Starke Truck Accident Lawyers

A Proven Record of Success in Florida

While any motor vehicle accident can have serious, long-lasting consequences for victims, collisions with large commercial trucks are particularly devastating. Due to their sheer size and massive weight, semi-trucks often cause immense destruction when they collide with smaller, lighter vehicles. Tragically, many of these accidents are fatal, leaving families of victims forced to pick up the pieces.

At the Law Offices of Ron Sholes, P.A., we are committed to holding negligent truck drivers, trucking companies, and others accountable. If you or a loved one was involved in an accident with a large commercial vehicle, our Starke truck accident attorneys can help. We understand the complexities these types of accident claims present, and we are ready to fight for your full, fair recovery.

Reach out to us today for a free consultation; call (855) 933-3881or contact us onlineto get started.

How Do Truck Accidents Happen?

Just like anyone else who operates a motor vehicle, truck drivers are humans and, as such, are prone to human error. In fact, a significant number of truck accidents are attributed to truck driver error or negligence. However, others are the result of outside factors, such as another motorist’s carelessness, a defective truck part or piece of equipment, or even poor weather conditions.

Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:

• Speeding, including driving too fast for weather conditions
• Distracted driving, such as texting, using a GPS device, or eating while driving
• Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
• Violating federal hours-of-service regulations, leading to fatigued driving
• Traffic law violations, such as running red lights/stop signs
• Failing to yield the right-of-way
• Turning, merging, or passing unsafely or unlawfully
• Inadequate or lack of truck maintenance
• Failing to repair issues reported during regular truck maintenance
• Defective trucks/truck parts, such as braking systems, tires, etc.
• Poor or defective road design or construction
• Third-party negligence

These and other factors can lead to serious collisions, leaving victims suffering with catastrophic injuries and a lifetime of unanticipated challenges. While nothing can undo the devastation these accidents cause, a successful truck accident claim can allow victims and their families to recover fair compensation and secure the financial resources they need to move forward with their lives.

Liability in Truck Accident Cases

As in any type of personal injury case, determining who is liable for a truck accident is critical. Unlike other types of claims, however, the issue of liability in truck accident cases is often very complex due to the fact that multiple people/parties could be legally responsible.

For example, if a truck driver is an employee of a trucking company, the trucking company could be legally liable for the truck driver’s actions under what are known as respondeat superior rules. These rules simply state that employers are generally liable for the conduct of their employees while those employees are “on the clock.” However, many truck drivers are classified as independent contractors, meaning the trucking company may not be liable. Additionally, even when a truck driver is classified as an employee, the trucking company may not be liable if the truck driver acted with egregious negligence or displayed unlawful conduct.

In other cases, parties other than the truck driver or the trucking company may be partially or wholly liable for an accident. This might be the case when another motorist is negligent and causes a crash with a semi-truck that involves multiple other vehicles. It could also be the case if a tire manufacturer produces defective truck tires that fail at high speeds, leading to a crash.

Because of the complexities involved in establishing liability in truck accident cases, it’s incredibly important that you work with a skilled attorney who has an in-depth knowledge of federal and state trucking regulations, as well as Florida’s personal injury statutes.

How the Law Offices of Ron Sholes, P.A. Can Help

With years of experience and a proven record of results, our firm has the resources, acumen, and resolve to aggressively fight for your recovery. We can work with experts including accident reconstructionists, truck industry professionals, doctors, economists, and expert witnesses to help us put together a clear picture of what happened and a comprehensive case showing how your injuries and damages have affected your life. From there, we zealously advocate to recover maximum damages for your medical bills, lost wages, future medical costs, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and other losses.

When you trust your case to the Law Offices of Ron Sholes, P.A., we will handle everything. We believe you should spend this time focusing on healing and getting back on your feet—not on the legal challenges you face. Instead, our team will navigate the legal steps necessary to help secure the best outcome possible on your behalf.