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After a truck accident in Florida, you should consult a truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Kogan & DiSalvo is a premier Boca Raton personal injury law firm with years of experience helping clients rebuild their lives. Our lawyers know that a collision between a truck and a car is never a fair match. We take the necessary steps to promptly secure your rights while evidence and witnesses are still available. Further, truck accident cases are complex because they travel interstate.
At Kogan & DiSalvo, we have years of experience with all federal and state regulations regulating the trucking industry. So while you focus on healing, we’ll work to legally hold the driver and their employer responsible for your pain and losses.
Truck Accidents Are Surprisingly Common and Uncommonly Dangerous
If you’ve been in a truck accident, you are not alone. Accidents involving trucks are surprisingly common and are especially dangerous to drivers of cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), 4,014 people died in large truck crashes in 2020. Sixty-eight percent of the people who died were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and sixteen percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. Conversely, the smallest percent of the deaths in the accidents—15 percent—were occupants of trucks.
Truck accidents are dangerous because of the disparity in size and power. They weigh much more than cars and have a larger gravitational force, or “G-force,” causing a truck to take longer than a car to come to a complete stop. This increases the power of a truck’s impact in a collision with a car. Indeed, despite advances in auto safety, truck accidents have become more deadly in recent decades, even for truckers, who tend to have a survival advantage in an accident.
Moreover, IIHS studied large truck accidents between 2009 and 2020 and compared their findings to earlier decades. They found that the number of people who died in large truck crashes went up by 28 percent. In addition, while occupants of cars continue to have higher fatality rates than occupants of trucks, the study showed increasingly worse survival rates for occupants of both kinds of vehicles.
After a Truck Accident, You Need an Expert Truck Accident Attorney
Trucks travel interstate, so the industry is regulated by two federal agencies–the Federal Carrier Motor Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as state agencies. In Florida, trucking is also regulated by the Florida Highway Patrol Office of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.
As a result of these overlapping regulations and laws, truck accidents raise complicated legal issues implicating federal and state laws. For example, the agencies pass safety rules the industry must follow, such as mandatory breaks. These rules can be crucial in proving that negligence by the truck driver and his employer caused the accident. This level of complexity requires an attorney that is thoroughly familiar and knowledgeable of federal and state laws.
Steps to Take After the Accident
In the aftermath of an accident, it’s best to be prepared to act quickly and wisely.
- Seek medical attention for any injuries you or your loved ones sustained
- Take photos of the accident scene
- Report the accident to your insurer
- Obtain a copy of the police accident report
- Say as little as possible to witnesses and the other driver
- Ask witnesses at the scene for names and contact information
- Exchange information with the truck driver, including name, insurance, and driver’s license
- Consult a truck accident lawyer
Mistakes to Avoid After a Truck Accident
Likewise, in the aftermath of an accident, it’s essential not to make these mistakes:
- Don’t accept a quick settlement offer
- Don’t dispose of medical and insurance records
- Don’t talk to the truck driver’s lawyer or insurer
- Don’t admit fault in even casual conversations about the accident, especially on social media
Contact us for a free consultation
After a truck accident, a Kogan & DiSalvo truck accident lawyer will fight for your rights. From our initial investigation to quantifying your losses, our demand packages put you in the best possible position for recovering the compensation you deserve to rebuild your life. Your time to claim damages is limited by law, so call our office now for a free, no-obligation consultation. We take no fee until we recover money for you.
