Truck accidents on the roads of Tampa are the motor vehicle accidents most likely to cause catastrophic damage and injury to their accident victims. The size of a commercial truck required to transport cargo, especially larger models such as an 18-wheeler, means that regular cars do not stand a chance in a collision. There are also other properties of these trucks that make them worse than a regular car accident. The large size and the possibility of cargo spilling onto the road adds a large multiplier to the number of people potentially impacted by a truck accident.
Not only that, but trucking companies also operate in a number of ways that make crashes involving their vehicles more likely. In the pursuit of profit, trucking companies like DHL pressure their workers into undertaking unsafe amounts of driving under the guise of pay-per-mile payment models for their employees. These minimize the incentive to take safe rest stops and maximize the risks of fatigue and exhaustion. Many large trucking companies are also responsible for negligent hiring and improper safety checks. For these reasons, it is vital that we hold large truck driver corporations accountable for their actions that put the public at risk.
The best way to hold a delivery company accountable is to seek compensatory justice for any truck accident you have been involved in over the last four years. It is likely you could receive substantial compensation for any injury or damages you or your property received. It also sets a precedent of ensuring companies who believe themselves to be above the law receive consequences for their actions.
If you fall into this category of people who have been involved in a truck accident involving a DHL delivery vehicle in the past four years, The Law Place in Tampa can help you. Our team of accident attorneys have racked up over 75 years of combined experience fighting for justice and compensation. For more information, call us for a free case review and consultation at no obligation today, protected by the attorney-client relationship. Our telephone lines are open all day, every day. Call us on (941) 444-4444 to find out more!
Liability in a Tampa Truck Accident Explained
When determining liability following a truck accident, it may be the case that you can take action both against the individual truck driver and the company that employs them. It may also be the case that the company who delivered the goods is using a third-party trucking company, in which case the claim would be against this third-party company, instead of the company on whose behalf the goods are being delivered.
Both the truck driver and the company that employs them have a duty of care to ensure that they are not placing other road users at a level of unnecessary or avoidable risk.
If the driver involved in your truck accident was speeding, driving recklessly, or driving whilst intoxicated, they could be liable. However, it is possible that the company employing the truck driver could also be liable for negligence if they were exerting undue pressure on their employee to cover unsafe distances in too short a time. They may also be liable for negligent hiring or improper maintenance of their equipment.
While it may seem unjustly harsh to take legal action against a truck driver who was pushed by their company into demonstrating negligence, that employee can then go on to take legal action against their company themselves.
The best way to find out how liability will work in your specific case is to get in touch with an experienced accident attorney at The Law Place today for a free consultation and free case review. It is helpful to have all of the facts when deciding how to move forward, and we are happy to provide them.
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How Do Trucking Companies Increase Accident Risk on Tampa Roads?
As covered briefly earlier, there are several factors that mean large trucking companies contribute more than their fair share of risk to the roads of America.
These risks are often the blame of the business model, and cost-cutting as well as efficiency focus in this case, for the companies in question. However, it is worth remembering that the size of the average delivery vehicle compounds these risks with the potential for catastrophic damage and personal injury.
The most common risk-contributing factors are as follows:
- Exhaustion – Fatigued driving is one of the leading causes of a car accident in America. It increases the risk of an accident by lowering focus, increasing reaction times, and leaving the driver at risk of falling asleep at the wheel of their vehicle. However, truck drivers often suffer from this disproportionately due to their payment structure.
- Payment – Truck drivers are usually paid in a pay-per-mile scheme. This means they are pushed to cover the maximum amount of distance in unsafe amounts of time to achieve fair pay. This means the bare minimum of sleep and federally mandated rest stops. It also means that corners are encouraged to be cut in aspects of the job which do not involve distance, such as loading stops, route planning, and vehicle inspections.
- Hiring negligence – Another issue that plagues large truck companies is negligent hiring. If the employer does not carry out the proper screening procedures or background checks, they may be hiring someone unaware of their history of driving offenses.
- DUI – One other thing which plays into the exhaustion-based risks associated with pay-per-mile is an increased risk of intoxication. Stimulant drugs can be an attractive prospect for someone wanting to maximize mileage and minimize sleep. However, they run the usual risks of reckless and negligent driving associated with intoxicated driving.
- Maintenance – Trucking businesses, especially those with large fleets, need to ensure that all of the equipment and vehicles, are properly inspected and maintained. Any cut corners in this regard can greatly increase the risk of a truck accident from improperly maintained equipment.
At The Law Place in Tampa, we thoroughly believe that the laws of America should govern everybody equally. Just because a large company has a lot of money to throw into lawyer teams and claims adjusters, this does not make them above the law. Help achieve justice that could lower the risk to everybody who shares the road with you by contacting a personal injury lawyer for your truck accident case today.
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Common Injuries Sustained in a Tampa DHL Truck Accident
As we have already outlined, the risk of catastrophic personal injuries scales with the size of the vehicles involved in the accident. As such, a truck accident poses a much larger risk than a regular car accident.
Below you will find a list of the most common examples of personal injury which a truck accident lawyer can help you receive compensation for.
- Injury to the neck or back, which depending on the case, may lead to long-lasting minor pain or lifelong mobility disabilities, including paralysis.
- Bone breakage and fracturing, which at best, will result in a long and painful healing process and, at worst, can cause complications that could last for your entire life.
- Head injury, one result of which may be brain damage. A brain injury can cause emotional, mental, or mobility issues that could plague you for the rest of your life.
- Blunt force trauma injury, including internal bleeding.
- Lacerations, cuts, and burns.
- Various types of non-physical injury, including emotional distress, which encompasses a large range of anxieties, depression, and PTSD.
- Wrongful death of a loved one.
If you have received one or more of these injuries as the result of a truck accident, the best thing you can do is to get in touch with the team of personal injury accident attorneys at The Law Place. We can help you achieve the justice, compensation, and closure that you deserve.
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What Damages Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help You to Claim For?
Your truck accident attorney will be able to help you achieve compensation for your accident based upon what damages you have received. Your personal injury lawyer will be able to help you claim for the consequences of physical injuries, financial damages, and other consequences or complications resulting from your accident.
The most common damages for which compensation can be achieved by your truck accident attorney are listed below.
- Medical bills – Unfortunately, in America, it is often the case that the financial consequences of medical treatment are as bad as the injuries you’ve incurred themselves. Your personal injury lawyer will be able to achieve compensation for these, provided you retain all of the relevant documentation and receipts concerning your medical expenses.
- Lost wages – Another unfortunate result of sustaining an injury in a truck accident will often be that you have to spend time unable to work while you recover. This can contribute to financial damage by limiting your earning potential. Your personal injury lawyer will also be able to help you recoup these losses, provided you keep copies of any kind of correspondence with your employers detailing time spent off work.
- Pain and suffering – There are many other complications possible from physical injuries. Pain and suffering damages will account for the pain-level and duration of your recovery, the emotional distress it entailed, and any permanent changes to the way you will now have to live your life.
- Additional costs – Another result of a truck accident may be that you now need more help to live your life while you recover from your injuries. This may come in the form of additional childcare, assistance required with transportation, or other unexpected costs. Your lawyer may be able to recoup these expenses, provided that you once again retain all of the relevant bills and documentation as proof.
- Wrongful death – Unfortunately, it is entirely possible that your loved one may have lost their lives as a result of their involvement in a truck accident. Wrongful death damages take into account emotional distress, loss of companionship, lost wages, and changes to the family lifestyle. While we are very aware that no amount of money will make the process of grieving easier, it can help with the often-surprising costs of funeral and burial expenses. When you have lost someone close to you, the last thing you want to be worrying about is additional financial complications.
The best way to find out exactly which of these damages will apply to your truck accident case is to get in touch with The Law Place today for a free consultation. After you divulge the specifics of your case, we will be able to inform you of which damages apply to your compensatory sum.
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The Statute of Limitations on Florida Truck Accidents
Florida Statute 95.11 governs how long accident victims can make legal claims for after their truck accident.
The time limit is exactly four years from the date of the accident. However, this does not mean that you should waste any time beginning the process of seeking your compensation.
Many things happen over time, and one such thing is the slow loss of the availability of evidence. The scene of the accident may become disturbed, and eye-witness accounts will be become harder to seek out. All of this can impact how solid your case is and decrease the amount of compensation available to you.
Additionally, large truck companies like DHL often have expensive legal teams at their disposal, due to how truck accidents are a routine part of the way they operate their business. These teams will be highly experienced in minimizing the claims of accident victims and, as such, you do not want to give them a head start in any way.
Get the ball rolling in seeking the justice you deserve to ensure that you achieve the maximum amount of compensation for your accident. Call The Law Place today for a free consultation and a road map of the legal process.
Contact The Law Place Today
The Law Place in Tampa has a team with over 75 years of combined experience winning compensation for accident victims.
All of our personal accident cases are no-win-no-fee, so there really is no risk involved in seeking the justice you deserve. Help hold America’s trucking corporations accountable for the unnecessary risks they cause by putting profit over the sanctity of human life.
Call our knowledgeable and experienced team for a free consultation today. Our telephone lines are always open. You will be under no obligation and entirely protected by the attorney-client relationship. Contact us on (941) 444-4444 now!
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