Not only may truck accidents be significantly more deadly and result in more long-term injuries than any other accident category, drastically altering a person’s life overnight, but they also have a far more complicated legal system than other kinds of auto accidents.
Generally, the Damages Are More Severe
Because commercial trucks can weigh up to thirty times as much as an automobile, they have the potential to inflict more damage to people and property in an accident.
When a car and a truck collide, the injuries to the occupants of the automobile are usually significantly worse than when cars are the only object involved in the collision.
They may have these impairments for a lifetime or perhaps for years. Regretfully, there are some that can even be fatal. Florida is third in the nation for truck accident fatalities, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Without the assistance of a knowledgeable group of truck accident attorneys in Florida, calculating compensation after a truck accident can be a nightmare.
Greater Minimum Insurance Coverage
Depending on the kind of product being transported, truckers must carry a minimum amount of coverage as mandated by the State of Florida.
- Household items: $250,000 minimum liability insurance policy.
- Freight: $650,000 minimum liability insurance policy.
- Transport of Oil: $2,000,000 minimum liability insurance policy.
- Materials that are Hazardous: $4,000,000 minimum liability insurance policy.
This insurance covers death, medical costs, lost earning ability, property damage, bodily harm, and replacement of vehicles. If the loads are to be moved between states, coverage may increase even more because truckers have to abide by federal liability restrictions, which can be anywhere from $550.000 to $2,000,000,000.
Frequent Reasons for Truck Accidents
These represent a few of the primary reasons for truck accidents.
- Mechanical failure: Like any complicated machine, there is a risk from manufacturing flaws. They can cause a vehicle to have a variety of issues, like being unable to brake, turning corners sharply, or even dropping the trailer in the middle of the road.
- Improper training for employees: It needs a certain license and sufficient training for the kind of vehicle one operates to drive a truck. It is mandatory for trucking businesses to guarantee that their workers receive appropriate training.
- Fatigue: The miles that truck drivers drive determine how much they get paid. They frequently push themselves to drive for extended periods of time without adequate rest as a result, which can lead to significant weariness.
- A poor maintenance schedule: Because they are more complex than passenger cars, trucks need to be driven with far greater caution. During a routine examination, a mistake or omission could have disastrous consequences.
Parties That May Be Held Liable
In order to pinpoint the precise cause of a shipping accident and assign blame, a thorough analysis of reams of data, including hiring records, cargo manifests, maintenance reports, black box data, schedules, and more, is required.
If the case is not taken up immediately after the accident, the trucking firm may alter or even destroy some of these records.
Have you been in an automobile accident and are you looking for compensation?
Automobile manufacturers often have their own legal departments that are prepared to intervene as soon as possible in an accident and work to reduce the harm to the firm. It is strongly advised that you seek the counsel of an experienced car accident attorney to assist you, given the complexity of car accident cases.