Commercial vehicles like semi trucks and delivery vans in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and elsewhere are vulnerable to many crash causes that do not affect smaller automobiles. For example, trucks log many more miles and are susceptible to truck accidents caused by worn or broken equipment. Similarly, drivers are often required to drive long hours, resulting in fatigue.
These vehicles are also susceptible to lost load truck accidents. When a truck experiences a cargo shift or loss, the driver can lose control or drop their load on the road. A Fort Lauderdale truck accident lawyer from Workman Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers helps injured victims pursue compensation from negligent trucking companies.
Contact us or call (954) 361-3997 to schedule a free consultation with our Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys. In addition, our team works on a contingency fee basis, so you’ll pay nothing up front for our services and then pay only if we win your case.
How Workman Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Lost Load Truck Accident in Fort Lauderdale, FL
When you get into a lost load truck accident in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, you need a strong legal team you can trust on your side.
Our attorneys have over 22 years of combined legal experience helping injured people in the Sunshine State with their fight for fair accident compensation. Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers have successfully recovered over $40 million in settlements and jury awards for the firm’s clients.
We help you in the following ways after you get injured in a truck accident caused by a trucking company’s negligence:
- Evaluate your accident to identify the legal claims you can raise
- Collect evidence to build a case against the trucking company
- File a claim with the company’s insurers
- Negotiate to resolve the case or litigate if our negotiations fail
Truck accidents can result in serious or even fatal injuries because of the weight of the cargo. Contact us to request a free consultation with a Fort Lauderdale truck accident attorney to discuss how we stand up to powerful trucking companies for fair compensation after a crash.
Types of Lost Load Truck Accidents
Lost load accidents can happen in the following ways:
- The load falls, causing the truck or trailer to roll over
- The load falls, causing the truck driver to lose control of the truck
- The cargo falls onto your vehicle
- The cargo falls onto the road, causing you to swerve and crash
- The cargo falls in front of another vehicle, leading to a car accident where your car gets hit
Importantly, how the accident occurs influences which party is at fault for the resulting losses.
Reasons Trucks Lose Loads
Cargo can shift or fall for many reasons. The cargo might have been off-balance because of how it was loaded, leading to it falling or tipping. The loader might not have secured the load properly. For example, the tie-downs might have had too much slack in them.
Trucks can also lose loads due to equipment failures. The tie-downs or anchor points might fail, or the tractor-trailer might experience a tire blowout, causing the trailer to tip or bounce.
Driving errors might also cause a truck to lose its load. For example, a driver who takes a corner too fast or hits a curb might generate enough force on the load to cause it to shift or fall.
Liability for Lost Load Truck Crashes
The liability for a lost load trucking accident falls on the party whose negligence caused the crash. Trucking companies are liable for employee negligence. Thus, a driver who loses a load by braking hard or turning too sharply creates liability for their employer.
Similarly, drivers are required by federal regulations to inspect their loads before leaving and periodically during their trip. If the driver failed to fulfill their legal duties, their employer may be liable for any resulting load-related crash.
Trucking companies are generally responsible for their employees’ negligence. Suppose the trucking company’s workers loaded a trailer without properly distributing the weight. The trucking company may be liable if the load shifts and causes the trailer to roll over. Likewise, a shipper may be liable if its workers improperly secured a load inside a shipping container.
In some situations, an equipment manufacturer might be liable for a crash. If a manufacturer misidentifies the strength of its tie-downs, it would be liable if they break and release the load. Similarly, a trailer manufacturer might be liable if the cargo comes loose when the anchor points on the trailer break.
Contact Our Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
We have the resources to fight trucking companies and their insurers to prove their liability for your losses. Contact Workman Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn how we fight for fair compensation after a lost load trucking crash. Our Fort Lauderdale truck accident lawyers are ready to start your case.
