Florida Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer

Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney in Santa Rosa County, FL, Fiercely Advocating for Severely Injured Victims

Throughout Florida and across the country, tractor-trailers are the biggest vehicles commonly seen on the road. With their massive size, these big rigs create considerable force—and when they collide with smaller vehicles, that force can crush cars and severely injure their occupants. As an experienced Florida tractor-trailer accident lawyer, Dan Stewart Law Firm helps injured victims overcome the challenges of a commercial truck crash claim and secure the financial resources they need for the future.

A semi-truck accident presents both medical and legal challenges. Just as you need quality medical care to make the best physical recovery possible, you also need a knowledgeable tractor-trailer accident attorney in Santa Rosa County, FL, to protect your legal rights and advocate for your interests. Our firm offers free consultations, 24/7 availability for urgent issues, and dedicated representation for injured victims at no upfront cost. Contact us today for help exploring your options and understanding your rights.

The Devastating Impact of Tractor-Trailer Crashes in Florida

Due to the sheer size of the truck and the force of a collision with this massive vehicle, a semi-trailer accident is particularly likely to lead to severe injuries.

A situation that, in the case of two cars, might result in a relatively minor fender bender could instead lead to a serious underride accident or a high-impact rear-end collision when one of those vehicles is a tractor-trailer. While head-on and T-bone crashes can be dangerous even between two smaller vehicles, the force of such a collision with an 18-wheeler is amplified.

Some of the injuries that commonly result from tractor-trailer accidents in Florida include:

• Broken bones
• Nerve damage
• Internal organ damage
• Concussions and serious traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Limb loss due to traumatic amputations or medically necessary surgical amputations

Even if you make a full, or nearly full, recovery with time, the harm resulting from a semi-truck accident can drastically impact your life during your lengthy period of rehabilitation. The financial hardships can continue to affect you even after you’ve completed your physical recovery.

Unfortunately, some tractor-trailer accident victims never recover completely, working instead toward making the most meaningful improvements possible while developing strategies to adapt to their new normal. For these victims of catastrophic injuries, it’s essential to secure compensation not only for current losses but also for all of the effects of the injury over the course of a lifetime.

Types of Tractor-Trailer Accidents Our Firm Handles

Tractor-trailer accidents occur in numerous ways, for numerous reasons. With an extensive history of handling cases involving these large freight trucks, our firm is prepared to investigate cases and pursue claims that involve accidents like:

• Tractor-trailer tire blowouts: Sudden, rapid deflation or bursting of the tractor-trailer’s tires—most commonly impacting the truck’s front tires—that can lead to complete loss of vehicle control
• Rear-end tractor-trailer accidents: Crashes that occur when a tractor-trailer hits the vehicle in front of it in the rear, often due to failure to maintain a safe distance (tailgating) or driver distraction
• Sideswipe tractor-trailer accidents: Collisions involving a tractor-trailer and another vehicle traveling side by side, either in the same direction or opposite directions, making contact, often due to a driver failing to remain in their lane
• Blind spot tractor-trailer accidents: Sideswipe, underride, rear-end, and other types of collisions resulting from the blind spots that tractor-trailer drivers have in front of them, to the rear, and on both sides of the truck
• Side-impact tractor-trailer crashes: Accidents sometimes called “T-bone” crashes because of the “T” shape they form, which happen when the tractor-trailer slams into the side of the other vehicle
• Head-on tractor-trailer collisions: Serious crashes characterized by the impact of the front of the tractor-trailer with the front of the other vehicle (or pedestrian or cyclist)
• Rollover tractor-trailer accidents: Collisions often caused by tractor-trailer drivers taking turns too quickly, braking too suddenly, or swerving, which result in a vehicle (including a car struck by the truck) tipping onto its side or roof
• Cargo tractor-trailer accidents: Accidents caused by overloaded or improperly loaded cargo, which may cause the tractor-trailer to suffer a rollover accident, jackknife accident, or tire blowout that puts others on the road at risk
• Underride tractor-trailer accidents: Crashes in which a smaller vehicle traveling behind the tractor-trailer becomes lodged underneath it, which is possible because of these large trucks’ high ground clearance
• Jackknife tractor-trailer accidents: Collisions that happen due to the trailer swinging out from the truck’s cab at a sharp angle and potentially striking other vehicles or suddenly blocking traffic, often due to unsafe braking

Whether they occur on major highways like I-10, US 90, and US 98 or on busy streets while making deliveries in areas like Navarre, Pace, Gulf Breeze, and Milton, big rig accidents can change your life. To address all of the losses you suffered, you need legal support to collect maximum compensation.

The Advantages of Having an Experienced Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney in Santa Rosa County, FL

To recover the compensation you deserve after any type of tractor-trailer accident, you need to follow the procedures of the civil legal process. Through the claims process, you will have to:

• Identify defendants who owed you a duty of care, such as to operate an 18-wheeler safely, maintain the truck in safe condition, or hire only qualified drivers
• Establish how the defendants’ conduct breached this duty of care, providing evidence of negligence
• Connect this breach of duty to the accident, establishing causation
• Document your injuries, economic losses, and non-economic losses that resulted from the tractor-trailer accident

Throughout this process, there are specific procedures you need to follow and deadlines you need to meet. Every interaction with defendants’ insurers is risky because the companies that pay out claims aren’t on your side. Often, truck accident victims need to commence litigation by filing a lawsuit, which adds to their case the challenges of drafting and filing legal documents, appearing in formal legal proceedings, and preparing for a potential trial.

At every stage of the claims process, having a Florida tractor-trailer accident lawyer provides significant advantages. With an experienced attorney on your side, you have the resources to conduct a full investigation, gather evidence, build a compelling claim for compensation, and manage all aspects of your case for the most successful outcome possible—all without letting the legal demands distract you from physical rehabilitation.

How Dan Stewart Law Firm Can Help Overcome Obstacles in Tractor-Trailer Accident Claims

Your Florida tractor-trailer accident lawyer needs to be fully prepared to rise to the challenges posed by a complex claim like yours. At Dan Stewart Law Firm, our effective approach to building claims against all defendants and documenting your damages means that we’re ready to address any hurdles that could arise.

Identifying All Possible Defendants in a Tractor-Trailer Accident Claim

To secure the compensation you deserve for the injuries you suffered in an accident with a semi-truck, you need to include all potentially liable parties as defendants in your claim. Depending on the facts of your situation, possible defendants may include:

• The tractor-trailer driver
• The trucking company that employed the driver
• The owners of the truck and trailer, which may be different parties
• Any companies responsible for maintaining the truck, if inadequate maintenance was a factor
• A worker or company that loaded cargo improperly, contributing to a loss of vehicle control
• The manufacturer of any defective parts that contributed to the accident
• Other drivers in multiple-vehicle crashes
• Parties responsible for causing unsafe road conditions or neglecting to maintain the road in a safe condition

Identifying and building strong legal arguments against each party requires an in-depth investigation, potentially with the services of expert witnesses in areas like accident reconstruction and analysis of truck data recorder information. Our firm is prepared to take on these responsibilities, leaving no stone unturned as we develop the strongest case possible for you.

Substantiating Your Damages Through Diligent Documentation

You will only receive tractor-trailer accident injury compensation for losses that you’re able to identify and document. Essentially, you need to prove the ways and extent to which the accident has affected you. At Dan Stewart Law Firm, we’re dedicated advocates who always pursue maximum results for our clients. Our approach to calculating and documenting damages includes:

• Carefully analyzing your individual circumstances to identify all losses for which you could potentially receive compensation
• Working with expert witnesses to accurately project future losses caused by this accident, including costs of medical care, medical devices, and reduced earning capacity
• Gathering a range of types of documentation to substantiate your damages, from hospital bills and medical records to wage loss data, opinions of expert witnesses in medicine and finance, and accounts of how your injuries have affected your daily life.

Our firm pursues compensation for the full range of economic and non-economic losses our clients have suffered due to a tractor-trailer accident. Examples of the types of damages you may receive compensation for include medical and rehabilitation costs, income loss, and pain and suffering.

Why Choose Dan Stewart Law Firm as Your Florida Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer?

Choosing Dan Stewart Law Firm to handle your tractor-trailer accident claim means choosing a legal team concerned with your convenience, strong client advocacy inside and outside the courtroom, and meaningful contributions to the community we serve.

Convenient Home Visits Featuring “The 4U Mobile”

A semi-truck accident can make it difficult to physically travel to an attorney’s office in more ways than one—your injuries can limit your mobility, and property damage can keep you from having access to transportation. That’s why we have “The 4U mobile,” a dedicated RV complete with all facilities needed to meet in person, ensuring that home and hospital visits are every bit as productive as a meeting at our office would be.

An Unwavering Commitment to Fighting for Our Clients

No one outworks our legal team. We’re fierce advocates for the injured, both inside and outside the courtroom. In fact, we prepare every client’s case for the possibility of a trial, because we know how important it is that all avenues of receiving a fair resolution are available to you. With our firm’s aggressive representation and trial readiness, you can rest assured that we’re prepared to take your case as far as possible and recover the compensation you deserve.

Dedication to the Northwest Florida Community

Our firm is from the community, for the community, with attorney Dan Stewart having spent the last 60 years in Pace, FL. We recognize the risks that negligent tractor-trailer drivers pose in our community, and we work to not only assist the injured but also make meaningful changes to protect the safety of those around us. In addition to our contributions to local festivals, sports teams, and town days, Dan Stewart was instrumental in founding the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in which he still serves in a leadership role today.

Contact a Florida Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer at Dan Stewart Law Firm Today for a Free Case Review

Retaining a lawyer to handle your tractor-trailer claim may seem like a big step, but it doesn’t have to be an intimidating process. Our firm offers free consultations, allowing you to explore your options and what our legal team can do for you without any risk or cost. We handle claims on contingency, without charging any legal fee upfront at any point during your case, so you have nothing to lose when you decide to move forward with pursuing the compensation you deserve.

For help from a tractor-trailer accident attorney in Santa Rosa County, FL, contact Dan Stewart Law Firm online or call 850-972-8002 today.