Garbage trucks help keep Tampa, Florida, clean and beautiful. However, garbage truck accidents can result in severe injuries and wrongful deaths. After all, garbage trucks are large commercial vehicles that can overpower a passenger car.
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers have over 60 years of combined experience in personal injury. We’ve recovered millions for accident victims in the Tampa Bay area.
Don’t go it alone. Contact us today to our Tampa office for a free consultation at (813) 686-7588 with a garbage truck accident lawyer.
How Can Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers Help You After a Garbage Truck Accident in Tampa, Florida?
After a garbage truck accident, you will likely be forced to file no-fault accident claims for compensation. However, if you sustained serious injuries, you might be entitled to file a personal injury claim against the party or parties responsible for the accident. A Tampa personal injury attorney can help get you the money you deserve.
Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers has recovered over $100 million for our clients. Our attorneys are Board-Certified Civil Trial Specialists. They have the skill and experience to take on even the most complex truck accident claims.
When you hire us to represent you, we will:
- Investigate your truck accident to gather evidence and locate responsible parties
- Estimate the value of your damages, including future losses
- Work with leading experts in Tampa Bay to strengthen your case, if necessary
- Negotiate with the garbage truck company and their insurer for maximum compensation
If you have been injured in an accident involving a garbage truck, contact our law firm today for a free case review. Our Tampa personal injury attorneys are standing by.
What Are the Common Causes of Garbage Truck Accidents in Tampa?
Garbage truck accidents in Tampa can be caused by a variety of factors. For example, garbage trucks have large blind posts. Therefore, these vehicles have a higher risk of blind spot accidents than passenger vehicles.
Other common causes of garbage truck accidents include:
- Operating a garbage truck under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Distracted driving, including texting while driving and talking on a cell phone
- Running into a curb or lane divider
- Fatigued or drowsing driving
- Speeding and reckless driving
- Turning too fast
- Following too closely
Some circumstances that contribute to the cause of a garbage truck wreck might not be within the driver’s control.
For example, defective motor vehicle parts, dangerous road conditions, and failure to maintain the trucks by government agencies could contribute to the cause of a garbage truck accident. In addition, the actions of other drivers could contribute to a garbage truck accident.
What Types of Injuries Are Caused by Crashes with Garbage Trucks?
Because garbage trucks are large vehicles, the occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists can sustain catastrophic injuries in an accident. The average garbage truck weighs about 64,000 pounds, compared to a 4,000-pound passenger vehicle. In addition, bicyclists and pedestrians have no protection from injuries when hit by a garbage truck.
Garbage trucks have a high center of gravity, which makes them more prone to rollover accidents. A rollover garbage truck accident could result in a passenger vehicle being crushed by the truck. Rollover accidents have a high rate of fatalities and traumatic injuries.
Garbage trucks are also involved in sideswipe accidents. The driver swings the truck back into the lane of traffic after picking up trash, ramming into another vehicle.
Garbage trucks can cause serious injuries in a collision, including:
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Burns
- Broken bones and fractures
- Neck and back injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Wrongful death
The damages caused by these injuries can be significant. You could be entitled to compensation for your damages if you sustained serious injuries and the other party was responsible for causing the garbage truck accident.
What Damages Can I Recover for a Tampa Garbage Truck Accident?
A garbage truck accident can cause injuries that result in substantial financial losses and debilitating pain and suffering. Therefore, you deserve to be compensated for all your damages when the other party is guilty of negligence or wrongdoing.
Florida’s no-fault insurance laws allow you to seek compensation for damages when your injuries meet the serious injury threshold.
Damages in a garbage truck accident claim can include:
- Past, current, and future medical bills
- Lost wages and benefits, including future loss of income and decreased earning potential
- The cost of personal care and long-term nursing care
- Cost of rehabilitation and vocational therapies
- Discomfort, pain, and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Impairments and disabilities
- Loss of enjoyment of life and decreased quality of life
The value of your economic and non-economic damages depends on the severity of your injuries, the duration of your recovery, your financial losses, and other factors.
It can be difficult to put a price on your pain and suffering or future damages. A Tampa personal injury lawyer may consult with economists, medical experts, and other professionals to assess how much your claim is worth.
Who is Liable for a Tampa Garbage Truck Accident?
There are two types of garbage truck accidents in Tampa. The first type of garbage truck accident involves the large garbage trucks that pick up residential and commercial trash from properties throughout the city.
The second type of garbage truck accident involves large commercial trucks that haul waste and garbage long distances. You often see these types of garbage trucks on Florida interstates and highways. The type of garbage truck involved in the accident can impact the parties involved in a garbage truck accident claim.
Parties that might be named in a personal injury claim involving a garbage truck include:
- The truck driver
- The company that employed the truck driver
- The truck’s owner and/or operator
- Other drivers
- Government entities, including the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and other government entities in the Tampa Bay Area
- A truck’s manufacturer, including parts and tire manufacturers
- Truck maintenance and repair companies
You have the burden of proving that a party contributed to the cause of the crash to recover compensation from that party. Fighting large corporations and government entities can be challenging. Working with an experienced garbage truck accident lawyer in Tampa can make the process easier, less stressful, and more successful.
Is There a Deadline for Filing a Garbage Truck Accident Claim in Tampa?
Accident victims generally have two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit under Florida’s statute of limitations. The state’s deadline used to provide four years, but the law was revised on March 24, 2023. So, if your Tampa garbage truck accident occurred after that date, you have two years to file a claim.
However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Most notably, if a government entity is a party, you have a shorter time to file your lawsuit. You must also give notice of your claim very quickly to preserve your right to file a lawsuit.
It is best to contact an attorney as soon as possible to ensure you do not miss the deadline to file a claim. Missing the deadline to file an injury claim means you lose your right to recover compensation for your injuries and damages.
Contact Our Tampa Garbage Truck Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Did a garbage truck accident cause your injuries? If so, you may be eligible for compensation from one or more parties.
Contact our law office to schedule your free consultation with a Tampa garbage truck accident lawyer. Learn more about injury cases and your right to fair and just compensation. You can also contact a car accident lawyer.
