St. Petersburg Truck Accident Lawyer
Were you injured in an accident involving a large truck, semi-truck, or tractor-trailer in St. Petersburg, Florida? You may have legal options to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering. A St. Petersburg truck accident lawyer at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers will help you pursue the maximum compensation you deserve.
Our legal team has been dedicated to protecting accident victims from bicycle accidents, commercial vehicle crashes, bus incidents, and more since we opened our doors in 1955.
We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients. Let us put our experience and resources to work for you.
Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of working with our team? Contact our law office at (727) 591-3354 today to schedule a free consultation.
How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Truck Accident
Truck accident injuries can result in life-altering injuries. It’s critical to seek quality medical care after a truck accident. Unfortunately, that can leave you with a mountain of medical bills–often while you’re injured and unable to work. That makes it especially important to protect your legal rights.
Trucking companies and their insurers have the resources to hire teams of lawyers and crews of investigators. They’ll start investigating the crash immediately. You might even have an insurance settlement on the table already.
Unfortunately, many truck accident victims accept lowball settlements because they need money quickly. Our personal injury attorneys can make sure you don’t settle for less than you deserve.
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers is the oldest personal injury firm in Tampa Bay. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for accident victims; we’ve done it by not backing down in our fights for fair compensation.
You can expect us to:
- Thoroughly investigate the crash
- Identify all responsible parties and sources of insurance
- Hire expert witnesses and specialists
- Negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf
Once you accept a settlement, you can’t pursue additional compensation at a later date. Our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys have over 60 years of experience negotiating with insurance companies. We’ll assess the value of your claim before we even sit down at the negotiating table.
Ready to learn more about how we’ll fight to maximize your settlement or verdict? Call for a free consultation today.
How Common Are Truck Accidents?
More than 5,000 people died in large truck wrecks across the U.S. in 2019. That’s a 36% increase since 2010.
Florida is no stranger to fatal crashes. In 2019, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles estimated that at least 32,000 people were involved in large truck accidents in the Sunshine State.
What is My Truck Accident Case Worth?
Determining the value of your truck accident claim can be difficult. Numerous factors can play a role. Of course, the primary factor is the severity of your injuries. The most serious injuries tend to result in the highest settlements.
Additional relevant factors include:
- The cost of your medical treatment and property damage
- Your prognosis
- The impact on your quality of life and career
- Your emotional and physical suffering
You’re entitled to compensation for both past and future losses. Hiring a lawyer who has experience successfully handling cases like yours is the best way to make sure you’re getting everything you deserve.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Truck Accident Victims?
Like any car accident victim, truck accident victims are entitled to damages if someone else caused the accident. Florida personal injury laws classify compensatory damages according to whether they represent economic losses or non-economic losses.
Your economic damages may include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future medical bills
- Lost future earning capacity
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Long-term care
- In-home care
- Modifications to your home and vehicle
Non-economic damages provide compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Diminished quality of life
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Permanent physical disability
- Disfigurement or scarring
- Loss of consortium
Our primary goal is to maximize your compensation award and hold the at-fault parties fully accountable for their actions. That way, you’ll have the financial resources to get back on your feet again.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Truck Accident in Florida?
Multiple parties can be held liable for the same accident under Florida law, including victims who were injured in the crash.
However, you don’t always lose your right to compensation if you’re partly responsible; Florida is a modified comparative fault state with a 51% recovery bar. Under Florida law, you can sue to recover damages from anyone who was even slightly responsible for the accident. However, if you are partly to blame, your damages will be reduced to account for your share of fault. And if you are mostly to blame, you cannot recover compensation.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Truck Accident Injuries
Because of their size and weight, commercial trucks have the ability to cause extreme injuries. Even if you survive the crash, you may be left struggling with a permanent disability.
Some common truck accident injuries include:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries, including bleeding and organ damage
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Truck accident victims often incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Some require medical care over a lifetime. If you were injured, you can rely on our lawyers to fight for every dollar you deserve.
What Causes Most Truck Accidents?
According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data, about 87% of all truck accidents are caused by driver error.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents in St. Petersburg include:
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Excessive speeds
- Unsafe passing
- Illegal lane changes
- Illegal or unsafe turns
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Misuse of drugs, including prescription drugs
- Failure to maintain the vehicle
- Inexperienced drivers
- Violation of state and federal safety regulations, including rules limiting hours on the road
Problems with the truck itself cause some truck accidents, including:
- Defective brakes
- Worn tires
- Hazardous cargo
- Failure to properly secure the cargo
- Failure to properly connect the tractor to the trailer
- Defective truck parts and safety equipment
- Failure to properly screen, train, and supervise truck drivers
Would you like help identifying the cause of your truck accident? Call our St. Petersburg truck accident attorneys for a free case review today.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Truck Accident in Florida?
Our lawyers always conduct a full investigation into the accident. At the outset, we’ll review the truck’s black box recording device and evaluate the truck itself to gain insight into what happened.
The vast majority of truck accident cases are based on negligence. Proving negligence means offering proof about:
- The responsible party’s legal duty of care
- A breach of duty
- How the breach caused the accident
- The damages you’ve suffered
In some cases, strict liability laws may also apply.
At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, we know that things might feel overwhelming right now. We’re here to help. Just call our law firm today to get the legal advice you deserve.
Who is Responsible for Paying Damages After a Truck Accident?
Truck accident cases are complex. Although the truck driver might have caused the accident, someone else might be legally accountable for your damages.
Additional responsible parties in a truck accident case might include:
- The truck driver’s employer
- The trucking company
- A truck leasing company
- Maintenance companies
- Shipping companies
- A company hired to inspect the truck
- A company responsible for securing the truck’s cargo
- Government agencies
- A third-party driver
Our team will work tirelessly to locate the evidence you’ll need to support your personal injury claim, including:
- Trucking logs
- The driver’s log of hours spent behind the wheel
- Inspection and maintenance records
- The driver’s commercial driver’s license and training record
- Past reports of safety violations
- Video footage and photos of the accident scene
- The commercial vehicle’s black box recording device, which can provide information about speed and vehicle function at the time of the crash
We have the resources to hire experts and specialists who can strengthen your case. With their insight and our legal expertise, you can count on us to fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Truck Accident in Florida?
The statute of limitations in personal injury cases was recently changed in the State of Florida. If your accident took place on or after 3/24/2023, you’ll have two years to file a lawsuit. Otherwise, you’ll have four years. However, there are exceptions to these deadlines.
Missing the deadline has serious consequences. You’ll forfeit your right to compensation if you wait too long to take legal action.
Remember, truck accident cases take time. A thorough investigation is critical to identifying everyone who should be held accountable for your injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers as soon as possible to schedule a free case evaluation.
Our team at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers is proud to offer top-quality legal representation. If you were injured, call a St. Petersburg truck accident lawyer at (727) 591-3354 to schedule your free consultation today.
We treat you like family.
If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you.
Representing Accident Victims in Tampa Bay since 1955
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“Friendly knowledgeable and kept me informed about my case. Any offer, bill or question was readily answered. Would definitely recommend and refer people to Bryan Caulfield and his team!!”- Betty B.
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“Mrs Bryant works her butt off to make sure you get what is do to you in medical and beyond! They won’t take your case if they don’t feel you haven’t been wronged.”- Christine R.
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“Working with Mark Perenich on my auto injury case was an absolute game-changer. From the very beginning, he brought a level of professionalism, expertise, and care that immediately put us at ease.”- Kerry B.
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“Lorrie and Allyson are phenomenal. I highly recommend them to anyone. It seemed like a never ending journey but I can’t thank them enough for diligently fighting my case with the greatest integrity, support and prayers.”- Former Client
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“From the first day we met this law group I felt very comfortable and knew we would be well taken care of. This was our first experience filing for SSD, and was not disappointed. The lawyers are awesome and very professional.”- Shari J.
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“Very nice they worked with you. Never ignored me with my case. Always on top to work with you. Thank you so much for all that you have done to help me! Very highly recommend.”- Margarita O.
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“My appointed attorney was Jacqueline, Bryant. She is very compassionate about her client and work. When it comes to negotiation, she's a Beast and she gets the job done.”- Alaina J.
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“What was particularly awe inspiring was the recall of facts and testimonies from medical personnel that Para Legal Ms. Josephine Elizabeth Angelo was able to make. Her memory and acumen for detail was admirable.”- Maylisa Y.
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“Wonderful, impeccable, personalized, authentic, truthful, honest experience. Rare, real, and human firm.”- Sheryl G.
We’ve been proudly serving Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and the Tampa Bay area for generations. As the first personal injury law firm in Clearwater, our dedicated legal team brings over 300 years of combined experience to each and every case. If you’ve been injured and need support, please reach outtoday for a free consultation, we are here to help you.
