Were you recently injured in a truck accident in Wellington, Florida? Our experienced Wellington truck accident lawyers at Shiner Law Group are ready to help fight for your legal rights and get the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (561) 777-7700 to speak with an attorney for a 100% free consultation.
You may be entitled to seek compensation for medical bills, loss of income, pain, and suffering, and more. Contact our Wellington law offices to discuss the legal options that might be available to you following your truck accident. The next steps are very important. Let Shiner Law Group help you with your truck accident case today.
Were You Injured In A Truck Accident In Wellington?
Has a truck accident in Wellington, FL, left you injured or incapable of continuing your everyday life? Or has a loved one lost their life to a truck accident in Wellington? Then, you may be able to seek compensation for the pain and suffering, medical bills, and loss of income.
Truck accidents are common in Wellington roadways. Most of these accidents don’t necessarily result from careless driving or bad weather. There are other common causes of truck accidents, as we will see.
Due to their large size, almost any accident involving these trucks can be fatal, resulting in severe injuries and sometimes death. Therefore, before you rush into seeking legal help after a truck accident, you should get medical attention to determine the seriousness of your injuries.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Wellington
There are various causes of truck accidents, but most of them fall under negligence. Here are some of the common causes of truck accidents in Wellington:
Driver’s Fault
Commercial trucks are relatively huge, traveling at a very high speed on the road. But despite this, truck drivers will occasionally get reckless on the road. Some of their reckless behaviors include:
- Overspeeding – while some trucking companies install speed trackers or limiters in their vehicles, not all companies invest in the technology. Due to their large size, trucks react slowly to sudden changes on the road, such as sharp bends or obstacles ahead. Florida law defines speeding as reckless and negligence and holds any driver found at fault accountable.
- Distracted driving is another reckless, dangerous, and illegal behavior on the road that can lead to a truck accident in Wellington. It happens when the truck driver takes their eyes off the road or starts texting while behind the wheel. The result can be multiple devastating fatalities and property damage.
- Aggressive driving – since truck drivers spend long hours on the road striving to make deliveries on time, they are more prone to road rage. As a result, they end up tailgating or cutting other drivers off. These actions could lead to accidents that leave them and other road users injured.
- Fatigued driving – the law has set rules and regulations to keep tired drivers off the road. But unfortunately, most trucking companies have scheduling practices and cultures that prevent them from observing requirements.
Bad Weather
Sometimes harsh weather conditions make it impossible for truck drivers to see clearly or control their vehicles. Such weather can cause multi-truck piles and sometimes extensive accidents.
Cargo Overload
Trucks have a recommended maximum weight, and if the loader goes beyond this limit, they risk causing tire blowouts or tipping over after a turn or lane change. In addition, if the load is external, the load can slip, resulting in the truck swerving, going through the windshield, or causing road obstruction.
Vehicle Failure
Unlike causes due to driver’s fault, vehicle failure results from the trucking company’s or manufacturer’s negligence. The trucking company is responsible for maintaining their vehicles and ensuring they are in good condition before assigning them to the drivers. The law can hold the manufacturer liable for an accident resulting from vehicle failure if they used a defective part in the truck.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in Wellington
The moments after a truck accident are essential but also overwhelming. After the collision, you are likely to feel confused and frantic. But knowing the right action to take immediately after the accident can help you get compensation for any damages realized.
Understanding the actions to take after a truck accident helps you stay prepared, know your rights, and how to act if you ever find yourself in the situation.
Call the Police
Once involved in a truck accident, you need to contact the authority. The police will file an official report detailing the possible events that led to the accident.
Sometimes there may be no physical damages to the vehicles involved or injuries to the victims. However, you might have sustained minor cuts or other injuries, such as soft tissue injuries that take time to show. But if you require immediate medical attention, the police can help uphold your claims and add clarity to your case.
The details in the official police report play a significant role in proving your case if you decide to go to court.
Seek Medical Attention
It’s essential to seek medical treatment immediately after an accident to help determine whether you have sustained injuries, even when there are no signs.
Avoid making the mistake of going to the hospital after you receive compensation for your accident. Like a police report, the medical report documents the pain and symptoms realized after the collision. It also helps uncover any immediate or late on-set injuries that might result from the accident.
It becomes challenging for the insurance company to discredit your claims to the injuries with the report. Failure to seek immediate medical attention may result in the insurance company claiming that the wreck didn’t cause you injuries. As a result, you may end up getting a lower compensation than could cover your needs.
Collect Evidence
If you can, try to gather as much evidence of the accident scene as you can.
Take photos of the vehicles involved in the accident and any sustained injuries when still fresh. A bruise or a cut could change color, shape, or severity over time, be sure to capture these changes as they happen.
In addition to photographic evidence, take note of how you remember the accident. Waiting to recount the details after leaving the accident scene may be unfruitful as your memory may become blurry, making you miss essential facts.
When recounting the accident, write down as many details as possible about the people involved in the collision. These should include the truck driver, insurance information of the parties involved, and the responding officer. If possible, talk to the eyewitnesses before and during the accident and take their contact information.
Avoid Talking to the Trucking Company’s Insurer without Your Attorney
After the truck accident, the trucking company is likely to get involved almost immediately. In most cases, they’ll ask their insurer to contact the involved parties to extend a settlement offer. Reaching out immediately works in the trucking company’s favor as it eliminates the costly and lengthy claim process of trying to figure out who was at fault.
While the insurer’s offer may be tempting, take your time to listen to their proposal, but don’t sign anything yet. Instead, politely inform them that you need to consult with your Wellington truck accident lawyer.
Contact Your Wellington Truck Accident Lawyer
Before you move forward with a case or accept an offer from the trucking company’s insurer, contact an experienced Wellington truck accident attorney. An experienced personal injury attorney has the knowledge required to take the next steps that may come up after your truck accident.
The lawyer helps you understand your rights, fight for these rights, represent you in court, and get maximum compensation depending on the incurred damages.
Wellington Truck Accident Claim Process
Truck accident lawsuits are no different from standard vehicle crashes. The basic framework behind the case involves a person injured or realized damages due to another person’s fault or recklessness and wants to work with a truck accident attorney to recover compensation for the damages.
The only difference between standard vehicle and truck accidents is that the latter are severe due to their large size, the complexity in controlling them, and the increased risk of driver error. As a result, the truck accident claim process is usually longer since the survivor needs time to heal. In addition, due to the complexity of the legal terms involved, you will need a Wellington truck accident lawyer to help you through the claim process.
A standard truck accident process involves the following steps:
- First, sign a written agreement with the trucking company’s attorney stating that your legal relationship has begun. The contract should contain the terms of your agreement, pricing information, and any disclaimers from your lawyer.
- Contact the other parties involved in the claim process through your attorney and report the accident to your insurance company. You should also share your attorney’s contact information with the trucking company’s claim adjusters and insurer.
- Your attorney will help you discover, gather, document, and organize all valuable evidence related to your case. These may include the police report, medical documentation, case reconstruction, photographic evidence, and testimonies from the eyewitnesses.
- Next, your Wellington truck accident attorney will draft and deliver an injury demand letter to the trucking company’s insurer. The demand letter entails how injuries from the crash have impacted you physically, emotionally, and financially.
- Your attorney and the trucking company’s insurer will negotiate a settlement.
- If negotiations don’t work, your truck accident lawyer will take your case to trial.
How Long Does a Truck Accident Claim Process Take
Accidents are different, and how long it takes to get a settlement depends on the specific details of your case. Your truck accident claim process can take anywhere between a few months to a year, depending on the factors involved. Common factors that determine how long your claim process include:
- Complexities of the insurance policies attached to trucks – most of the time, semi-trucks have large and complicated insurance policies. These policies impact how your attorney approaches your case and how the trucking company’s insurer convinces you to consider alternatives.
- More than one party is involved – in a truck accident, more than one party may be liable. These may be the driver, the cargo loading company, the maintenance company, or the manufacturer. In this case, your attorney needs time to determine and prove the fault of each party involved.
- Your wellbeing – the impacts of a truck accident and the case can only proceed once there’s a clear understanding of how the injuries will affect your life. For example, if you sustained severe injuries, your claim will likely take longer since you need more time to heal.
How a Wellington Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Once you reach out to Shiner Law Group, our professional truck accident attorney will help you pursue compensation for the damages experienced. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers will help you navigate the complexities of the legal system. In addition, we will offer legal counsel on how to handle the trucking company’s insurance agent.
In addition, we will act as a liaison between you and the other entities, ensuring you get the justice you deserve. Contact us today for free consultation and evaluation of your case.
