Have you sustained traumatic injuries in a car accident involving a commercial vehicle in Clearwater, Florida? You do not have to struggle with the costs and consequences on your own. The experienced Clearwater commercial vehicle accident lawyers at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can help you demand a full financial recovery from those responsible.
Since 2001, our Clearwater personal injury attorneys have dedicated their careers to helping catastrophically injured accident victims in Clearwater and the Tampa Bay area, working in cases like car accidents, truck accidents, Clearwater bus accidents, uber accidents, bicycle accidents in Clearwater, and many more.
We take on powerful transportation services, vehicle manufacturers, and negligent commercial drivers on behalf of our clients and work to make a genuine difference in their lives. Our law firm has won tens of millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards as a result.
You deserve to be fully compensated for your commercial vehicle accident injuries. Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, is here to help you achieve the best possible results. Contact our law office in Clearwater, FL, at (727) 493-4418 today to set up a free consultation to learn more.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident Involving a Commercial Vehicle in Clearwater, FL
You could be entitled to compensation after an accident involving a commercial vehicle in Clearwater. However, the path to a successful financial recovery can be challenging.
Several parties can get involved – including transportation services, insurance companies, corporations, and negligent drivers – which can complicate matters. This is particularly true when they’re all fighting tooth and nail to keep you from getting the compensation you deserve.
You can put yourself in the driver’s seat and give yourself the edge you need to win by enlisting the help of our experienced injury attorneys.
We have the depth of resources to match your most powerful adversaries and the experience needed to best them at every turn.
You can take this opportunity to focus on your physical health and well-being while our team:
- Conducts an investigation into your commercial vehicle accident
- Determines how the accident happened and who’s at fault
- Analyzes evidence obtained in our investigation and throughout the discovery process
- Counters efforts to shift blame and limit your ability to recover compensation
- Leads settlement negotiations with the commercial vehicle service and other parties
- Handles disputes with insurance companies
- Litigates your commercial vehicle accident lawsuit at trial, if needed
Given the sheer weight and size of most commercial vehicles, accidents in which they’re involved can be catastrophic. For victims, the injuries can be life-changing – and costly. When you’re faced with mounting financial stress (from both riding medical bills and a sudden loss of income), the last thing our law firm wants is for legal bills to make things worse.
But hiring a lawyer helps to ensure that you get the best possible outcome in your commercial vehicle accident case. It really does make a genuine difference in how your case unfolds. That’s why our commercial vehicle accident attorneys in Clearwater work on contingency.
You only pay if we win or settle your commercial vehicle accident case. If we don’t, you pay nothing. End of story.
Don’t hesitate to contact our law office serving Clearwater, FL, to set up a free consultation and learn more.
Types of Commercial Vehicle Accidents
Almost any vehicle that is used to transport goods or pay customers can be defined as a commercial vehicle.
Typically, a commercial vehicle will:
- Weigh more than 10,000 pounds
- Be designed to transport at least 8 paying passengers (plus the driver)
- Be designed to transport at least 15 non-paying passengers (plus the driver), or
- Primarily transport hazardous materials
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we advocate for clients who have suffered injuries in accidents involving all different types of commercial vehicles, including:
- FedEx and UPS trucks
- Amazon delivery vans
- Garbage trucks
- Mail trucks
- Towtrucks
- Dump trucks
- Construction vehicles
- Semi-trucks
- Tractor-trailers
- Government work trucks, vans, and cars
Do not hesitate to reach out to our top-rated law firm if you or a family member has been involved in a car accident with one of these or another type of commercial vehicle in Clearwater. We’ll help you understand your legal options and do our best to answer any questions you have.
Who’s Liable for My Injuries After a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Clearwater?
Several parties could potentially be responsible for resulting damages after a commercial vehicle accident in Clearwater, Florida.
Negligent Commercial Vehicle Driver
Commercial vehicles aren’t always easy to navigate. That’s why, in many cases, drivers are required to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) from the state before they can legally transport goods or passengers. A CDL helps to ensure that the driver knows how to operate the vehicle properly and is aware of specific state and federal rules that might apply.
However, there are times when a commercial vehicle driver will make a mistake or simply get reckless behind the wheel. They might become distracted, rely on drugs or alcohol to help them cope with the stresses of their jobs, or log too many hours behind the wheel and get tired.
If a commercial vehicle driver is negligent, they can be held legally responsible for damages in any accidents they cause.
Commercial Vehicle Service
There are times when the service or company for which the commercial vehicle is driven can be liable for an accident. This might be the case if the company was negligent in hiring qualified drivers or failed to adequately maintain its fleet of commercial vehicles.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that a commercial vehicle service or company might be able to sidestep liability in some cases if a driver is a contractor rather than an employee.
Vehicle Manufacturer
The company that designs, makes, or sells a commercial vehicle can potentially be responsible for crash-related damages. However, it would have to be proven that a defect in the vehicle’s design, development, or marketing contributed to the wreck. In these situations, the manufacturer could be strictly liable for your injuries.
Government Agency
Some commercial vehicles – like city buses or garbage trucks – might be operated by a government agency. When there’s an accident, the government could be held legally responsible for resulting injuries. Similarly, the government could be liable if they were negligent in the design or maintenance of local roads.
What Types of Damages Can I Get in a Clearwater Commercial Vehicle Accident Claim?
Following a commercial truck accident in Clearwater, you may be able to bring a claim to recover compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages are designed to make up for your financial losses (economic damages) and the hard-to-value trauma you might experience (non-economic damages).
Our experienced commercial vehicle accident attorneys in Clearwater will fight to recover money for your:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation and therapy
- Disability
- Property damage
- Funeral expenses if a commercial vehicle accident is fatal
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Physical scarring
- Embarrassment
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages might also be available if there’s proof that the defendant acted with gross negligence or intentionally tried to cause harm.
Auto Accidents Involving Commercial Vehicles Can Cause Catastrophic Injuries
Whether you’re a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or an occupant of another vehicle, the injuries you sustain in a collision with a commercial vehicle can be life-changing.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll help you fight to recover compensation for all of your commercial vehicle accident injuries, including:
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury
- Concussion
- Spinal cord injury
- Back injury
- Nerve damage
- Amputation
- Burns
- Neck injury
- Facial injury
- Vision or hearing loss
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a loved one
You might be transported to the closest hospital in Clearwater after your commercial vehicle accident. If you’re not, make sure that the emergency room is your first stop after you leave the scene. You’ll want to rule out internal trauma and make sure that you mitigate any injury you might have suffered.
How Long Do I Have to Bring a Claim After a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Florida?
Florida law provides a two-year window for most commercial vehicle accident victims to seek compensation. The statute of limitations used to be four years before a March 2023 law cut the deadline in half. Under this law, if you got into an accident before 3/24/23, you will still be subject to the four-year deadline. Otherwise, you will have two years to file a claim.
This might seem like a lot of time, but it’s important to act quickly after you or a family member has been injured. The statute of limitations will run out; you’ll lose the opportunity to assert your rights if you don’t act on time.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Clearwater Commercial Vehicle Accident Attorney
You deserve to be compensated if you’ve been injured in a car accident involving a truck or commercial vehicle in Clearwater, Florida. Don’t try to navigate this difficult time on your own. Put an experienced team of trusted Florida litigators from Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, on the case.
Our Clearwater commercial vehicle accident lawyers are ready to help you stand up and fight to get every cent you deserve. We’ll take on the negligent drivers and commercial vehicle services – you take the time you need to get better.
Contact our law office in Clearwater to discuss the details of your commercial vehicle accident case with a member of our team. We’re always here to take your call – 24/7/365
Visit Our Law Office In Clearwater, FL
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyer – Clearwater
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D
Clearwater, FL 33764, USA
Phone: (727) 493-4418
Hours: Open 24 Hours Daily
