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Florida Truck Accident Lawyer

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Thanks to world famous destinations such as Miami and Orlando, Florida is one of the world's premier tourist destinations and enjoys a thriving tourist trade all year round. Not only does this mean that there are many vehicles on the roads of this state, but it also means that there are many trucks. Some may be transporting people to the various attractions, others transporting goods into the state to ensure that the tourist trade is catered for. On the downside, this means an increased risk of truck related accidents, and in fact, statistics indicate that between 1996 and 2000 there were nearly 1,600 fatalities in Florida resulting from truck related accidents.

In 2008, there were over 135,000 non-fatal crashes involving both large trucks and buses in the United States. Over 89,000 accidents involving trucks and buses did result in injury, many of them serious enough that vehicles had to be towed away. Two-thousand six-hundred and nine truck crashes resulted in hazardous material discharges. When fatal accidents did occur in 2008, they took place in rural areas 68 percent of the time, during the day 66 percent of the time, and during the work week 78 percent of the time. Based on those same statistics, it becomes evident that smaller cars are less likely to incur fatal, multi-vehicle collisions than large trucks are.

All aspects of the trucking industry are regulated by law. Laws for obtaining commercial drivers licenses, maintenance and repair of the trucks, safe operation of trucks, inspection of trucks and loads, proper loading, unloading, and securing of heavy loads, rules regarding the transportation of hazardous materials, regulating driver conduct, alcohol and drug testing programs, training and instruction for truckers, and many more laws have been passed by the federal government, and individual state governments; all designed to make trucks safer and reduce truck accidents.

In spite of all the federal and state laws and safety regulations that are in place, there are still too many truck accidents taking place every year. Truck drivers are not paid a lot of money, and many truck drivers break these laws to make more money. Some trucking companies have been known to disregard safety procedures and other laws, so that they can keep their trucks on the roads for more time than is legally allowed and thereby generate more profits.

If you have been injured in a Florida truck related accident and were not at fault, you need to seek assistance from a Florida truck accident lawyer as quickly as possible. You could be entitled to a large compensation payout for your injuries and damages. Working with a Florida truck accident attorney will help you in that they will be able to use their knowledge about these regulations and statutes to determine your eligibility.

In recent Florida truck accident news, a family was just awarded roughly $45 million for a truck accident. A mother had been driving with her daughter and her daughter's best friend, aged eight and nine, respectively, when a truck turned in front of her car, making a collision inevitable. The two young girls died.

In order to maximize your chances of compensation, you must seek assistance from a Florida truck accident attorney as soon as possible in order to initiate legal action within the wrongful death statutes of limitation enforced in the state of Florida. There may be state specific regulations with regards to which members of the family can file such a lawsuit, and an experienced Florida truck accident lawyer will be able to provide further information on this.