Have you been hurt in an accident in St. Petersburg, Florida caused by a negligent commercial truck driver? A collision with an 18-wheeler can leave you with catastrophic, life-altering injuries and permanent impairment, scarring, or disfigurement. You may have the right to hold a negligent trucker or trucking company responsible for your recovery costs. A St. Petersburg truck accident lawyer can help you understand your legal rights, investigate the crash, build a robust legal claim against a trucker or trucking company, and pursue the financial relief you need as you focus on recovering from your injuries.
Don't wait to pursue accountability and justice for the harm you have endured. Contact the legal team at Holliday Karatinos Law Firm for a free case evaluation, and let us make your recovery our personal commitment.
Table of contents
- How Can Holliday Karatinos Lawyers Help After a St. Petersburg Truck Accident?
- Time Is of the Essence After a St. Petersburg Truck Accident
- What Is My St. Petersburg Truck Accident Case Worth?
- What Damages Can I Recover After A Truck Accident in St. Petersburg, FL?
- Who Is Liable in a Truck Accident?
- Can I Still Recover Compensation if I’m Partially at Fault?
- Contact a St. Petersburg Truck Accident Attorney Today
How Can Holliday Karatinos Lawyers Help After a St. Petersburg Truck Accident?
When you have sustained severe injuries in an auto accident involving a commercial truck, experienced legal counsel by your side can guide you through the process of pursuing a personal injury claim. A semi-truck accident lawyer from Holliday Karatinos Law Firm can help you pursue compensation for your injuries and losses after a truck accident by:
- Beginning a prompt investigation into the crash to secure evidence before it can disappear over time, including police reports, truck driver records, accident scene photos, video footage of the crash, or witness statements
- Reviewing the details of the accident to identify potentially liable parties and assess all avenues for financial compensation
- Explaining your rights and guiding you through critical decisions in your case
Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options. We can evaluate your situation and advise you of the best course of action moving forward. Because we work on a contingency basis, you pay no attorney fees upfront and only pay for our services if we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.
Time Is of the Essence After a St. Petersburg Truck Accident
After getting hurt in a truck crash in St. Petersburg, you need to act quickly to preserve your legal options for recovering compensation. If you wait too long to speak with a truck accident attorney or start investigating your claim, you may lose critical evidence in a truck accident case. For example, driver logs can offer proof that a trucker violated federal hours-of-service rules and may have caused a truck crash by driving while fatigued. However, federal regulations require trucking companies to preserve driver logs for six months after receiving them from the driver. By waiting months to investigate a truck crash, the trucking company may delete records under its records retention policy, eliminating evidence you might need to prove your case.
What Is My St. Petersburg Truck Accident Case Worth?
Although no one can guarantee how much you might recover in a truck accident case in St. Petersburg, a truck accident claim can help you secure compensation for losses you've incurred due to a crash caused by a truck driver or trucking company. Various factors can affect your financial recovery from a commercial truck accident claim, such as:
- The type of injuries sustained and their severity
- The duration of your recovery and rehabilitation and the types of treatment you undergo
- The amount of time you miss from work
- Whether multiple parties contributed to the crash
- The identity of the responsible parties
- Whether you share any responsibility for the accident
- The availability of insurance coverage
What Damages Can I Recover After A Truck Accident in St. Petersburg, FL?
A serious truck accident can result in catastrophic injuries. These injuries can cost injured victims considerably, between mounting medical bills and future medical costs to significant lost income while trying to recover from such a serious injury. Truck accident victims can also pursue compensation for their non-economic damages, like pain and suffering and emotional distress.
When you suffer injuries and property damage in a truck crash in St. Petersburg, an 18-wheeler accident attorney from Holliday Karatinos Law Firm can help you pursue a financial recovery that may include:
- Medical care and rehabilitation expenses
- Long-term disability care costs
- Vehicle or property repair/replacement costs
- Lost wages or income after missing work while recovering from accident injuries
- Lost future earning potential due to disabilities from accident injuries
- Physical pain and emotional distress
Who Is Liable in a Truck Accident?
Parties who may bear responsibility for injuries and property damage that occur in a St. Petersburg truck accident include:
- The truck driver: A trucker who causes a crash due to negligent or reckless operation of their vehicle can bear financial responsibility for losses that result from the injuries and property damage they cause.
- The trucking company: Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, a trucking company may also bear liability for a truck accident caused by a driver that it employs. Trucking companies are also responsible for the actions of their drivers, regardless of whether they are independent contractors or employees based on federal regulations and the legal theory of vicarious liability. Alternatively, a crash victim may hold a trucking company liable for their injuries under claims of negligent hiring (or negligent retention if the trucking company contracted an independent driver).
- The truck’s owner: Some truck drivers operate vehicles leased to them by motor carriers. Under Florida’s dangerous instrumentality doctrine, which courts have applied to motor vehicles, a lessor who retains control over how the driver uses the vehicle may bear liability for the driver's negligence. As a result, a truck owner can also bear financial responsibility for a semi-truck crash in certain circumstances.
An experienced attorney from Holliday Karatinos Law Firm can identify all responsible parties and pursue maximum compensation.
Federal regulations require truckers and motor carriers to have certain levels of liability insurance. In many cases, regulations require at least $750,000 of insurance coverage. However, transporting hazardous materials or waste can require minimum insurance coverage of $1 million or $5 million.
Can I Still Recover Compensation if I’m Partially at Fault?
Under Florida law, a driver injured in a collision with a semi-truck may still have the right to seek compensation even if they share partial responsibility with the trucker and other parties for causing the accident. Florida's comparative negligence rule allows an injured party to pursue a negligence claim if their share of fault for causing their injuries does not exceed 50 percent. However, the rule also allows courts to reduce an injured party's financial recovery in proportion to their percentage of fault.
Contact a St. Petersburg Truck Accident Attorney Today
Have you been hurt in a crash involving a tractor-trailer in St. Petersburg? If so, experienced legal counsel can offer the support you need during a complex injury claim. Contact Holliday Karatinos Law Firm today for a free consultation with a Pinellas County truck accident lawyer to discuss how our firm can help you seek the financial resources you need after an 18-wheeler accident. Our team works tirelessly to earn the trust of the clients we represent by providing stellar service and vigorous legal advocacy. As a past client wrote about their experience with our firm:
“Very organized law firm, very friendly and professional. They took my case and made it easy for me to relax after the accident. Always in contact, kept me in the loop the whole way. Thank you for everything.” -- Steven Martel
