Truck Accident Lawyer in Orlando

Commercial truck accidents often cause severe injuries because these vehicles are so large and heavy. If you were hurt in a crash involving an 18-wheeler, semi-truck, tractor-trailer, delivery truck, or other commercial vehicle, a truck accident lawyer in Orlando can help you pursue the party responsible.

An Orlando personal injury lawyer at The Schiller Kessler Group can review the truck accident, protect evidence, and deal with the insurance company on your behalf. Our attorneys bring over three decades of experience to injury cases across Florida.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation. We handle truck accident cases on a contingency basis, so you pay no upfront attorney’s fees.

You Need an Orlando Truck Accident Attorney After a Crash

You can seek compensation if you sustained injuries in a wreck with a large commercial vehicle in Orlando, Florida. These cases can involve serious medical care, vehicle damage, lost income, and pressure from insurance companies soon after the collision.

The truck driver may not be the only person responsible for the crash. The claim may also need to look at the trucking company, cargo loaders, maintenance contractors, truck manufacturers, or other motorists.

An Orlando truck accident attorney can help protect the claim before records disappear or settlement pressure builds.

Our Case Results

$2,400,000

Motorist struck and killed by truck

$550,000

Motorist struck by truck

View All Results

Compensation We Can Help You Recover After a Truck Accident in Orlando

When you work with our attorneys, they can review the full extent of your damages. The compensation available after a truck wreck depends on your injuries, your medical records, the insurance policies involved, and Florida law.

Your injury claim may include compensation for the following:

• Medical expenses, including ambulance transport, hospital care, surgery, medication, therapy, and future treatment
• Lost income and reduced earning ability
• Property damage, including vehicle repairs or replacement, and damage to personal items
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress or mental anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium in qualifying cases
• Wrongful death damages after a fatal crash

The total value of a truck accident claim depends on the harm you suffered, the available proof, and the insurance coverage involved.

Who Is Liable for an Orlando Truck Accident?

Proving fault is one of the first steps in a truck accident case. An Orlando truck accident attorney can investigate the crash and identify the parties whose choices caused your injuries and financial losses.

Depending on your situation, we may build a claim against:

• The truck driver, if speeding, distracted driving, drowsy driving, unsafe lane changes, blind spot accidents, or if traffic law violations caused the crash.
• The trucking company, if it was negligent in hiring, poor training, unsafe work schedules, ignored safety records, or poor vehicle maintenance, contributed to the collision.
• Truck manufacturers or truck parts suppliers, if defective brakes, tires, steering parts, or other faulty components played a role.
• Cargo loaders, if improper loading, unsecured cargo, or a cargo spill made the truck unsafe.
• Maintenance and repair contractors, if careless repairs left the truck in dangerous condition.
• Other motorists, if their driving contributed to the crash.

Vicarious liability can make a trucking company responsible for the driver’s conduct in some cases. That issue often depends on the work relationship and the company’s control over the trip.

How Can an Orlando Truck Accident Lawyer Help You?

Working with a truck accident attorney in Orlando can give you a clearer path through the claim. Your lawyer can explain your options, track deadlines, and review insurance coverage.

A truck accident attorney can also deal with the insurer directly. That matters when the insurance company asks for broad medical authorizations, requests a recorded statement, or questions whether your medical care relates to the crash.

Your lawyer can also review whether the claim should involve more than one insurance policy. Truck cases may include coverage tied to different or multiple policies. 

Investigating Your Orlando Truck Accident

We look at the crash from more than one angle. The accident report, witness accounts, vehicle damage, and medical records can show what happened at the scene, and company records may show whether the truck should have been on the road in the first place.

Some crashes also call for a review of federal trucking regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which operates within the U.S. Department of Transportation, sets safety rules for many commercial trucks, including inspections, maintenance, cargo securement, and hours of service.

Those records can help show whether driver fatigue, drowsy driving, poor maintenance, or an unsafe load contributed to the crash. We may also work with accident reconstruction experts in serious cases involving underride collisions, jackknife accidents, rollovers, or other crashes involving large commercial trucks.

Dealing With Insurance Adjusters

Insurance adjusters may contact you quickly after a truck accident. They may ask questions about your injuries, request access to medical records, or suggest a settlement before you know the full cost of your treatment.

The Schiller Kessler Group can take over those communications. We keep the discussion tied to the truck collision, your injuries, your records, and the damages supported by the evidence.

You should not feel pushed into answering questions or signing forms while you are still in pain. A lawyer can review what the insurance company asks for and respond in a way that protects your claim.

Filing an Orlando Truck Accident Lawsuit

Many truck accident cases settle, but some require a lawsuit. That may happen when the insurance company denies responsibility, disputes the severity of your injuries, or refuses to offer a fair amount based on the evidence.

If a lawsuit becomes necessary, we can prepare the filings, handle discovery, request records, take depositions, and present the case in Orlando courts. We also keep you updated as the case moves forward.

Our legal team is prepared to take a Florida truck accident case to court when the facts support that step. Trial preparation can also strengthen settlement talks because the other side sees the claim is ready to move forward.

Our Experienced Legal Team Works on a Contingency Fee Basis

When you hire a lawyer from The Schiller Kessler Group, you do not pay upfront attorney’s fees. Our team works on a contingency basis, which means we only collect an attorney’s fee if we recover compensation for you.

If we do not recover money for you, we do not collect an attorney’s fee for our time.

When compensation is recovered, our fee comes from the recovery at the end of the case. We explain the fee agreement before you hire us, so you understand how payment works.

Don’t Trust Insurance Companies After a Truck Accident

After a truck accident, take care with any contact from insurance companies. An adjuster may sound friendly, but their job is to limit what the company pays.

Insurers might argue that your injuries came from another event, that your treatment was too much, or that you caused part of the crash. They could also push for a quick settlement before future medical care, lost income, and long-term effects are clear.

You can decline to give a recorded statement until you speak with an attorney. Once you have legal representation, the insurer should contact your lawyer instead of contacting you directly about the claim.

Most Truck Accident Cases Are Resolved Through Out-of-Court Settlements

Most personal injury cases resolve through settlement. A settlement can help avoid trial when the insurance company agrees to pay an amount that reflects the evidence, medical expenses, property damage, lost income, and other losses.

Some offers look reasonable before all the bills, records, and work losses are in one place. A lawyer can review the full picture before you decide whether a settlement offer makes sense.

Strong preparation can also show the other side that the claim is ready for court if negotiations fail.

Modified Comparative Negligence in Florida

Florida’s modified comparative negligence laws can affect the value of a truck accident claim. Under Florida Statutes § 768.81, you may lose the right to recover damages if you are found more than 50% at fault.

If your share of fault is 50% or less, your compensation can be reduced by that percentage. For example, if you are found 20% at fault, your recovery can be reduced by 20%.

Insurance companies use this rule to try and shift blame. A lawyer can push back with records that show how the crash happened.

How Much Time Do You Have to Pursue Legal Action in Florida?

Florida Statutes § 95.11(5)(a) generally gives an injured person two years to file a negligence lawsuit after a truck accident. Florida Statutes § 95.11(5)(e) generally gives two years for a wrongful death lawsuit after a fatal crash.

Some claims may involve shorter notice rules. A crash involving a public vehicle, public employee, unsafe road condition, or government agency can require action before the standard filing deadline.

Starting early gives your lawyer more time to gather evidence before video disappears, vehicles are repaired, or witnesses forget details.

Florida Is a No-Fault Insurance State

Florida is a no-fault insurance state. After a vehicle crash, personal injury protection, or PIP, usually pays part of an injured person’s medical bills and lost income through their own insurance policy.

In cases involving Florida’s no-fault system, a personal injury lawsuit may be available when the crash caused a serious injury under Florida Statutes § 627.737. Qualifying injuries may include the following:

• Significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
• Permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability
• Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Death

A commercial truck accident can cause losses that go beyond PIP benefits. A lawyer can review your medical care, insurance coverage, and injury records to see whether you may have a claim against the liable party.

Proving Negligence in a Truck Accident Case in Orlando

To recover compensation after a truck accident, you will likely need to prove that another party was negligent. Four elements are used to prove a negligence claim.

Duty of Care

Duty of care means the other party had a legal responsibility to act with reasonable caution. All drivers must obey traffic laws and watch for others on the road.

Trucking companies also have safety duties. They must put qualified drivers and properly maintained vehicles on the road.

Breached Duty of Care

A breach happens when a person or company fails to meet that responsibility. A truck driver may breach the duty of care by speeding, texting, driving while impaired, driving too long, or making an unsafe lane change.

A trucking company may breach its duty through poor screening, poor training, unsafe schedules, missed inspections, or ignored vehicle maintenance problems.

Damages

Damages are the losses caused by the crash. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, wage records, and testimony from you or your family can help show those losses.

These damages may include medical bills, future medical expenses, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, and long-term changes to your daily life.

Causation

Causation connects the unsafe conduct to the crash and your injuries. The evidence needs to show that the other party’s conduct caused or contributed to the truck accident.

That connection may come from witness statements, the accident report, vehicle damage, medical records, expert review, and company records.

Contact Our Experienced Team of Orlando Truck Accident Lawyers for Help With Your Legal Case

After the crash, focus first on reporting the wreck and getting medical care. As paperwork comes in, save the bills, photos, repair estimates, and insurance letters so the claim has a clear record.

You can speak with an Orlando truck accident lawyer from The Schiller Kessler Group during a free initial case evaluation. We can review what happened, answer your questions, and explain what Florida law may allow you to pursue.

Our team has helped secure compensation for over 30,000 Florida injury victims. The Schiller Kessler Group has also recovered over $250 million for clients.