Were you injured in an accident involving a large commercial vehicle in Jacksonville, FL? You may be entitled to significant compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. An experienced Jacksonville commercial vehicle accident lawyer at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you stand up to the insurance company and fight for every dollar you deserve.
Collectively, we have over 80 years of experience handling complicated personal injury cases. We’ve already helped our injured clients recover tens of millions of dollars–and we’re ready to stand up for you.
Every dollar can be critical if you’re seriously hurt. To learn more about how we can help, contact our law offices in Jacksonville, Florida, to schedule a free consultation today at (904) 396-1100.
How Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Jacksonville
A serious accident can cause life-changing injuries. Even once you’ve recovered, you could face chronic pain and the need for painful rehab. That doesn’t even begin to account for the expenses you’ll be left with.
If someone else caused your accident, you deserve compensation. An experienced injury attorney at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal process and fight for the fair compensation you deserve.
Our Jacksonville truck accident attorneys will help by:
- Coordinating a full investigation into the crash
- Locating evidence to prove causation and identify all liable parties
- Assessing the value of your truck accident case
- Consulting leading experts who can help strengthen your case
- Defending you if you’re blamed for getting hurt
- Handling all negotiations with the insurance companies
Our Jacksonville truck accident lawyers recently won the Martindale-Hubbell 2021 Platinum Client Champion Award, its highest award for client services. We’ve also been rated by Super Lawyers every year since 2009–and we’ve been listed as the Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Florida by National Trial Lawyers.
We’re ready to put our skills to work for you. Just call for a free case review to learn more.
How Common Are Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Jacksonville?
Across the U.S., 4,842 large trucks were involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents in 2020. About 107,000 large trucks were involved in car accidents that caused a reportable injury.
Most of those crashes occurred off the busy interstate roads in broad daylight. Over 600 of those injuries and fatalities occurred on Florida roads.
At Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers, we often represent clients who have sustained injuries in accidents involving:
- FedEx trucks
- UPS trucks
- Amazon delivery trucks and vans
- Private delivery vans
- Semi-trucks
- Tractor-trailers
- Construction vehicles
- Dump trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Box trucks
- Tanker trucks
- Cargo vans
Accident cases involving these and other commercial vehicles can be particularly complex. Your injuries may be more severe because commercial vehicles are so large and heavy. It’s also likely that multiple parties will share fault for the crash.
If you were injured, don’t hesitate to take legal action today. Call our Jacksonville truck accident lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation.
What Is My Jacksonville Commercial Vehicle Accident Case Worth?
Putting a dollar value on an injury is always difficult. Fortunately, our lawyers have years of experience helping clients assess their case value.
Some factors that will play a role in determining how much your personal injury case is worth include:
- The nature of your injuries and the cost of your medical treatment
- Whether you’re forced to miss work while you recover
- The duration of your recovery and value of your lost wages
- Whether you’ll need in-home assistance or ongoing care
- The impact of the injury on your lifestyle and quality of life
- Whether you share any blame for the accident
- Whether liability is clearly established
You’ll probably be facing off against a commercial insurance company. Because the limits on commercial insurance coverage are often much higher than Florida’s required PIP coverage, the insurer will likely fight hard to avoid paying top dollar for your injuries.
Our lawyers are here to help prevent the insurance company from scaring you into accepting a lowball settlement offer. To learn more about the steps we’ll take when calculating your case value, call for a free consultation today.
What Types of Damages Are Available To Commercial Vehicle Accident Victims?
Florida personal injury laws divided compensatory damages into two basic categories: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages cover the expenses associated with the injury. They include things like:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages, income, and employment benefits
- Diminished earning potential
- Rehabilitation
- In-home assistance
- Property damage
- Other out-of-pocket expenses
Most of the time, you’ll have documents to support these losses. Your non-economic damages claim can be much more difficult to value.
Examples of common non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Emotional distress and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
Our lawyers will often work with experts and specialists to help determine the fair value of your personal losses.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Florida?
Florida follows a modified comparative fault law with a 51% bar to recovery. You won’t lose your right to compensation if you can prove that at least one other person was mostly responsible for the accident. Unless you were 51% or more liable, you technically have the right to seek compensation.
In addition, your compensation award will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault. If you accept the at-fault party’s allegations at face value, you could walk away with much less money than you need.
Are you being blamed for a commercial vehicle accident? Call our experienced lawyers at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation today.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Commercial Vehicle Accident Injuries
The injuries sustained in an accident can vary widely from case to case. However, accidents involving large commercial vehicles often cause more severe injuries than your typical auto accident.
Our Jacksonville commercial vehicle accident attorneys are here to help if you’ve suffered:
- Whiplash
- Concussions
- Broken bones
- Nerve injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal injuries
- Burns and road rash
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Your medical bills and expenses can start to add up quickly after an accident. Our Jacksonville truck accident attorneys are always here to help–just give us a quick call to learn more about your legal options today.
What Causes Most Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Jacksonville, Florida?
Commercial vehicles can be difficult to maneuver. Often, drivers don’t have the experience and training needed to operate the vehicle. It’s also common to find that commercial vehicle drivers are overworked, rushed, and exhausted.
Some of the most common causes of commercial vehicle accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Speeding and other traffic violations
- Dangerous turns
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Inexperienced drivers
- Failure to hire drivers with a commercial vehicle license
- Defects in the commercial vehicle or safety components
- Failure to maintain the vehicle in a safe condition
- Hazardous road conditions
- Violation of FMCSA hours-of-service regulations
Do you need help finding out what caused the crash? Call our law firm in Jacksonville for a free case review today.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Florida?
To prove negligence, our lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation into the crash.
We’ll gather evidence to prove the four elements of negligence, which are:
- A legal duty of care
- Breach of duty
- Causation
- Damages
We’ll also work to determine who is ultimately responsible for paying your damages. Even if the commercial vehicle driver caused the crash, someone else may share liability.
Examples of responsible parties include:
- The truck driver’s employer
- A trucking company
- Companies responsible for the vehicle’s cargo
- Maintenance companies
- Shipping companies
- Manufacturers of defective parts
- Third-party motorists
- Government agencies
While you’re recovering, the commercial vehicle company will conduct its own investigation. In fact, they’ll probably visit the crash scene immediately. Our lawyers are here to even the playing field and gather all possible evidence to support your case.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Florida?
The Florida statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits has recently been changed. You’ll have four years to file your truck accident lawsuit if your accident happened on or before March 23rd, 2023. Otherwise, the deadline is two years. Once the statute of limitations is up, you lose your right to sue for damages.
However, there are exceptions to the statute of limitations. That makes it important that you provide your contact information to a lawyer sooner rather than later.
Contact a Jacksonville Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you suffered injuries in an accident involving a large truck or commercial vehicle, our lawyers are here to provide the legal representation you deserve. Just call Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a 100% free consultation with a Jacksonville commercial vehicle accident lawyer today.
