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Understanding How Negligence Can Cause Commercial Truck Accidents
Large trucks can be frightening, especially if you spend too long driving near one. We all know an impact with a commercial truck is likely to cause serious damage and that knowledge is enough to keep us concerned about careless behavior from those behind the wheel of semi trucks. Sadly, large trucking accidents do happen here in Florida. But the truck drivers aren’t always the only ones to blame.
As a matter of fact, many truck accident investigations ultimately reveal that the trucking company (that is, the driver’s employer) or in some cases, the truck manufacturer, shares in the responsibility for the crash.
That might come as a surprise. After all, how can the employer or manufacturer be responsible when they weren’t even at the scene of the accident?
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How can an trucking employer or truck manufacturer be responsible for an accident?
There are several common answers to that question and this page will explore various kinds of trucking company negligence in detail. We want you to know, though, that taking on big companies is never easy.
Most trucking companies are well funded, with rooms full of attorneys and all the time in the world. Moreover, these companies usually have their own insurance policies too, which means major insurance companies also get involved.
To successfully challenge those companies and insist that they proceed fairly and efficiently, you’ll need an aggressive law firm on your side.
The Fort Myers truck accident lawyers at Viles & Beckman, LLC have helped many people like you take a stand against these giant companies and win. We have years of experience, genuine passion, and a thorough command of the law on our side. Our clients’ interests come first and we fight for them as though they’re our own.
If you’ve suffered injury as a result of trucking company negligence in Florida, our Fort Myers truck accident lawyers can help. Contact us as soon as possible at (239) 334-3933.
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Examples of Trucking Company Negligence
Truck companies and their drivers are subject to numerous state and federal regulations these days but it’s still all too common to see drivers violate those rules at the behest of their employers. Sadly, despite overwhelming evidence of the dangers, many trucking companies value efficiency and profit more than the lives they’re placing in jeopardy.
Common examples of trucking company negligence include:
- Overloading trucks to transport more goods
- Setting unreasonable deadlines for deliveries to customers
- Encouraging drivers to speed, or making speeding necessary to meet deadlines
- Forcing drivers to skip on rest or sleep to make timely deliveries
- Pushing drivers to the point of exhaustion or fatigue
- Ignoring drivers’ use of over-the-counter medications, illegal drugs, or alcohol
- Hiring inexperienced or careless drivers
- Avoiding expensive truck maintenance
- Using inferior or damaged automotive parts when repairing the truck fleet to save on costs
These are all irresponsible corporate behaviors and they can each constitute negligence under Florida personal injury law. Indeed, each of these has been documented as known causes of deadly truck accidents here in our own state.
Click To ContactCommercial Trucking Litigation Is a Challenge
Accident victims and their families have a long road ahead of them when confronting a negligent trucking company. Understandably, it’s a battle that many are reluctant to take on but the costs of the accident itself are too high to ignore.
Why are these cases so difficult? Consider that the average Florida car accident lawsuit is hard enough with a single insurance company involved. Large truck crashes, meanwhile, usually have at least two corporate parties involved — the negligent trucking company and its own insurance carrier — sometimes more.
The famous Tracy Morgan truck crash of 2014 provides a compelling example. When a Walmart tractor-trailer hit the superstar’s limousine, causing him severe injuries and claiming the life of his fellow comedian and friend, the retail giant was eager to settle the case out of court. But, the company responsible for Walmart’s insurance policy was not so agreeable. Ultimately, Walmart had to take action against its own insurer just to recoup the damages.
Of course, most truck accident victims are not famous comedians, and the trucking companies aren’t usually as anxious to provide a favorable settlement as Walmart was for Mr. Morgan. The average Floridian is left rather defenseless against giant companies and the battalion of lawyers protecting them.
Hiring an aggressive law firm to represent your interests can make all the difference, though. At Viles & Beckman, LLC, we’ve helped many Floridian families pursue justice in the form of financial compensation and we are proud of our strong record of results.
If that’s your family, or if you’ve survived a terrible truck accident in Florida, our Fort Myers truck accident lawyers would like to help you too. Please contact us online or dial (239) 334-3933 to schedule a free case review with our Fort Myers injury attorneys.
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