As the most populated city in Brevard County, Palm Bay is a hub for commerce and transportation, making large trucks a familiar sight on busy roadways, such as Interstate 95, U.S. 1, and Malabar Road. While commercial vehicles are a necessity, big, heavy trucks can pose a danger to smaller, lighter passenger cars.
Unfortunately, the impact of a large truck can result in severe and fatal injuries, especially to the occupants of a car, passenger truck, or SUV. If an accident with a truck caused you injury, lost wages, pain and suffering, or the death of your loved one, you may be entitled to compensation.
A personal injury lawyer in Palm Bay, FL from the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can help you seek compensation for damages.
How Can the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine Help You?
Truck accidents come with different considerations than typical car accidents. For one, several parties may be liable. This is because semi-trucks are sometimes owned and insured by a different company than the trailer they are hauling.
Secondly, trucks conducting interstate business are highly regulated. This means trucks must adhere to strict maintenance schedules, and drivers must earn special licenses, endorsements, and training.
We take into account the above-mentioned considerations, among others, when reviewing your truck accident case. When you call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, our team can help by:
Establishing Liability
Several parties may be to blame for your truck accident. In some cases, it may rest on the truck driver. In many cases, the responsible party can be the trucking company, maintenance company, or any number of other entities. Our team can evaluate the details of the truck accident to establish who is at fault.
Fact-Finding
The legal team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can request evidence on your behalf. For example, we can seek truck maintenance logs and ask for post-accident drug testing records for the truck driver involved.
Sending a Spoliation Letter
The trucking company owns much of the evidence that may help prove the driver’s or the company’s liability in your truck accident lawsuit. Your attorney may send a spoliation letter to the truck carrier to preserve evidence.
Helping to Schedule Appointments
We understand the difficulty of getting through an accident and can help schedule appointments as they pertain to your commercial truck accident case. We can also help you get your vehicle repaired.
Estimating Your Compensation
Using your bills for hospital visits, prescriptions, and specialist visits, our team can calculate the damages you have incurred. We will also examine your lost wages and loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and other damages to calculate the value of your case so we can pursue fair compensation.
Above all, the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can stand by you and represent your best interests. In some cases, the defense will claim you are at least partially responsible for the accident and look to reduce your recoverable compensation underFlorida’s comparative negligence laws. We can explore counterarguments to allegations that you contributed to the crash to fight back when the truck carrier or insurance company tries to reduce your settlement or judgment.
We Want To Help You Achieve the Maximum Settlement or Verdict for Your Case
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we know that your primary concern is securing the compensation you need to pay for your medical care and mounting accident-related expenses. We firmly believe that those who cause injury to others due to their negligence should pay. We will fight for every cent owed to you by one or more liable parties. Your awards may include the cost of economic and non-economic damages:
- Emergency department services
- Ambulance fees
- Doctor and hospital bills
- Rehabilitation
- Surgeries
- Long-term and in-home health care
- Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
- Vehicle repair and replacement costs
- Household services
- Reductions to your quality of life and your physical, mental, and emotional health
The amount of compensation you can win for your accident depends on factors unique to your case and your injuries. We will work to negotiate for the most advantageous settlement available to you, and our lawyers will not back down from taking your case to trial to get the awards you deserve.
Palm Bay Wrongful Death Cases
If your loved one sustained a fatal truck accident injury, you may qualify for wrongful death compensation. We can help you pursue medical bills and other accident-related damages on behalf of the deceased’s estate. Additionally, you may seek an award for pain and suffering caused by your loved one’s death, including the loss of their love, guidance, and companionship.
What to Do After an Accident With a Large Truck in Palm Bay, FL
An accident with a truck may leave you shocked and in pain long after you have left the scene. Stay calm and take the following steps:
Seek Medical Attention
If you received treatment at the scene of your accident, follow up with your personal medical doctor. Visit specialists and physical therapists as recommended and adhere to your doctor’s orders while taking medications as prescribed.
Call a Palm Bay Truck Accident Lawyer
Our personal injury attorneys may need to preserve evidence that can be crucial to your case. There may be little time to acquire that evidence before a truck carrier destroys or tampers with it. Furthermore, Florida’s statute of limitations restricts the amount of time you have to pursue your case.
According to Florida Statutes § 95.11, you have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit and a wrongful death suit. Even if you believe you will settle outside of court, an expired statute can hurt your bargaining power during negotiations.
Retrieve the Official Accident Report
Our team can help obtain the official accident report to build your case. The accident report contains information about the accident that may help prove fault and liability. If an officer was not present at the scene, you need to file an accident report yourself within 10 days of your collision. You can do this by contacting the Palm Bay Police Department (PBPD).
Bring Evidence to Your Lawyer
If you were able to take pictures or video of the accident scene or collect witness information, bring it to our lawyers.
Document Your Activities
Keep your bills and receipts and record time you miss from work and lost wages due to the accident. Note all of the medications, dosages, therapy sessions attended, and miles logged as they pertain to the accident. It may also be helpful to keep a journal documenting your pain and suffering, including your daily pain level, emotional state, and mental health.
If you were in an accident with a large truck, do not wait to seek help. We offer a free consultation with no risk to you. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today to get started.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hold large truck operators to strict standards. Meanwhile, trucking companies may impose tight schedules upon their drivers. This disconnect may lead to unsafe practices.
Many factors can lead to serious truck accidents. Below are some common causes of large truck accidents:
Violation of Trucking Regulations
Violations can include improperly loaded trucks, failure to adhere to a maintenance schedule, or driving while impaired.
Negligence
Negligence may fall on a truck driver, the trucking company, the maintenance company, the owner/loader of the truck’s trailer, the owner of the transported goods, or a truck, tire, or vehicle parts manufacturer.
Exhaustion
The pressure to maintain deadlines may make a truck driver less inclined to stop and rest. Driving while exhausted and violating the FMCSA hours of service rules may lead to reduced reaction time or falling asleep at the wheel.
Inexperience
Some large truck drivers may lack the proper experience and safety training needed to navigate the roads and highways.
Traffic Violations
Violating the rules of the road, such as speeding or aggressive driving, can lead to a serious truck accident. The police report may shed light on how the accident occurred, but we may work with accident reconstruction experts and gather other evidence to establish the truck driver caused the wreck. We may also interview eyewitnesses and track down available video or surveillance footage of your crash.
Common Injuries in Brevard County Truck Accidents
Catastrophic injuries are all too common in truck accidents. We commonly fight to recover compensation for truck accident victims who have suffered the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Amputations
- Crush injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Knee injuries
- Broken bones
- Neck and back injuries
Call Anidjar & Levine for Help From a Truck Accident Attorney in Palm Bay
Living through an accident with a large truck or losing a loved one in a trucking accident can be devastating. Sustaining severe injuries, extensive property damages, or losing someone may be just the beginning of your suffering. Consult the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine to see how our Palm Bay truck accident attorneys may be able to help make you whole.
We work on contingency, meaning you owe us nothing unless we win your case. Our fees come from a percentage of your successful settlement or verdict. Call us today to set up a free consultation.
We Can Help.
