As evidenced by the steel fabricators dotted across places like Gainesville, Florida has a robust steel manufacturing industry. Steel trucks are common on the roads here as they ferry metal and other construction material to work sites. Unfortunately, these heavy vehicles often get into accidents on roads and highways, which is usually catastrophic.
Victims sustain injuries that may have lifelong impacts while some succumb at the scene or while receiving treatment. A Gainesville steel truck accident lawyer from our firm can help victims of such crashes get compensation from the responsible parties.
Damages You Can Pursue in a Compensation Claim
The above real-life incident shows truck accidents are nothing to frown at due to their destructive nature. If you decide to bring a charge to the responsible party, you can seek financial recovery as follows:
- Medical Treatment: Your lawyer will compute your current and projected hospital bills related to injuries incurred in the accident. Treatment for existing conditions like diabetes is not included unless your lawyer can prove the crash exacerbated the situation.
- Lost Wages: There will be downtime when you cannot work until you regain total health. Some accident victims may lose their jobs, meaning they must find a new job upon recovery. Outcomes like facial disfigurement, walking with a limb, blindness in one eye, etc., can affect your future earnings.
- Out-of-pocket Costs: Health insurance cover comes with monthly deductibles and co-pays when you receive the insured services. You may end up seeing various doctors depending on the type of injuries sustained, and the co-pays will add up.
- Vehicle Damages: Smaller cars don’t fare well in collisions involving big trucks due to impact forces. The repairs will cost you a lot, and in worse-case scenarios, you may have to replace your car.
- Living Adjustments: Dealing with injuries from a gruesome accident is not easy. Recovery can stretch for months, if not years, and you will have to make drastic changes to your life. For instance, installing a wheelchair ramp at your front door, using a particular seat or bed, etc.
- Wrongful Death Damages: If a loved one perishes in a steel truck accident, you want to hold the liable party responsible for the untimely death. You can compute this charge based on the deceased person’s earnings and other factors.
- Non-economic Damages: Not every outcome of a horrific accident is quantifiable in monetary terms. Pain and emotional anguish can be debilitating and interfere with your everyday productivity. Some people can start experiencing mental health disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that need therapy sessions to manage.
- Punitive Damages: If the case goes to trial, the presiding judge may penalize the at-fault entity for reckless endangerment. The trucking company may have lax safety inspection practices, and they may keep a reckless driver on staff (as in the scenario above). A judge may grant you punitive damages to set an example for the trucking business.
Investigating the Cause of a Steel Truck Accident
When steel truck accidents occur, you must establish who is responsible for the crash. Sometimes, the driver will have triggered the accident for many reasons, like distracted driving and refusal to obey traffic rules. Our lawyers will investigate what caused the accident and who should pay for damages.
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Determining Liability in a Steel Truck Accident
Steel trucks are a fixture on Florida roads and highways. These trucks are owned by individuals or corporations based in the state or with offices in other jurisdictions. As such, determining liability can be complex sometimes. Sometimes, it rests with a negligent truck driver or trucking company.
In most cases, you will be seeking compensation from:
- A local construction firm
- A big or small construction corporation
- The state government
- The truck manufacturer
- Other liable parties
Evidence That Can Bolster Your Case
There is no denying that a steel truck accident happened, but you have the burden of proof to showcase someone else’s fault, and hence the claim. Our lawyers can help gather evidence of another party’s negligence.
Evidence may include:
- Video footage of the crash. Many highways across the nation have surveillance cameras, and Florida is no exception. Your lawyer will get a copy of the footage from the authorities and see what transpired during the crash.
- Police report. It is prudent that you call the police right after the accident. Responding officers will launch an investigation, document the scene, and draft an accident report. Your lawyer will get a receipt with the identification number for the accident report for follow-up and share it with your insurance agency.
- Eyewitness accounts. If witnesses saw the crash, ask for their version of events and record this for later use. Get their contact information if your lawyer needs to interview them as the process unfolds.
- Expert witnesses. Lawyers work with an array of experts like medics, accident reconstruction, DUI experts, and so forth. They will call upon them to testify and showcase the defendant’s negligence in causing the accident, thus bolstering your claim.
Contact the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine for Legal Counsel
Were you harmed in a steel truck crash? Our Gainesville steel truck accident lawyer can determine which legal options are available to you. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine handles truck accident cases, and we want to see how we can help you and your family.
Contact us today at 1-800-747-3733 for a free case review and legal counsel.
