Fort Myers Truck Accident Lawyer

Hurt in a truck accident in Fort Myers and suddenly juggling pain, appointments, and pushy insurance calls?

When a semi-truck or commercial vehicle is involved, it’s rarely a simple “one driver, one policy” situation. Trucking companies, their insurers, and defense lawyers get involved quickly to protect themselves. We step in to protect you.

Our Fort Myers truck accident lawyers take over the investigation, deal with the trucking company and its insurer, and push for full compensation while you focus on healing. Our legal team has:

• 30,000+ clients helped across Florida
• Over $2 Billion recovered in settlements and verdicts
• 4.8★ rating on Google Maps
• Local Fort Myers office available 24/7
• No win, no fee offer. We’ll review what happened, explain your options, and talk about how we can help you move forward.

Why You Need a Lawyer for a Truck Crash Case

A serious truck crash doesn’t just leave you with a damaged vehicle. It can disrupt your health, your income, and your sense of control in a matter of seconds. When you’re facing all of that at once, having someone to take over the legal and insurance fight can make a big difference in how you recover financially and emotionally.

• In pain and juggling doctor visits and therapy? We handle the legal and insurance mess so you can focus on getting better.
• Watching medical bills pile up? We track every expense and fight for compensation for both your current and future medical care.
• Missing work and worrying about your income? We document your lost wages and reduced earning ability and build them into your claim.
• Getting constant calls from insurance adjusters? We deal with the insurers for you and protect you from saying anything that could hurt your case.
• Confused by all the players—driver, trucking company, broker, maintenance shop? We investigate everyone involved and go after every party that may be responsible.
• Worried the offer on the table is too low? We compare it to the true value of your losses and push back with evidence when it’s not fair.
• Afraid you can’t afford a lawyer? We work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay attorney’s fees unless we recover money for you.
• Feeling completely overwhelmed after the crash? We give you a clear plan, answer your questions, and start with a free case review so you know what to do next.

What Should I Do In The Days Following a Truck Accident?

In the days after a truck crash:

1. Get a copy of the police report for your crash
2. Get a valuation of the property damage from your insurance company
3. Keep track of all doctors’ visits and treatment you receive, and keep a journal of any symptoms or pain you experience. Get copies of all test results, medication prescriptions, medicines, and any other relevant medical information
4. Keep a detailed list of any out-of-pocket expenses you incur
5. Record days of missed work or other activities/events
6. Never accept a settlement offer from an insurance carrier unless you have consulted with a truck collision lawyer.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?

In Florida, there were over 40,000 crashes involving medium and heavy trucks in 2023. Studies of Florida truck collisions show driver error plays a role in the vast majority of serious wrecks. The most common causes we see include:

• Driver fatigue – Long hours, tight delivery windows, and overnight routes leave many truckers exhausted, which slows reaction time and leads to poor decisions in busy traffic.
• Distracted driving – Using a phone, adjusting GPS, or checking dispatch messages for even a few seconds can be deadly when you’re guiding an 80,000-pound vehicle.
• Improperly secured or overloaded cargo – Unbalanced or loose loads can shift, cause a trailer to sway, or make a truck roll over during sudden braking or sharp turns.
• Inexperienced or poorly trained drivers – Newer drivers may misjudge stopping distances, speed, blind spots, or lane changes, putting everyone around them at risk.
• Mechanical failures and poor maintenance – Brake issues, worn tires, and other defects can turn a manageable situation into a catastrophic crash when trucks aren’t inspected and maintained regularly.

These dangerous conditions don’t all look the same on the road. They often lead to specific types of truck crashes, like jackknife wrecks, rear-end collisions, underride crashes, and rollovers, which we explain in the next section on common truck accident types in Fort Myers.

Types of Truck Accident Cases in Florida

In 2023, there were 46 people dead in fatal truck crashes in Florida, according to the FLHSMV report. All types of trucks pose risks on Florida’s roads, particularly in high-traffic areas like Fort Myers. Truck crashes in Florida vary in form, each with distinct legal and regulatory factors. Common cases include:

• Jackknife Accidents
  These occur when a truck’s trailer swings out sharply, often due to sudden braking or poor road conditions. FMCSA regulations require proper maintenance and braking systems to prevent such incidents.
• Underride Accidents
  Smaller vehicles can slide under a truck’s trailer, often resulting in severe injuries. Federal law mandates underride guards, and failure to meet these standards can result in liability.
• Tire Blowouts
  Tire blowouts often cause loss of control. Florida law requires regular inspections and maintenance, and failure to comply with these rules may result in fault.
• Rollover Accidents
  Overloading or improper cargo balance often leads to rollovers. Florida has weight regulations for trucks, and exceeding these limits can contribute to accidents.
• Rear-End Collisions
  Trucks require more stopping distance than smaller vehicles. Failing to maintain a safe following distance can lead to rear-end collisions, often resulting in serious injury.
• Blind Spot Accidents
  Trucks have large blind spots, or “no-zones,” and drivers must be cautious when changing lanes or turning. Failure to account for these areas increases the risk of accidents.

Each type of truck accident involves specific regulations and safety standards that must be followed, and violations of these can lead to liability for damages.

What Are Common Truck Accident Injuries?

Truck accidents often result in serious, life-altering injuries due to the size and force of commercial vehicles. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) – Ranging from concussions to severe brain damage, TBIs often require long-term treatment and rehabilitation.
• Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis – These injuries can lead to partial or total paralysis, necessitating ongoing medical care and lifestyle adjustments.
• Broken Bones and Fractures – Common in truck crashes, broken bones often require surgery and lengthy recovery periods.
• Internal Injuries – Organ damage and internal bleeding are serious, hidden injuries that may require emergency medical attention.
• Severe Burns and Lacerations – Burns from fires or fuel spills and deep cuts from debris can cause permanent scarring and require extensive treatment.

These injuries, along with other damages such as lost wages and emotional suffering, may be compensated together, helping victims recover both physically and financially with the assistance of a skilled truck accident attorney.

Impact of a Commercial Trucking Company on Your Case

When you’ve been in a commercial truck accident, you’re not just dealing with one careless driver. You’re up against a trucking company that has to follow both federal trucking rules and Florida’s commercial vehicle safety laws. Under Florida Statute 316.302, many of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules apply to commercial motor vehicles in our state, including requirements for driver qualifications, vehicle inspections, maintenance, and hours-of-service limits designed to prevent fatigue.

If a trucking company cuts corners on these safety rules by putting an over-tired driver behind the wheel, skipping inspections, ignoring repair issues, or failing to train or supervise properly. Those violations can become powerful evidence that they put others at risk. In a serious truck crash case, liability may not stop with the driver. The company itself can be held responsible for:

• The driver’s negligent actions on the road
• Unsafe policies that encourage speeding or driving while fatigued
• Poor hiring, training, or supervision
• Failing to inspect, repair, or maintain the truck and trailer

Because the stakes are high, commercial carriers and their insurers often move quickly to protect themselves, using internal safety teams, adjusters, and defense lawyers to control information and minimize payouts. Your claim may turn on whether someone acts just as quickly on your side to uncover logbooks, black box data, maintenance records, and other proof of safety violations under Florida and federal law.

What Compensation Can I Get If I’ve Been Hurt in a Fort Myers Truck Accident?

After a truck crash in Fort Myers, the law looks at how the collision has impacted your life physically, financially, and emotionally. While every case is different, many people are able to pursue compensation for both out-of-pocket costs and harder-to-measure losses.

How Florida’s No-Fault / PIP Coverage Fits In

Florida’s no-fault system means an accident victim `s own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays part of your medical bills and some lost wages up to $10,000, no matter who caused the crash. You generally must get medical care within 14 days, and without a diagnosed Emergency Medical Condition, PIP benefits may be limited. Because truck accidents often cause serious injuries, many people quickly move beyond PIP and pursue a claim against the at-fault driver, trucking company, or other responsible parties.

Types of Damages You May Be Able to Pursue

Depending on the facts of your case, you may be able to seek money for:

• Medical expenses – Past and future treatment, including hospital care, surgery, therapy, medications, and long-term care needs.
• Lost wages and reduced earning ability – Income you’ve already lost and the impact on your ability to work in the future.
• Pain and suffering and other non-economic losses – Ongoing pain, emotional distress, trauma, and changes to your quality of life when your injuries are serious.
• Property damage – Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other damaged property.
• Punitive damages (in rare cases) – Extra damages meant to punish especially reckless or intentional conduct by a driver or trucking company.

Florida Rules That Can Affect Your Compensation

Two key Florida rules can directly affect the value of your truck accident claim:

• Modified comparative negligence – If you are partly at fault, your compensation can be reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found more than 50% responsible in most negligence cases, you may not be able to recover at all.
• Shorter time limits to file – For many negligence claims arising from crashes on or after March 24, 2023, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Other types of claims can have different deadlines, so it’s important to get legal guidance as soon as you can.

These rules, combined with the serious nature of truck crash injuries, make it important to understand your rights early and make sure all of your losses, not just your initial bills, are considered in any settlement discussions.

Stages of Truck Accident Lawsuits

Every truck crash case is different, but most injury claims move through a few key stages. Here’s what the process usually looks like when you work with our Fort Myers truck accident attorneys:

1. Free consultation and case review

If you were hurt in a truck accident and want to hold the responsible parties accountable, your first step is to reach out to us.

During your free consultation, we will:

• Listen to your story from start to finish
• Review any evidence you already have (photos, videos, police report, insurance letters, medical records)
• Look at your medical treatment, physical therapy, and how the crash has changed your daily life

Based on this information and a review of any available reports, we’ll let you know if your case has merit and what your options may be.

2. Investigation and evidence gathering

If we move forward together, our legal team starts a detailed investigation. This may include:

• Sending an investigator to the crash scene (when helpful and possible)
• Reviewing all available police and crash reports
• Collecting and organizing your medical records and bills
• Working with accident reconstruction experts
• Requesting and preserving any video footage (traffic cameras, dashcams, nearby businesses)
• Identifying and interviewing eyewitnesses
• Communicating with the trucking company’s insurance and legal teams
• Requesting driver logs, maintenance records, and other company documents

We’ll also help you describe what happened in a clear and consistent way so your story is accurately presented throughout your claim.

3. Demand letter and settlement negotiations

Once we understand your injuries, the evidence, and your future needs, your truck accident lawyer prepares a personal injury demand letter to the insurance company for the at-fault driver, trucking company, or other responsible parties.

That letter:

• Explains how the crash happened
• Summarizes your injuries, treatment, and long-term impact
• Sets out a specific dollar amount we believe is fair to resolve your claim

In simple terms, it tells the trucking company and its insurer: “We will only release you from responsibility for this crash if you agree to these terms.”

The insurance company can accept the demand, reject it, or make a lower counteroffer. If a fair settlement can be reached at this stage, your case may resolve without a lawsuit.

4. Filing a lawsuit (if needed)

If the insurance company refuses to offer fair compensation, the next step may be to file a lawsuit.

This usually involves:

• Filing a formal Complaint in the appropriate court, setting out the facts and legal basis for your claim
• Serving that Complaint on the defendants (such as the driver, company, or others)

Filing a lawsuit does not automatically mean you will end up in a courtroom trial, but it shows the other side you are serious about pursuing your rights.

5. Discovery

Once a lawsuit is filed, both sides enter the discovery phase, where they exchange information, documents, and testimony. This can include:

• Written questions (interrogatories)
• Requests for documents and records
• Depositions (sworn testimony taken outside of court)

Discovery helps each side understand the strengths and weaknesses of the case and often leads to further settlement discussions or mediation.

6. Trial (when necessary)

Most truck accident cases settle before trial or sometime during the litigation process. But if the insurance company still refuses to be reasonable, a judge or jury may need to decide.

At trial, your lawyer will present evidence and witnesses, cross-examine the defense’s witnesses, and argue for full and fair compensation based on the law and the facts.

Trials in truck accident cases are less common, but our legal team is always prepared to go to court when that’s what it takes to pursue fair compensation.

Over the years, our Fort Myers truck accident lawyers have helped many clients recover money for their medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses, and we’re ready to fight for you as well.

Steinger, Greene & Feiner’s Team of Truck Accident Lawyers

Our Fort Myers personal injury lawyers step in to protect you from those tactics and push for justice and compensation the law allows. From day one, we focus on building your case, increasing the value of your settlement offers, and making sure you’re not talked into signing something that hurts your claim. If the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, our team is ready to take your truck accident case to trial rather than let you be shortchanged.

You’re informed, supported, and backed by a team that handles injury claims against negligent drivers, trucking companies, and other businesses every day. You can visit our Fort Myers law office at 9160 Forum Corporate Pkwy #350, Fort Myers.

Or  get a free case review today by calling (239) 747-7473. We’ll review what happened, explain your options, and talk about how we can help you move forward.

Common Questions About Truck Accident