Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer

Any traffic collision is an awful experience. However, collisions with large trucks may be on a different scale of horror. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 100,000 people are seriously injured in truck collisions every year. The injuries are often incredibly severe and/or permanent. The sheer size and force of a truck colliding with a passenger vehicle 20 times smaller causes disabling injuries such as spinal column and spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain that lasts a lifetime. These injuries make simple daily task excruciatingly painful, difficult, and even impossible. No amount of financial compensation will erase the emotional and physical trauma of your nightmarish experience, but it can help make the aftermath just a little more bearable. This crucial financial tool can go towards your medical bills, which, if the crash resulted in serious injury, can quickly mount to six figures or more. You deserve to be compensated for your pain and suffering, property damage, lost wages during recovery, and your lost future income if the injuries are likely to keep you from working in the same profession and the same level in the years to come. Contact an experienced Tampa truck accident lawyer to answer any questions you may have and to get started on your case today.

How Much is My Claim Worth?

The amount of financial compensation depends largely on two factors. Assuming we can prove that the truck driver, shipping or loading company, or the truck manufacturer were at fault for causing the crash, the amount of the settlement or lawsuit depends on your injuries and the insurance policy of the negligent party. The most serious types of injuries are debilitating injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage and paralysis, loss of limbs, and permanent facial disfigurement. A very serious traumatic brain injury can run as high as $15 million over a lifetime, according to a study done in 2007 on Iraq veterans, as reported in the Neurological Rehabilitation Institute at Brookhaven Hospital. While internal bleeding caused by a ruptured spleen may sound serious, and is serious, it is unlikely that such an injury would be compensated to the degree of one of the aforementioned conditions. Similarly, a broken collarbone and whiplash would be compensated to a lesser degree than a ruptured spleen. However, the more injuries a victim receives, the greater the medical costs as well as pain and suffering, and will be compensated as such. The financial cost of serious injuries greatly overshadows any property damage that was lost during the collision. The second major aspect of compensation depends on the policy limit of the negligent party. Quite often, large truck companies have equally large insurance policies, and it is not uncommon for very serious injuries to be compensated with six or seven figures.

In order to maximize your compensation and to ensure that you are not unfairly left in the dark or drug along for an unnecessary amount of time throughout the legal process, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced Tampa truck accident lawyer today at The Pendas Law Firm at 1-844-200-0000 today. The best lawyers in Tampa will help you present your case in the best way possible to ensure that you are eligible to recover the maximum amount of compensation.

What to do in a Tampa Truck Accident

Many traffic accidents are so horrendous that the victims are completely incapacitated and unable to do anything other than wait for the paramedics and the jaws of life. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 61 percent of the 6.1 million police-reported traffic accidents of 2014 involved property damage only (no injuries or fatalities took place). And, the majority of crashes that do involve injuries involve only minor injuries, or injuries that do not render the occupants incapable of taking action after the collision. By following certain steps after a truck accident, you can help prove the cause of the the collision, collect important information from the other drivers involved, and ensure that the police make an official accident report that includes your side of the story. You can get a head start on the legal process by ensuring that insurance companies are contacted and key details are collected at the scene of the crash. All too often, drivers leave the scene without calling the police only to find out later that their injuries were much more severe than they originally thought, or the property damage to their vehicle was more than just a minor dent or scratch. According to WebMD, whiplash can take days to fully surface. The evidence that you and the police gather at the scene of the crash may never be found or recorded at a later date, and it may prove difficult or impossible to determine who was at fault in the collision without this vital information. Contact an experienced commercial vehicle accident lawyer for more information today.

Follow these Steps After a Serious or Even Minor Tampa Truck Accident

The most important thing to do after a collision with a large truck is to ensure that you do not make any injuries worse after the crash. Because of the size difference in vehicles, it is likely that you and your passengers will be the parties with the most substantial injuries, not the truck driver. If that is the case, and you are unable to exit your vehicle or reach your phone, the truck driver should call the paramedics while you sit tight. If the injuries are not immediately life threatening, follow the steps listed below:

• Call 911 to get the police or paramedics on the scene as fast as possible;
• Move to the side of the road so as to stay out of the danger of traffic, and move your vehicle to the side of the road if you are able to do so;
• Get all of the contact and driver information of the truck operator. Write down their license plate number, driver’s license, truck company, truck ID number, phone number, and any other pertinent information;
• Give your report of the incident to the police;
• Get the contact information of witnesses;
• See an emergency room doctor as soon as possible; and
• Contact your insurance provider about the incident.

Contact our Experienced Tampa Truck Accident Lawyers

In the aftermath of a truck accident, it is also imperative that you reach out to a skilled Tampa lawyer who can help you on your way toward financial recovery. Call an experienced Tampa truck accident lawyer with The Pendas Law Firm today at 1-844-200-0000 for a consultation and to learn how we can help you.