Orlando is home to some of Florida’s most iconic attractions and has the perfect climate for picnicking year-round — as long as you pay attention to the summer rain forecast. But Orlando’s central location also makes it prime real estate for high-volume traffic, with thousands of vehicles heading in all directions every hour of the day.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that large trucks are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes, simply because of their sheer size and force of impact. In nonfatal crashes, the odds of being injured are much higher for the occupants of passenger vehicles. According to the NHTSA, 24 percent of large truck occupants are injured when they wreck; for the occupants of vehicles involved in crashes with large trucks, that number skyrockets to 76 percent.
How Common Are Orlando Semi-Truck Accidents?
In Florida, there were 295 fatal accidents involving semi trucks in 2018, up from the previous two years. While Southeast Florida, especially Miami, hosts the deadliest roads in the state, Orange County can be especially risky for motorists when it comes to crashing with a semi truck, thanks to Interstate 4.
While the state’s Project I-4 is scheduled to be completed in late 2021, the fact remains that interstate highways can be risky for drivers. A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2019 more than 5,000 people were killed and over 150,000 were injured on U.S. roadways in crashes involving large trucks.
Several high-risk interchanges are among the more common places of large truck crashes in Orlando, based on data from the Florida Department of Transportation:
- The SR-528 and US-441
- The I-4 and the SR-408
- The I-4 and the SR-536
Trucking is a demanding industry, and sometimes those demands result in dangerous behavior.
What Are My Legal Options If I’ve Been in a Crash with a Semi Truck?
When you’ve been in an accident with a semi truck, you may have legal recourse to recover both economic and noneconomic damages. The primary factor in determining whether you have legal recourse is determining who is at fault.
Commercial truck drivers have a responsibility to stay safe on the roadways, but unfortunately their actions are not always in line with that duty. Some of the more common contributing factors to semi truck accidents are:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Impaired driving
- Improper training
- Unlicensed drivers
- Poor vehicle maintenance
- Overloaded vehicles
When an 80,000-lb. machine crashes into a 3,000-lb. car, one should expect significant property damage and, unfortunately, injuries. Some of the more common injuries that affect people who have been hit by a semi truck include:
- Multiple broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
- Chest trauma
- Internal bleeding
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Soft tissue damage
- Lacerations
- Paralysis
If the semi-truck driver who hit you or caused your accident was acting with carelessness, recklessness, or negligence, you may have a case for a semi-truck accident lawsuit in order to seek financial compensation for the cost of your vehicle damages, medical care, lost wages, and even your pain and suffering.
Filing a lawsuit can be confusing and uncomfortable, especially if you believe the truck driver did not intentionally cause your accident. However, it may be that the company the driver worked for was negligent in providing an unsafe vehicle to the driver. Commercial truck accidents are complex because there may be multiple parties who are responsible for what happened to you. It may be that the driver shares some of the blame, or it may be that the driver is also a victim.
Speaking with an attorney about your accident can help you understand what is involved in this kind of case so that you can focus on your own recovery.
How Can a Semi-Truck Attorney Help?
A new national study announced in March 2021 aims to understand how changes in technology, vehicle design, roadways, and modern driver behavior impact the likelihood of a semi-truck accident. That data will be invaluable in keeping drivers safer on the roads. When you have been personally involved in a crash with a semi truck, you need information now that will help you understand what happened to you and what you might be able to do about it. FVF’s semi truck accident lawyers can educate you about your options so you can make informed decisions.
As soon as possible after your accident, it’s important to speak to a personal injury attorney with expertise in semi-truck accident settlements. This can help you understand your rights and options. If you have a claim, FVF has the resources to investigate your case thoroughly and take it to trial if necessary to maximize your recovery. When you are ready to speak to an attorney about your case, contact us for a free consultation.