Dunedin Truck Accident Lawyer

July 8, 2019 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman
We have all seen truck accidents in the news in and around Dunedin. They make a mess. People get hurt. Multiple cars sustain damage. Traffic backs up for miles. For most of us, that's the closest we'll ever get to a truck accident. We should count ourselves lucky. In Florida and around the country, accidents involving heavy trucks and tractor trailers take a devastating toll. Motorists with the misfortune to be involved in a truck accident suffer severe injuries and fatalities. Trucks spill their cargo, which causes widespread damage or worse, such as when the cargo consists of toxic or flammable chemicals. Between the impact on lives, business, and property, the costs of truck accidents can soar into the tens of millions of dollars. Individual victims of truck accidents need strong, experienced legal representation to make sure they recover the compensation they need to heal their injuries, fix their property damage, and move on with their lives. From the Atlantic to the Gulf, from the Panhandle to the Keys, the law firms with paramount experience helping truck accident victims pursue their legal rights are Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. Contact us today to learn about how we can help you after you sustain an injury or tragic loss in a truck accident in the Dunedin area.

Who We Are

Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA are the premier personal injury law firms in Florida, with a nationwide reputation for representing victims of the worst kinds of accidents and injuries. We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients, including a $3.2 million settlement in a case for our client who suffered a brain injury in a semi-truck accident, and $1.75 million for a client who sustained injuries after being struck by a semi-truck on I-275 in St. Petersburg. While these are simply past examples and not a guarantee of an outcome in a particular case, our track record nonetheless speaks to effective representation on behalf of our clients. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA only represent individuals suffering from personal injuries and the families of those who have tragically died in accidents and incidents that weren't their fault. We have the experience and resources of a large law firm, which gives us the ability to go up against even the largest corporations and insurance companies in and out of court. For our clients, though, we offer the kind of personal, one-on-one attention you'd get from a small law firm. We take the time to listen to our clients so we can serve their needs, not ours or the insurance company's.

What We Do For Clients Harmed by a Dunedin Truck Accident

As a team of skilled, street-smart personal injury lawyers, we aim first and foremost to build the strongest possible cases for our clients to recover maximum compensation from anyone who has legal liability to them for their injuries. Here's how we typically approach our cases for clients harmed by a Dunedin truck accident.

We Listen

First and foremost, we listen to our clients to hear about how truck accidents have affected them, and what they need to recover and move forward with their lives. We handle hundreds of cases every year, but we treat every single one of them as unique. Our lawyers and case managers take the time to meet with clients and their families one-on-one wherever and whenever it is most convenient. We never forget our first priority is to serve our clients' best interests.

We Investigate

There is nothing simple about a truck accident. The sheer size and weight of a truck—particularly one that's fully-loaded with cargo---mean that it will inflict massive damage and injury when it collides with other vehicles, jackknifes, or rolls over. Because most trucks operate in connection with business, multiple individuals and companies often have an interest in a single truck involved in an accident. As personal injury lawyers, one of our jobs is to untangle as best we can the complicated facts and legal interests tied up in a truck accident. This means we:
  • Identify who was involved in the accident. The typical truck carrying cargo for a business person usually has at least two, and often more, parties who have a connection to it. There's the driver, of course. There's the driver's employer. There are the owners of the truck, trailer, and cargo (which can be three separate parties). There's the truck's manufacturer. There's the truck's mechanic. And there's the party who loaded the truck. In an accident, all of these parties may have potential legal liability. But, that's not all. There are other parties, not necessarily directly connected with the truck, who could also have liability for damage caused by an accident. These include other motorists, road agencies, and even doctors and drug companies.
  • Identify how the accident happened. One critical step in any case involving a truck accident is figuring out how the accident happened. Occasionally this is easy, such as when there are witnesses and video footage. But, most of the time, it takes a fair amount of work to piece together the second-by-second timeline of a crash to understand what happened. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we often work with accident reconstruction experts to help us with this analysis.
  • Identify parties with legal liability (who can pay). Once we know who was involved in or connected to a truck crash and how the accident happened, we can focus our analysis in on the essential question: whose bad decision or careless action caused the crash, and who is responsible for that decision or action? This is often more than one person (such as when a truck driver makes a bad decision and his employer is responsible for his actions). When we've identified all of those parties - the parties with potential legal liability to our client, in other words - we also research whether those parties have the means or insurance to pay damages to our client.
  • Evaluate injuries and needs. Truck accidents cause a wide variety of damage. We need to know how much money it will take to “fix” the damage done to our clients. (Of course, money doesn't truly “fix” things, but it can help provide support and stability.) To come up with that number, we often work with medical and financial experts to calculate our clients' immediate and long-term needs.
Of course, every Dunedin truck accident case is different. We may not take all of these steps in every situation, and we don't necessarily take them in that order. But, we want you to know that at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we always do the hard work that gets our clients results.

We Negotiate

Having identified how an accident happened, who has legal liability, and how much our clients have a right to recover, we usually enter into negotiations with the representatives and insurance companies for the parties with liability. In our experience, the vast majority of personal injury cases can be resolved through negotiation. But, it's one thing to settle a case for some money. It's another thing entirely to settle it for the right amount of money. Injured Floridians hire Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA to represent them after a truck accident because we negotiate aggressively so as not to leave a penny on the table. The key to that is to show that we are informed, prepared, and willing to take our clients' cases to trial if the other side isn't fair to them. That's why, when insurance companies and defense lawyers see us get involved in a case, they know they'll need to make real, appropriately-large settlement offers to satisfy our clients. We have a special talent for standing up to big insurance companies. We've seen all the tricks and tactics they use to try and minimize their financial responsibility for a truck accident, from offering lowball settlements to trying to trap our clients into saying something that undermines a claim. They can't get away with that kind of behavior with us, though, and if they know it, then they'll soon find out.

We Litigate

What makes Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA truly special, however, is that we are a group of die-hard trial lawyers. While some personal injury attorneys take cases hoping (praying, even) that they will just achieve a quick settlement, our team is always ready for a courtroom battle. Quick settlements are nice, of course, and we always give the legal advice we think is best for our clients' needs. But, we've learned the best way to get opposing parties to open their checkbooks is to make it 100 percent clear that we mean business in the courtroom. When Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA lawyers go to trial, we bring our A-game. We prepare relentlessly, plan carefully, and speak to juries in language they understand. Over time, defense lawyers have realized taking us on in the courtroom is a risky proposition, and this helps our clients get the money they deserve.

Steps to Take After a Dunedin Truck Accident

Sustaining injuries or losing a loved one in a truck accident in or around Dunedin, Florida turns victims' lives upside down. During a time of enormous physical, emotional, and financial stress, they often struggle to know where to turn and what to do from one moment to the next. Every case is different, of course, and we can't give legal advice here, but we do have some general suggestions for anyone struggling to find a path forward after a Dunedin truck accident.

Get Medical Care

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our clients' health and wellbeing is our top priority. That's why our advice for anyone dealing with the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident is to get medical attention immediately and often. Not only does medical care keep our clients in the best health possible, but it also generates important records that we often use to prove our clients' damages.

Don't Make Commitments to Insurance Companies

Insurance companies---particularly those who issued insurance to the people and companies with legal liability to you---will take aggressive steps to limit their financial exposure. They also know that truck accident victims are most vulnerable in the days and weeks after the crash, and so they'll try to take advantage during that time by investigating and/or offering settlements. Our general advice to anyone is to avoid talking to insurance companies, and to NEVER accept a settlement or sign any agreement, until you have first spoken with a lawyer. Insurance companies may seem friendly, but they do not have your best interests at heart.

Seek Skilled, Experienced Legal Advice

Having represented thousands of victims of accidents, including truck accidents, we can say with confidence that the sooner you seek the advice and counsel of a lawyer after a Dunedin truck accident, the better off you will be. A lawyer who can begin investigating, negotiating, and litigating quickly has the best chance of collecting critical evidence and building a strong case for maximum compensation. The longer a truck accident victim waits to bring a skilled, experienced attorney on-board, the more difficult it will be to recover the damages the victim deserves. If you wait too long, then you may lose your rights altogether. Don't worry about the cost of a lawyer, either. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, the initial case consultation with our team is always free and confidential. If you choose us to represent you, then we usually take cases on a “contingent fee” basis in which our client pays no attorney fees front; we only collect fees if we recover compensation through a settlement or verdict.

Call Our Dunedin, Florida Truck Accident Attorneys Right Now

Don't wait to hire our accomplished Florida personal injury lawyers after you've been injured or lost a loved one in a Dunedin-area truck accident. With offices across both Florida coasts, you can easily reach Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH), or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation case consultation.

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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