Understanding Florida Commercial Truck Accident Lawsuits
Commercial truck accident lawsuits are some of the most heavily litigated in the country with some of the most astounding settlement awards. Today, we are hearing more and more about “nuclear verdicts” levied against trucking companies for various offenses. Often, these lawsuits involve paralysis injuries, traumatic and irreversible brain damage, or claims of wrongful death. Those who are injured tend to no longer be able to work, care for their families, or do the things they once enjoyed. On top of that, they end up buried in medical debt. In this article, we’ll discuss the two common types of truck accident lawsuits.
Simple truck accident lawsuits
Truck drivers are trained professionals with professional licensure and requirements to maintain that licensure. Even still, they will make mistakes on the road. When a truck driver causes an accident, his company is liable for your property damage and injuries. In most cases, this is a simple moving violation like failing to check before changing lanes.
Those are the lawsuits you never hear anything about. They make up the vast majority of suits that trucking companies face. These lawsuits are filed on theories of traffic law and allude to traffic violations committed by the driver. They generally settle for five figures depending on the extent of the plaintiff’s injuries.
Complex truck accident lawsuits
Complex truck accident lawsuits are not filed under theories of traffic law, but negligence claims against the company itself. Instead of alleging that a driver made a mistake in traffic, these cases have allegations that the trucking company negligently hired underqualified drivers, sometimes without CDLs. In other cases, companies fail to properly train employees with supervisors falling asleep on the job. Then, the company ends up employing a driver who causes a major preventable accident and they’re in the news for losing a 10-figure verdict with punitive damages assessed against the company. Some companies have multiple 10-figure settlements levied against them.
Simple versus complex truck accident lawsuits
Simple truck accidents lawsuits involve allegations against a driver that they violated a rule of traffic and this caused an accident. The trucking company’s substantial commercial liability policy picks up the tab and your lawyer litigates the claim with the defendant’s insurance company.
Complex truck accident lawsuits involve claims against the trucking company and malfeasance in entrusting dangerous vehicles to unqualified drivers. Since the allegations are made against the trucking company itself, personal injury attorneys must prepare cases that show how the company’s negligence placed the public in danger and how that negligence culminated in a serious injury or death.
Talk to a Port St. Lucie Commercial Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle, the Port St. Lucie truck accident attorneys at Eighmie Law Firm, P.A. can help file suit and recover damages related to your medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and reduced quality of life.