Who Is Liable in a Truck Accident?

Commercial truck accidents in Florida are far more complex than automobile crashes. Traffic accidents involving large trucks such as tractor-trailers, semis, flatbeds, and other 18-wheelers may involve liability on the part of multiple parties. The truck driver, the trucking company, a freight shipper and a truck equipment manufacturer may share liability in a truck accident involving serious or fatal injuries. It’s important to talk to a knowledgeable South Florida tractor-trailer accident attorney about potentially liable parties.

I am attorney Philip DeBerard. I have over 40 years of experience in handling truck accidents and personal injury claims in Florida. Civil trial work is my specialty. My expertise as a civil trial lawyer anchors a caring team of lawyers, paralegals and staff that provide personalized, one-on-one legal service. If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash involving a tractor-trailer, semi, flatbed or other 18-wheeler in Florida, you may have a legal claim to compensation for your injuries and expenses. Talk with a truck accident lawyer with the experience to make a difference.

Call 1-800-299-8878 to speak with a tractor-trailer accident attorney at the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, or fill out our online contact form.

Identifying Who is Liable After a Truck Accident

If you are considering filing a lawsuit for a serious injury suffered in a tractor-trailer accident, semi accident or flatbed truck accident, it’s important to name all the potentially responsible parties to maximize your recovery. An experienced Florida 18-wheeler accident lawyer will work with traffic engineers and truck maintenance experts to pinpoint all the contributing factors to your serious injury accident. Others besides the truck driver may be liable for the crash. We are committed to holding all responsible parties accountable for your injuries.

• Truck Driver—Truck drivers are often at fault in multi-vehicle truck accidents, though other parties may share liability. The big rig driver may have been driving carelessly—a common contributing factor in more than 1,000 truck accidents in Florida each year, according to the most recent traffic data. The trucker may have been drowsy after too many hours of driving to meet a delivery deadline. The truck driver may have been speeding or driving too fast for conditions at the time of the accident. It’s common for a personal injury lawsuit to name a truck driver, but others may be potentially liable as well.
• Commercial Motor Carrier—The trucking company may be liable for a truck accident by failing to maintain their fleet of trucks in safe operating condition, by allowing a driver with a checkered record to stay on the road, by not providing proper training to drivers or by failing to perform required drug and alcohol testing on drivers. Any of these actions or inactions may make a trucking company potentially liable for a truck crash.
• Cargo Shipper—In some Florida tractor-trailer crashes, the freight shipper or owner of hazardous cargo being shipped may share liability for injuries or burns suffered in a truck collision. They may be liable for spills of hazardous liquids that cause property damage or fires. If the freight shipper neglects to inform the trucking company of hazardous materials contained in the load of cargo, the shipper may be liable.
• Truck Equipment Manufacturers—In some Florida tractor-trailer accidents, defective equipment, such as tires that separate or brakes that fail, contribute to highway accidents. When defective equipment contributes to a crash, the equipment manufacturers may be held liable for injuries and damages in the accident. These are contributing factors that police often miss when filling out the initial traffic accident report. An experienced Florida truck accident lawyer knows to look beyond the usual suspects to identify all the potentially liable parties in a tractor-trailer truck crash.

Contact a Florida Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney

With more than three decades of experience handling truck accidents and personal injury claims, the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, can help you and your family get back on your feet after a serious truck accident.  People injured in truck accidents can demand compensation from the potentially responsible parties, including the truck driver, trucking company, freight shipper and truck equipment maker. We evaluate your accident to determine all liable parties to maximize your recovery. We hold at-fault truck drivers and trucking companies fully accountable for the harm they cause. Our clients pay no fees unless we win compensation for them.

Honest, ethical, hardworking— if those sound like qualities you want in a lawyer, then you’ll want to talk with Philip DeBerard. At the law firm of Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, we pride ourselves on providing personalized, one-on-one attention that other firms fail to deliver. Choosing the right tractor-trailer accident lawyer does make a difference. I am Philip DeBerard, and I’d like to speak with you. I represent truck accident victims throughout South Florida and have offices in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach.

Call 1-800-299-8878 to speak with a compassionate truck accident attorney, or fill out our online contact form.