in your accident. This occurs if they provide defective products which fail, causing the accident.
Other parties that you can hold liable include the company that owns the shipment and the repair shop. Our Hollywood personal injury lawyers have handled semi-truck accidents and can determine all the parties that contributed to your accident. They will help you pursue compensation from these parties. Even if an independent driver was operating the truck, which can complicate matters more since they are not an employee, our legal team knows how to handle the problem.
Proving Negligence to Recover Compensation
By bringing a personal injury case against someone else, you have the burden of showing that the defendant was negligent. Proving negligence will enable you to receive compensation for your injuries and losses. There are various steps in showing that another party was negligent. At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we can help you show negligence.
You must prove that the other party had a legal responsibility to avoid acting in a way that harms you. The next step entails showing that the defendant ignored their duty of care by acting recklessly. Finally, you must show that you suffered injuries and other damages because of the defendant’s actions. To prove negligence for your claim, we carry out investigations into your accident.
We can obtain witness statements, the police accident report, and video surveillance footage, if there is any. We can also consult experts like accident reconstructionists. With their input, we can determine how the accident happened. Getting the facts right will also help in defending you in case the defense tries to place undue blame on you.
Recovering Damages Following Your Accident
The law gives provisions for the different kinds of damages you can recover in a personal injury case. You may get compensated for economic damages following your semi-truck accident. Current and future treatment expenses fall under this category. That includes fees for equipment that you need for mobility and transport costs to doctor’s visits and medical facilities. Economic damages also involve lost wages as you recover and loss of earning abilities.
You may get compensation for non-economic damages. This category compensates you for losses that are difficult to quantify. You may get compensation for the physical pain and suffering you endured because of the accident. Other non-economic damages are mental distress and loss of consortium. Our Hollywood semi-truck accident lawyer can assist you in calculating your damages.
If your loved one died due to the accident, you and your family could file a wrongful death claim to recover damages for medical and burial expenses. Under Florida’s Statute, § 768.72, you can receive punitive damages if the defendant’s harmful actions were intentional. Punitive damages get awarded by the court in addition to other damages. It is meant to punish the negligent party and discourage others from doing the same in the future.
How a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help Your Case
The insurance company looks out for its own interest. Thus, they may use some tactics to reduce your claim amount. Our attorneys know all the strategies the insurers may try to use and how to protect you from them. Our Hollywood semi-truck accident lawyer will handle all communication with the insurance company.
When you hand over your demand letter, the insurance company will give you an offer. This offer is often lower than what you could be owed. Our lawyer will take on the task of negotiating a better offer. Most victims end up receiving a settlement after a truck accident. If you and the insurer cannot agree on a compensation amount, you may have to go to court. Our lawyer can take your case to court and represent you in the lawsuit.
Reach Out to a Hollywood Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer
A lingering question for almost all truck accident victims is how to start the claims process. Unless you have dealt with numerous semi-truck accidents, you may not know how to correctly answer such a question. A semi-truck accident lawyer with the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can answer all your questions. They can also get the details of your case and offer advice on the best strategy.
Contact our Hollywood semi-truck accident team today.
We Can Help.
