Semi Truck Crash Injury Attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL Help Truck Accident Victims Recover Financial Compensation in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
With more than three decades of combined experience handing truck accident cases, West Palm Beach Truck Accident Lawyers at Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., has seen more than their share of horrific truck crashes involving all manner of commercial trucks and tractor-trailers. In fact, the injuries suffered by victims of truck crashes are often catastrophic and permanently debilitating, with death, traumatic brain injury, lost limbs, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, scarring and multiple fractures just some of the possible outcomes. But they are putting their experience to good use, helping the victims of these life-changing and sometimes life-ending accidents get the compensation they deserve.
Of course, it’s not difficult to see why the personal injuries suffered in a commercial truck accident might be catastrophic. A tractor-trailer weighs approximately 70,000 pounds, and can generate overwhelmingly destructive force when it strikes another automobile.
Less well-known, though, is how dangerous it can be for an automobile to strike a commercial truck—whether it’s a box truck, a semi-truck, or a tractor-trailer. When a passenger car or other automobile hits a truck, an underride accident often results. Underride accidents are among the most dangerous and deadly truck accidents because in a side or rear underride accident the automobile passes under the side or rear of the truck. In such an instance, airbags and other safety devices on the automobile are typically of limited use, because it’s the car’s passenger compartment that makes first contact with the frame of the truck, leading to direct intrusion into the passenger space, with the head and shoulders of the victims absorbing the blow.
While efforts are being made to make underride accidents less dangerous and deadly (entrepreneurs and truck manufacturers are developing, testing and installing new, more effective underride guards, for example), the issues surrounding side and rear underride accidents are especially complex. That’s why it’s advisable to consult with and retain a West Palm Beach truck accidents lawyer that has extensive experience pursuing truck accident claims—an attorney like Charles Cartwright of Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., who has 25 years of experience handling complex truck accident cases.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation, in which we’ll review the circumstances surrounding your case and advise you as to the prospects for recovering financial compensation.
Types of Truck Accidents that Occur
If a passenger vehicle passes under the front, rear or side of a truck, it’s sometimes referred to as an underride accident. There are three different types of underride accidents, the first two of which are most common.
- Rear underride accident.
- Side underride accident.
- Front underride accident.
Other types of common truck accidents include:
- Jackknife accidents.
- Lost load accidents.
- Blind-spot crashes.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
The causes of truck accidents are many, but some of the most common causes involve:
- Distracted driving.
- A fatigued driver.
- Speeding.
- Aggressive driving.
- Faulty or improperly maintained brakes or other equipment.
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., West Palm Beach Truck Accident Lawyers Charles Cartwright and his support staff work tirelessly to identify all of the factors that caused your accident. Then they gather all the evidence needed to support your case, giving you the best possible chance for your claim to succeed, whether that’s through settlement negotiation or trial.
Schedule a Free Consultation
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., our West Palm Beach Truck Accident Lawyers pride themselves on providing clients with personalized attention. If you decide to take advantage of our free, no obligation consultation one of our attorneys will contact you to review the circumstances surrounding your accident and your prospects for receiving compensation. Should you decide to retain the services of our law firm, you will be provided with the personal cell phone number of the attorney handling your case, should you need or want to get in touch between one of the regular updates you’ll receive about the progress of your case.
The free consultation can take place in our Lake Worth office (in downtown Lake Worth across from City Hall), or at our Pompano Beach office. Alternatively, we can call on you at home or in the hospital, as we know that it can be prohibitive for truck accident victims to travel. Evening and weekend appointments are also available; Regardless, before you accept a settlement offer from an insurance company contact us for a free consultation so you can make the most informed decision possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About West Palm Beach Truck Accidents
Yes. If you or a family member has been injured in a truck accident you have four years from the date of the accident to initiate a lawsuit. However, if someone died as a result of the accident and you wish to pursue a wrongful death claim, the lawsuit must be filed within two years of the individual’s death. However, it’s advisable to contact a West Palm Beach truck accidents lawyer as soon as possible in the wake of an injury accident, so your legal representative can pursue and preserve all of the evidence that supports your claim. Valuable evidence in a truck accident case commonly includes the police report, truck inspection and maintenance records, the driver’s employment records, cell phone records and truck maintenance records.
Every case is different. In some instances it may be possible to negotiate a fair settlement in a matter of months. In other cases it may be advisable to pursue your case to trial, a process that can take many months or even years. At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., we understand that it can be emotionally draining to go through the process of fighting for what is rightfully yours in the wake of a truck accident. Rest assured, though, if we believe you should settle your case, we will give you our honest opinion. If we believe you should pursue your case to trial, we will let you know, though the decision on how to proceed is always yours.