Jacksonville Truck Accident Lawyer

When a semi-truck or 18-wheeler causes a crash, the damage is often severe, and the response is immediate. Trucking companies send investigators and insurance adjusters to protect themselves, not you.

We step in right away to protect your rights, preserve critical evidence, and take over all communication with the trucking company and its insurers, so you don’t say or sign anything that could cost you your case.

If you were injured because a truck driver or trucking company acted carelessly, don’t wait. What happens in the first days after a truck accident can affect your recovery and your claim.

• The trucking company already has lawyers. You should too.
• Call us today to speak with a Jacksonville truck accident lawyer.
• 18+ years of experience. Free consultation. No fees unless we win.

What Should You Do Immediately After a Truck Accident?

The moments after a truck crash can feel chaotic and overwhelming. Still, what you do or don’t do right away can affect your health and your ability to recover compensation later. If you’re able, follow these steps to protect yourself and your claim.

1. Get to safety and check for injuries.
   Move out of traffic if possible. If anyone is seriously hurt, call 9-1-1 immediately. Even if you feel okay, don’t assume you are. Truck accidents often cause injuries that aren’t obvious at first.
2. Get medical care as soon as possible.
   If emergency transport isn’t needed, visit an urgent care clinic or your primary care doctor the same day. Medical records play a major role in both your recovery and any injury claim.
3. Move your vehicle only if it’s safe.
   If your car is drivable and you’re not risking further harm, pull over to the shoulder or a nearby parking lot to avoid another collision.
4. Call the police and request a crash report.
   Officers can document the scene, speak with witnesses, and create an official report. If police don’t respond, you may need to file a report yourself and gather witness information on your own.
5. Document the scene if you’re able.
   Take photos or video of vehicle damage, road conditions, skid marks, and any identifying information on the truck, including company names or DOT numbers. Get contact information from witnesses if possible.
6. Notify your insurance company but keep it factual.
   Report the accident to comply with your policy. Stick to basic facts like time, location, and vehicles involved. Avoid speculating about fault or giving detailed statements if you’re unsure.
7. Speak with a truck accident attorney before signing anything.
   Trucking companies and their insurers often act quickly to protect themselves. A brief conversation with a personal injury lawyer can help you avoid costly mistakes and protect your rights from the start.

How Is a Truck Accident Different From a Car Accident?

A truck accident isn’t just a more serious car crash. These cases are harder to handle from the start and often involve higher stakes.

Here are the key differences that matter to you:

• The injuries are usually more severe.
  Commercial trucks weigh far more than passenger vehicles, so crashes often result in serious injuries or life-changing injuries.
• More parties may be involved.
  Liability may extend beyond the driver to the trucking company, cargo loaders, maintenance providers, or manufacturers, who might be negligent parties too, making fault harder to determine.
• Trucking companies act fast.
  Their insurers and investigators often respond within hours to protect the company, preserve evidence for themselves, and limit what they pay.
• Special trucking laws and regulations apply in Florida.
  Truck drivers and trucking companies must follow strict federal and Florida safety rules, including limits on driving hours, vehicle maintenance requirements, cargo loading standards, and driver qualifications. Violations of these rules can play a major role in proving fault—but only if evidence is identified and preserved early.
• Evidence and witness statements are time-sensitive.
  Physical evidence can disappear, trucks may be repaired or put back on the road, and witness memories fade quickly if action is delayed.
• Insurance claims are more aggressively defended.
  Truck accidents often involve larger insurance policies, which usually means stronger resistance, more delays, and pressure to settle for less.

Because of these factors, truck accident cases require quick action and a different strategy than standard car accident claims, especially in the critical days after a crash.

Understanding Truck Accidents in Jacksonville

According to the 2021 annual report of traffic crashes in Florida, trucks made up a significant number of the crashes that occurred. In fact, 124 crashes were incapacitating, while 28 of them were fatal when medium and heavy trucks were involved. Light truck crashes resulted in 63 incapacitations.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Truck accidents often happen because something went wrong long before the crash itself. In many cases, the cause comes down to driver behavior, company decisions, or safety shortcuts.

Some of the most common causes include:

1. Driver Fatigue

Spending hours on end on the road can cause driver fatigue, which limits a driver’s alertness and reaction times. Fatigued truck drivers are more likely to make mistakes like falling asleep at the wheel.

2. Speeding

The larger the vehicle, the longer it takes to stop when braking is initiated. Given the size of semi-trucks and 18-wheelers, they don’t stop slowly. Traveling over the speed limit makes slowing down and stopping in traffic or hazardous road conditions more difficult to do.

3. Distracted Driving

When a truck driver takes their eyes off the road—even for a second—to text, eat, change the song, or input directions into the navigation system, they run the risk of causing an accident. 

4. Impaired Driving

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in a standard motor vehicle is dangerous enough. Doing so while operating a large truck is a major hazard. These substances impair a driver’s judgment, coordination, and reaction times.

5. Inadequate Training

Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers aren’t like any other vehicle. They have specialized equipment and processes that require specialized training to navigate properly. If a truck driver doesn’t know how to operate the vehicle, they’re more likely to get in an accident.

6. Poor Weather Conditions

Whether it’s rain, fog, ice, or snow, inclement weather conditions don’t bode well for road safety. They can limit visibility and make surfaces slippery, putting every driver on the road at risk.

7. Mechanical Failures

Brakes can fail, tires can blow, and steering wheels can lock up unexpectedly, preventing truck drivers from being able to control their vehicles. A lack of maintenance can increase the occurrence of these problems.

8. Improper Cargo Loading

Semi-trucks and 18-wheelers have load capacities to prevent trucking companies from overloading their vehicles. An overloaded truck is more likely to veer off course or tip over due to the excess weight. Cargo can also become unsecured.

9. Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving tactics like tailgating and swerving between lanes put both truck drivers and other drivers on the road at risk of getting in an accident.

10. Inadequate Following Distance

Since large trucks take longer than other vehicles to slow down and stop in emergency situations, it’s important for truck drivers to maintain a safe following distance. If a truck driver is following a car too closely and traffic comes to a halt, they’ll likely crash into the back of the car.

Identifying what caused a truck accident is critical because it helps determine who can be held legally responsible. 

Determining Liability in Truck Accidents

1. Multiple Parties: Truck accidents involve multiple parties, like the driver of the truck, the company that owns the truck, the company that owns the cargo, the company that manufactures the vehicle, and those who provide routine maintenance services. Each party could potentially share some degree of liability, making it challenging to pinpoint who is at fault.
2. Regulatory Compliance: Trucking companies must follow certain state and federal laws regarding service hours, vehicle maintenance, and cargo loading. If a company violates these regulations, accidents are more likely to occur.
3. Driver Logs: Truck drivers must maintain and submit detailed logs of how many hours they drive when they take breaks, and for how long. These logs can help a plaintiff prove driver fatigue or violations of hours-of-service rules. However, these logs can be falsified, making a thorough investigation necessary.
4. Witness Testimony: Gathering eyewitness accounts in truck accidents can be challenging due to the often chaotic and high-speed nature of these collisions. Witness testimony can vary and may not always be reliable, making it necessary to corroborate statements with other evidence.
5. Preservation of Evidence: Trucking companies may attempt to repair or remove evidence from the scene quickly, making it crucial to act promptly to preserve critical evidence, such as the condition of the vehicles, skid marks, or debris patterns.
6. Expert Witnesses: Determining fault may require the involvement of experts such as accident reconstruction specialists, mechanical engineers, or medical professionals to analyze the accident’s causes, contributing factors, and resulting injuries.
7. Modified Comparative Negligence: In many cases, fault may be shared between the truck driver and other parties, including the occupants of other vehicles involved. Assigning fault requires careful consideration.
8. Insurance Issues: Insurance coverage in truck accidents can be extensive, with multiple insurance policies potentially applying to different aspects of the accident. Coordinating these policies and ensuring adequate compensation for victims can be a complex process.

Truck Accident Laws and Regulations in Florida

Truck accident claims in Florida are shaped by a mix of federal trucking regulations and state personal injury laws. These rules can directly affect who is responsible, how fault is proven, and how much compensation may be available.

Some of the most important legal factors include:

• Federal trucking safety regulations.
  Commercial truck drivers and trucking companies must follow rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These cover driving hours of service limits, required rest breaks, vehicle inspections, maintenance, and driver qualifications. Violations of these rules can strongly support a truck accident claim.
• Florida negligence and comparative fault rules.
  Florida follows a modified comparative negligence system. If an injured person is found more than 50% at fault, they may be barred from recovering compensation. Determining fault accurately is especially important in semi truck accident cases.
• Higher insurance requirements for trucks.
  Trucks are often commercial vehicles and required to carry significantly more insurance than standard vehicles. While this can increase the potential compensation available, it also means insurance companies fight harder to minimize payouts.
• Strict deadlines for filing claims.
  Florida law limits the amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline can prevent recovery altogether, even if the trucking company was clearly at fault.
• Record-keeping and evidence rules.
  Trucking companies are required to maintain logs, maintenance records, and other documentation. Some of these records can be legally destroyed after a certain period unless action is taken to preserve them.

Because these laws and regulations are highly specific and often favor trucking companies that know how to use them, truck accident claims require careful handling from the very beginning.

Compensation You Can Expect to Receive

Every truck accident case is different, but when someone else’s negligence causes serious harm, the law allows injured crash victims to pursue compensation for the losses they’re facing now and in the future.

Here are the main types of damages that may be available.

Economic Damages

These are quantifiable, financial losses incurred as a direct result of an accident or injury. Economic damages may include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earnings
• Property damage
• Other out-of-pocket costs

Non-Economic Damages

These are less tangible losses that do not have a specific dollar value but are nonetheless significant. Non-economic damages may include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of companionship
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Psychological trauma

Punitive Damages

In limited situations, courts may award punitive damages to punish especially reckless or dangerous conduct and discourage similar behavior in the future. These damages are not automatic and are reserved for extreme cases—such as drunk driving or intentional safety violations by a trucking company.

Wrongful Death Damages

When a truck accident results in a catastrophic crash, surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim. This can include compensation for funeral expenses, loss of financial support, and the emotional impact of losing a loved one.

The amount and type of compensation available depend on the specific facts of the case, which is why careful evaluation and early action are so important.

How Steinger, Greene & Feiner Can Help You

Our Jacksonville truck accident lawyers provide the following services to truck accident clients.

Initial Case Evaluation

Whether you prefer to talk in person or over the phone, we’ll sit down with you to discuss the details of your case. We’ll make sure you understand your rights and legal options. This initial evaluation is free of charge.

Investigate Your Case

We want to get to the bottom of what happened and understand how your injuries were caused. Our team will gather evidence and consult experts to determine fault and calculate your losses.

Negotiate a Fair Settlement

We handle all communications with insurance providers to ensure a fair settlement is reached. While insurance companies may try to lowball you or employ other bad-faith tactics, our team will make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Represent You in Court

If a settlement isn’t reached, we’ll take your case to court. We’ll present a strong case to give you the best chance of achieving justice and securing maximum financial compensation.

What matters most is how a law firm treats its clients when they’re facing one of the most difficult moments of their lives. Here’s what people who trusted us after serious accidents have to say about their experience.

See Our Track Record of Success

One of the best ways to determine whether your case will be successful is to see how many cases your law firm has won in the past. Steinger, Greene & Feiner has a track record of success with cases involving truck accidents. Here are just a couple of our successful truck accident cases.

• We won $800,000 for a client who was driving on the highway and was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler.
• We won $467,000 for a victim who was wrongfully killed in a semi-truck accident.

Secure Your Financial Future with an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer

When you need a truck accident lawyer you can trust to handle your case in Jacksonville, give Steinger, Greene & Feiner a call. We’ll schedule a free case evaluation with you to discuss your case, outline your legal options, and make a game plan. You don’t even have to pay us legal fees until we win your case. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Contact us today to secure maximum compensation for your injuries.