Have you been in a truck accident in Lakeland, FL? If a negligent truck driver caused the incident, a careless trucking company, or a vehicle defect, exploring and asserting your legal rights can be significant. Contact our experienced Lakeland truck accident lawyers at Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law. Call us at at (863) 999-9000.
Our personal injury law firm is a dedicated advocate for truck accident victims and families in Lakeland and throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. Led by a top-rated Florida litigator with over 25 years of legal experience, we’ve won millions of dollars on behalf of clients just like you.
Focus on your recovery and trust our legal team to help you fight for maximum financial recovery. Get started by contacting our Lakeland law office to arrange a free consultation now.
How Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law Can Help Victims of Big Rig Accidents in Lakeland, FL
The truck driver won’t admit they made a mistake. The trucking company will deny responsibility for the wreck. The insurance company will search for any reason to deny your claim or limit your financial recovery.
Force the results you deserve by hiring an experienced Lakeland personal injury lawyer to fight for you.
Crash victims in Lakeland choose Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law because we offer compassionate, transparent, effective legal representation. We’re known as aggressive advocates for justice and for our unrivaled ability to win life-changing awards for the people we represent.
When you ask for our help after an accident with a big rig in Lakeland, FL, you can expect us to handle your legal claim from start to finish; we will:
- Support you and offer advice when you’re asked to make decisions about your case
- Carefully investigate your tractor-trailer accident and ensure that the trucking company does not dictate how the claims process unfolds
- Gather and evaluate medical records, black box data, dashcam footage, property damage, forensics reports, cell phone records, witness statements, and other evidence
- Bring in experts in the trucking industry, forensics, rehabilitation, medicine, and other specialties to weigh in on your case
- Assess your damages and determine what your truck accident case is worth
- Determine the best way to successfully handle claims of shared fault
- Aggressively pursue a maximum settlement offer during negotiations with the defense
- Take your truck accident lawsuit to a Polk County jury, if necessary
A truck accident can turn your world upside-down. Getting compensation can make things easier. Our Lakeland personal injury attorney is here to help you get the justice you deserve without putting you in a more difficult financial situation. Our contingency fee representation means you pay nothing for our help unless we recover compensation for your truck accident claim.
Get started with a free case evaluation by calling our Lakeland law firm today.
What Causes Most 18-Wheeler Accidents?
Florida’s trucking industry is regulated by state and federal law. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations are designed to reduce collisions by limiting the amount of time a driver can spend behind the wheel, mandating extensive training and testing for drivers, and requiring regular inspections and maintenance of large rigs.
However, there’s one huge problem with these regulations. They’re only effective when they’re followed by trucking companies and truck drivers. All too often, trucks are involved in traffic accidents for reasons that can be avoided.
Some common causes of truck accidents include:
- Speeding
- Texting and driving
- Other forms of distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Drug use
- Wide right-hand turns
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Braking errors
- Improperly loaded and/or secured cargo
- Unsafe passing
- Illegal turns
- Blind spot errors
- Vehicle defects and malfunctions
These mistakes can cause jackknife truck accidents, underride accidents, truck rollovers, and other serious types of truck accidents.
If you’re injured in a truck accident in Lakeland, you’ll be able to count on our law firm to investigate your crash independently and work to establish precisely why and how the collision happened. Knowing the cause(s) will be critical to the success of a personal injury claim for damages.
How Much Is My Lakeland Truck Accident Case Worth?
Our team will consider several factors when evaluating how much your truck accident case might be worth.
- What type of truck accident were you involved in?
- What physical injuries have you sustained?
- Are your injuries permanent?
- Are you disabled?
- Have you experienced a reduction in earning capacity?
- Has your income changed?
- How much will it cost to replace or repair your vehicle?
- Do you share any of the blame for the motor vehicle accident?
- How old are you?
- What have you done to mitigate your damages?
- What insurance benefits are available?
The extent and severity of your physical injuries will have the biggest impact on your ability to recover compensation. The more catastrophic your injuries, the more they’ll affect your life – financially, physically, and emotionally – in turn, the more of an impact they’ll have on the value of your legal claim.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to a Lakeland Truck Accident Victim?
In Florida, truck accident victims will have the opportunity to request compensatory damages through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
Compensatory damages, which can include economic and non-economic awards, can help with things like:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Nursing care
- Costs paid out-of-pocket
- Reduced quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Chronic physical pain
- PTSD
- Disfigurement and scarring
Our Lakeland truck accident attorneys will work closely with specialists as we assess your case and work to understand how your life has been affected by the wreck. We’ll build a strong legal claim that highlights your losses, demonstrates liability, and positions you to get the life-changing settlement offer you deserve.
If the trucking company doesn’t make a fair offer, they’ll have no choice but to go head-to-head against our award-winning Florida trial attorney in court.
Who Could Be Liable For My Tractor-Trailer Accident?
Truck accidents can be complicated. They can happen for a lot of different reasons. At the end of the day, it’s important to pinpoint exactly why and how your semi-truck accident occurred. Knowing the cause will allow our truck accident lawyers in Lakeland, FL, to identify who’s at fault.
Depending on the specific facts of your case, one or more of the following parties could be liable for the wreck:
- Truck driver
- Trucking company
- Freight broker
- Cargo owner
- Driver of a passenger car
- Transportation company
- Property owner
- Motorcyclist
- Bicyclist
- Pedestrian
- Vehicle manufacturer
- Government agency
In Florida, a victim can also be partially liable for truck crash damages. When a victim is liable, their shared fault will limit their ability to recover compensation from another party. Under the state’s modified comparative fault law, damages in a settlement or jury verdict will be reduced proportionately to fault. However, if your share of responsibility exceeds 50%, you’re barred from recovery.
Our Florida truck accident attorneys will actively work to recover compensation from liable parties and limit any claims of shared fault that might be raised during the claims process. The less liability you share, the more compensation you’ll be able to recover when your claim is resolved.
Helping You Get Compensation For All of Your Truck Accident Injuries
While truck accidents can be catastrophic for anyone involved, the occupants of smaller vehicles usually suffer the worst consequences.
At Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law, we’re here to help you seek compensation for any of the injuries you’ve suffered in a recent truck accident, including:
- Concussion
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Paralysis
- Back injury
- Neck injury
- Crushing injury
- Eye injury
- Leg injury
- Chest injury
- Burn injury
- Amputation
- Degloving injury
- Soft tissue injury
- Nerve damage
- Broken bones
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a spouse, parent, or child
Following a truck accident, be sure to call 911 and seek prompt medical treatment at the closest hospital to you in Lakeland. Then, reach out to our legal team to discuss your legal rights and options. Members of our firm are always standing by to help – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What’s the Filing Deadline For Florida Truck Accident Lawsuits?
In Florida, truck accident victims generally have up to two years to formally seek compensation from a trucking service or an insurance company.
Similarly, families have up to two years to seek damages in a wrongful death lawsuit if a truck accident in Lakeland is fatal. The two-year window begins to run on the date of the victim’s death.
You must file your claim within the time set by the statute of limitations if you want to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. The right to seek compensation is lost once the filing deadline passes.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With a Trusted Lakeland Truck Accident Lawyer
You have rights as the victim of a truck accident in Lakeland, FL. Through a personal injury lawsuit, you can demand compensation from a negligent truck driver, a trucking company, or another liable party. Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law can help you fight for the top-dollar recovery you need to get better.
Our Lakeland truck accident lawyers have over 25 years of experience. We’ve helped clients win millions from insurance companies, trucking services, government agencies, and other powerful entities.
Trust us to do everything in our power to get you life-changing results, too. Your first consultation is free, so call our Lakeland law office for help today.