Trucking Accident

Truck Accidents

A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When that much steel collides with a family car in downtown Miami or along I-95, the results are often catastrophic. At Perez Gurri Law Firm, our truck accident lawyers in Florida channels more than 40 years of personal-injury experience into a single goal: securing the maximum recovery you and your family need to rebuild your lives.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Florida

Truck-accident investigations rarely hinge on a single mistake; instead, they often reveal a pattern of negligent choices that converge at the worst possible moment. Here are the most common cause of truck accidents.

• Driver Fatigue
  Fatigued truckers can miss critical cues, drift between lanes, or misjudge stopping distances, turning a multi-ton vehicle into a runaway hazard. Proof often lies in subtle inconsistencies—fuel receipts that contradict logbooks or electronic-logging-device data showing hours well beyond legal limits.
• Improper Cargo Loading
  A trailer packed with unbalanced or loosely secured freight can shift on a sharp curve, causing the rig to jackknife or roll over. Freight brokers, shippers, and drivers each bear responsibility for following weight-distribution guidelines and securing every pallet or crate. Bills of lading, weigh-station records, and expert load analyses reveal who cut corners and how that shortcut set disaster in motion.
• Faulty Maintenance
  Commercial rigs log hundreds of highway miles daily, so worn brakes, bald tires, or failing lights leave virtually no margin for error. Federal regulations require systematic inspections, yet some carriers defer costly repairs to keep their trucks on the road. By comparing repair invoices, mechanic testimony, and inspection histories, skilled South Florida attorneys can trace the paper trail that proves a known defect was left to deteriorate until it caused harm.
• Speeding and Aggressive Driving
  Tight delivery windows and bonus pay tied to mileage can push drivers to exceed speed limits, tailgate slower vehicles, or make abrupt lane changes. Event-data-recorder downloads capture throttle position, speed, and hard-brake events in the seconds before a crash, while dash-cam footage and eyewitness accounts fill in the human details. Together, these sources show how schedule pressure can override safety protocols and directly cause high-impact collisions.
• Impaired Driving
  Prescription medications, alcohol, or stimulants quickly erode a commercial driver’s judgment and reaction time—yet they are still found in post-crash toxicology reports with unsettling frequency. Federal screening rules mandate drug tests after serious accidents, and those results form a cornerstone of liability when impairment is confirmed. Correlating medical files, witness observations, and toxicology data helps establish both the driver’s condition and the carrier’s oversight failures.

When these underlying hazards go unchecked, innocent motorists and their families face life-altering consequences. By dissecting every contributing factor and preserving the evidence that proves it, our experienced truck-accident lawyers in Florida build the strongest possible claim for the full compensation Florida law allows.

Why Florida Truck-Accident Claims Are Different

Truck-accident cases diverge sharply from ordinary car-crash claims, beginning with the stakes involved. Because federal law—specifically 49 C.F.R. § 387—forces most interstate carriers to maintain a minimum of $750,000 in liability coverage, insurers confront enormous exposure and therefore fight aggressively to discount every dollar of a victim’s losses.

Liability is also far more complicated: responsibility can extend well beyond the driver to the motor carrier, a freight broker, a maintenance contractor, a defective-parts manufacturer, or even the company that loaded the trailer. Finally, truck litigation is a regulatory minefield.

Critical evidence such as hours-of-service logs, electronic control-module (“black-box”) data, and daily inspection reports is governed by both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Chapter 316 of the Florida Statutes. Preserving a single violation from being overwritten or destroyed can open the door to punitive damages—making our rapid and knowledgeable legal intervention essential.

Damages Available Under Florida Law

Truck-accident injuries often demand life-long care. We aggressively pursue every category of compensation available:

• Past and future medical bills (surgery, rehab, prosthetics)
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
• Home modifications and mobility aids
• Pain, suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful-death damages for surviving families, including loss of companionship and funeral costs
• Punitive damages in cases involving recklessness such as drunk driving or intentional logbook fraud

What to Do After a Truck Crash

First, dial 911 without delay and ask for both police and emergency medical services. The responding officers will prepare a detailed Florida Traffic Crash Report—an official record that often becomes pivotal evidence in proving fault and damages.

Next, obtain prompt medical evaluation and continue every follow-up appointment your doctors recommend. Even short gaps in treatment allow insurers to argue that your injuries are minor or unrelated to the crash, undermining the value of your claim.

If it is safe to do so, document the scene before vehicles are moved or debris is cleared. Photographs of skid marks, road debris, vehicle positions, and damage patterns can vanish within hours but may later help accident-reconstruction experts pinpoint exactly how the collision occurred.

Politely decline any early settlement overtures from trucking-company adjusters. These representatives often appear within 24 hours and aim to lock victims into lowball releases before the full extent of injuries and losses is known.

Finally, contact a Miami truck-accident attorney as soon as possible. Early legal intervention allows your lawyer to send spoliation letters that preserve crucial evidence—such as electronic “black-box” data—before it is overwritten or destroyed, strengthening your case from day one.

Speak With a Miami Truck Accident Lawyer Today

A collision with a semi-truck can upend your health, finances, and family life in seconds. Let Perez Gurri Law Firm shoulder the legal burden while you focus on recovery. Call 305-661-1200 or fill out our secure online form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. We are ready to fight for every dollar you deserve.