​Lakeland Truck Accident Lawyers

September 30, 2022 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman

In the aftermath of a devastating truck accident, you may find yourself with more questions than answers. How do you know who caused your accident? Does the trucking company share liability for the incident? If you try to handle your claim on your own, you could end up without the full compensation you may deserve for the devastating injuries you sustained during your truck accident.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we aim to help our clients maximize the compensation they can recover following a truck accident in Lakeland. Contact a Lakeland truck accident lawyer today to discuss your right to compensation following a truck accident.

Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA: How We Can Help After Your Lakeland Truck Accident

Lakeland Truck Accident Lawyer

You suffered injuries in a Lakeland truck accident. Now, you need to decide what to do next and how to best handle the aftermath of your accident. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we offer comprehensive help to Lakeland truck accident victims. Our litigation bulldogs will work aggressively to help our clients get the results they deserve following a truck accident in Lakeland.

We help our clients level the playing field as they fight with the big-name insurance companies.

Dealing with insurance companies following a truck accident can leave you with a lot of headaches and relatively few results. Often, big-name insurance providers will try to minimize the compensation they have to pay out to their clients. As a result, truck accident victims across Lakeland may have a hard time getting the compensation they deserve for their injuries.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have the resources needed to take on those big names in insurance, ensuring that you feel more confident that you have someone in place to fight for you.

Our attorneys have a strong level of dedication to helping our clients and fighting for their right to compensation.

Our firm's story starts with founding partner Matthew Dolman, who watched his father deal with a law firm that did not want to provide him with the assistance and personal touch he needed following a catastrophic car accident. Matthew wanted to create his own law firm, where each of his clients would receive the personalized attention they deserve as they move toward a resolution for their injury claims.

We focus on helping our clients get trustworthy results.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we focus heavily on seeking the results our clients really need and deserve. We offer personalized attention to the details of each claim and aim to help our clients maximize the compensation they can recover.

Take a look at some of our past results:

  • $3.85 million when a semi truck accident resulted in brain injury
  • $3.2 million following a semi truck accident resulting in brain injury
  • $1.75 million after a shoulder injury and brain injury in a truck accident
  • $1.58 million for two herniated discs from a truck accident

While those results cannot guarantee the results you will obtain from your claim, they can provide you with a higher degree of confidence in the compensation you may recover for your injuries.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we want our clients to get real results they can count on. We try to make it easy to connect with us, whether that means bringing you into one of our Florida offices, located on both coasts, or providing virtual consultation options that can help you learn more about your rights from the environment of your choice.

Did you suffer injuries in a truck accident? Do not wait. Contact the Lakeland personal injury lawyers at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA today to learn more about your right to compensation.

The Compensation to Expect After a Lakeland Truck Accident

Truck drivers generally carry very high-value insurance policies designed to provide protection to the truck driver, the trucking company, and the victim of a truck accident. However, that does not automatically mean that you will recover whatever compensation you ask for as part of a Lakeland truck accident claim.

The compensation you can recover will depend on several factors related to your accident.

  • Who caused the accident? If the trucking company bears part of the liability for the accident, for example, it may prove easier to recover the full compensation you may expect from your truck accident.
  • What injuries did you sustain in the accident, and what damages did you face as a result of those injuries? Ultimately, your truck accident claim should compensate you for the damages you sustained because of the accident.
  • Do you have a truck accident lawyer on your side? Truck insurance companies and trucking companies may have extensive, experienced legal teams devoted to minimizing the compensation they have to pay out after a truck accident. By working with a lawyer, you may substantially increase your ability to seek the full compensation you deserve.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we help our clients take a close look at the damages they sustained in their truck accidents, which can help them put together a more comprehensive injury claim that clearly displays their actual losses.

Calculating Your Medical Bills After a Truck Accident

Many truck accident victims will have considerable medical bills after their accidents. Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center may provide a high standard of medical care, but that high standard of care may come with equally high medical bills, which can pose substantial financial strain for Lakeland truck accident victims.

As you consider how to include your medical bills as part of a comprehensive Lakeland truck accident claim, keep in mind that Florida requires its drivers to use their personal injury protection insurance before filing a claim for compensation for those medical bills. Florida PIP insurance provides 80 percent coverage for the first $10,000 in medical costs you may face after an auto accident, including a truck accident. When your medical costs exceed the protection offered by your PIP insurance, you can include your medical costs as part of your claim.

Evaluating Income Losses Due to Your Lakeland Truck Accident

After your medical costs, your income losses may represent one of the biggest financial hits following a devastating Lakeland truck accident. Often, truck accident injuries will prevent victims from getting back to work as soon as they might hope. They may have a long road to recovery ahead of them, and in the meantime, their injuries may make it impossible for them to maintain their usual source of income.

Talk to your lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA about how much time you had to miss at work after your Lakeland truck accident: not just the time you missed immediately following the accident, but the time you may have had to miss for follow-up procedures or the time you may have lost because you had to return to work on a modified schedule due to your injuries and limitations. Your lawyer can help give you a better idea of how to include those wage losses in your claim.

Seeking Compensation for Your Suffering

As part of your Lakeland truck accident claim, you may also want to pursue compensation for the suffering caused by the accident. Your financial losses may prove incredibly significant. However, many truck accident victims note that they suffer far more than just financial losses because of their injuries.

You might struggle to deal with your new reliance on others. Your hobbies may have to change. You may miss out on the chance to build relationships with loved ones. In many cases, you may have to contend with substantial, long-term changes to your entire life, and all of it while dealing with significant physical pain from the accident.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we help our clients pursue compensation for all the losses associated with a serious truck accident, including the pain and suffering the victim may have faced.

Lakeland Truck Accidents: What You Need to Know

Lakeland truck accidents often result in severe injury. Smaller passenger vehicles offer little protection from big trucks, which may weigh as much as 80,000 pounds.

Truck accident victims may find themselves dealing with broken bones, brain injuries, back and neck injuries, or amputations because of their truck accident injuries.

  • According to Florida law, you have up to four years after a truck accident to file a claim. However, in order to protect your right to compensation and move forward smoothly with that claim, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible.
  • Medium and heavy trucks, weighing more than 10,000 pounds, account for around 29 fatalities and 111 incapacitating injuries each year in Florida.
  • Medium and heavy truck accidents cause an estimated 389 non-incapacitating injuries in Florida annually.
  • Bad weather, common in Florida when heavy storms crop up, can significantly increase the risk of any kind of auto accident, including a truck accident.

Common Causes of Lakeland Truck Accidents

Lakeland truck accidents, like other types of accidents, can occur for a variety of reasons.

  • Driver distraction
  • Truck drivers who have spent too many hours on the road, leading to increased road haze and struggle to keep attention on the road
  • Driver drowsiness
  • Blind spot collisions
  • Drivers failing to allow adequate room for truck drivers to maneuver on the road

In some cases, including a failure to implement policies that will reduce risk on the road or failing to properly monitor their drivers, trucking companies may share liability for devastating truck accident injuries across Lakeland.

Fighting the Insurance Company After a Lakeland Truck Accident

Following a Lakeland truck accident, many victims find themselves fighting the insurance company to get the compensation they deserve. The insurance company may make it very difficult to get reasonable compensation. USAA, Allstate, and Progressive, for example, may try to pressure you to accept a settlement offer that includes only a small fraction of the compensation you may really deserve. You may struggle to prove that the truck driver actually caused your accident, or have to fight to establish the full extent of your injuries.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we understand the challenges that may go along with dealing with the insurance company following a Lakeland truck accident, and we have the resources needed to help you fight back. Our attorneys remain prepared to help address the many challenges you may face as part of your truck accident claim.

What to Do After a Lakeland Truck Accident

Protect your right to compensation after a Lakeland truck accident, just like you need to take care of any injuries you may have sustained.

By working with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, you can receive comprehensive legal advice that will help you navigate any challenges that may get thrown in your way as you claim compensation for your injuries.

  • Get a copy of your truck accident report. We can get it for you and you can review it with us to ensure that it contains accurate information about what led to your accident.
  • Contact a lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA to discuss your next steps. Having a lawyer can offer immense help and support from the early days after your accident.
  • Document your medical costs, especially any copay and deductible amounts that you may pay up front. Keep a copy of your receipts.
  • Journal about the challenges you face as you recover. You may want to include photographs of your injuries or your progress.
  • Avoid talking to the insurance company. Let a lawyer to represent you. A lawyer can handle those interactions and decrease the risk that you will end up with a low settlement that does not reflect your needs.
  • Carefully follow the instructions issued by your medical care provider. Those instructions can both help increase your odds of making a full recovery and show that you have done everything in your power to recover, rather than limiting your own recovery.

Lakeland Truck Accident FAQ

After suffering injuries in a Lakeland truck accident, you may have many questions about your next steps, including how to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve. Contact a Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA attorney to ask questions about your claim.

Do I need a Lakeland truck accident lawyer to handle my claim?

In many cases, you may feel you can handle a truck accident claim independently. You know that truck insurance should provide compensation for your injuries. However, the insurance company may not make that claim as easy as you hoped, and truck accident claims can prove much more complicated than anticipated. A Lakeland truck accident attorney like Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA can help guide you through the claim process and give you a better idea of navigating the claim process.

Learn about your rights.

You may assume that the truck driver's insurance company will offer you a reasonable settlement for your injuries based on the terms of the policy. If you do not receive a reasonable offer, you might even think you may not deserve additional compensation. However, in many cases, insurance companies will reduce the compensation they offer as part of the claim and try to convince you to accept those low settlement offers.

On the other hand, a Lakeland truck accident lawyer can go over the compensation you deserve for your injuries and give you a better idea of what to expect as you move forward with your claim.

Let your lawyer sort through the evidence.

Truck accident claims often require going through a lot of evidence.

Your lawyer may need to look at:

  • The truck driver's logs
  • The trucking company's policies
  • The truck's cargo
  • Witness reports from the scene
  • Any video footage of the accident

In many cases, a comprehensive look through the evidence will reveal that the truck driver's company bears at least partial liability for the accident. A truck accident may have an easier time both accessing that information and determining what you may need to establish liability for the accident.

Get help fighting for the compensation you deserve.

While insurance companies may exist to ensure that individuals who have sustained severe injuries can seek the compensation they may need for those injuries, that does not necessarily mean that insurance agents will focus on the injured party's needs. Instead, in many cases, the insurance agent may focus on the company's needs. When you work with a lawyer like Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, on the other hand, you will receive comprehensive legal assistance that focuses on your needs and rights after a devastating truck accident.

Who pays my medical bills after a Lakeland truck accident?

Even the cost of emergency treatment at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center can create a substantial financial burden for many people. While an injury claim can help cover the cost of that treatment, it does not require the liable party to pay for the cost of your medical care directly. Instead, as the injured party, you will need to make arrangements to pay your medical bills and cover the cost of treatment.

Start by using your PIP insurance.

Florida drivers must carry PIP insurance, also known as personal injury protection insurance, on their vehicles. PIP insurance can provide much-needed coverage immediately after an accident. You can use PIP coverage regardless of who causes the accident, so you do not have to wait for a determination of liability before moving forward with your claim. PIP insurance will generally cover 80 percent of the first $10,000 in medical bills, which means you will have $8,000 in coverage in an accident. We can handle your PIP claim for you.

Know what medical coverage you have.

If you carry a medical insurance policy, that coverage may prove essential to ensuring you get the full coverage you need following an accident resulting in serious injuries. Medical insurance can also offer much-needed financial assistance with the cost of ongoing medical care, which may be necessary in the case of many types of severe injuries.

Use the funds from your injury claim.

In most cases, your medical costs will form the basis for your truck accident claim. You may need to ask for equally high compensation for those injuries if you have high medical expenses.

Work with your attorney at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA to identify the long-term cost of medical treatment and the immediate bills you may already have paid. Many truck accident victims will need physical or occupational therapy or additional treatments long after the initial incident. By working with your lawyer to identify those long-term treatment needs, you can include them as part of your injury claim, making it easier for you to pay those bills as they arise.

Does the truck driver always bear liability in a Lakeland truck accident claim?

The truck driver involved in a Lakeland truck accident will bear liability for any time the truck driver's negligence behind the wheel led to the accident. However, in many cases, the other driver involved in the accident will bear liability. For example, a driver who pulls over sharply in front of a truck without leaving the truck driver adequate room to stop or slow down will usually bear liability for the accident.

In addition, multiple other conditions may raise the risk of a truck accident.

In those cases, other parties may bear liability for the incident.

  • The truck driver's company.
  • A mechanic recently worked on the truck or car but failed to repair it properly, ultimately leading to the accident.
  • The manufacturer of a broken component in the truck.
  • The company that loaded the truck

Working with Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA can help you identify all parties that may share liability for your Lakeland truck accident.

When does the truck driver's company share liability for a Lakeland truck accident?

Under several circumstances, the company the truck driver, works for may share liability for a Lakeland truck accident.

  • The company does not have adequate policies to ensure that its drivers get off the road after meeting the federally mandated number of hours. The company may even encourage drivers to exceed those hours.
  • The company has policies that encourage reckless or dangerous driving, including speeding.
  • The company failed to conduct adequate maintenance on the vehicle, leading to an accident.
  • The company does not adequately monitor its drivers and allows a driver to stay on the road who may have caused or contributed to multiple accidents.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we help take a careful look at all the details of the truck accident, including how the trucking company may have influenced the truck accident. By working with us, you can better understand whether the trucking company may share liability for the accident and your injuries.

What should I do if I get a settlement offer from the truck driver's insurance company after a Lakeland truck accident?

Before you accept any settlement offer after your Lakeland truck accident, make sure you take the time to review that settlement offer with an attorney at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. You may discover that the insurance company has issued a low settlement offer that does not fairly reflect your needs and that, as a result, you do not want to accept that offer.

If the settlement offer does not reflect the damages you deserve, based on the insurance policy and the extent of the injuries you sustained, your lawyer can help you fight for the additional compensation you may deserve. You do not have to accept a settlement offer that does not reflect your needs.

Will I have to go to court to settle my Lakeland truck accident claim?

Going to court over an accident claim seems daunting to many people. Fortunately, in most cases, you will not have to go to court to settle your claim. Most of the time, the insurance company would rather reach a settlement agreement out of court if possible since going to court generally significantly increases the company's legal costs and may not decrease the amount the company has to pay.

You may have greater odds of going to court under some circumstances.

  • The insurance company denies the covered driver's liability for the accident. In disputed liability cases, you may ultimately end up in court to resolve liability and reach a settlement agreement.
  • You suffered severe injuries and must ask for substantial compensation. The insurance company may fight harder to avoid paying out in cases where the victim sustained immense injuries.
  • The insurance company denies the extent of your injuries for any reason, either denying that you sustained those injuries in the accident or that you suffered those injuries.

Fighting the insurance company out of court can feel incredibly frustrating. If you do have to go to court, you may be even more worried about the resolution of your claim. However, having a Lakeland truck accident lawyer on your side can make handling your claim much easier. A lawyer can help represent you in court, presenting your claim in the best possible light, so you have the best odds of getting the compensation you deserve.

How long does it usually take to settle a Lakeland truck accident claim?

You should expect it to take several months after your accident to resolve your Lakeland truck accident claim, even if you get in touch with a lawyer early and start the process immediately.

First, you may need time to recover from your injuries before you start to move forward with your claim. Keep in mind that, in many cases, you will not know how much your medical bills will ultimately cost or how much you will recover. You want your truck accident claim to reflect the damages you sustained in the accident accurately, so you may need to wait until you have progressed with your recovery before filing your claim.

While you recover, your lawyer can launch the investigation phase of the accident claim. Your lawyer and the insurance company will want to look closely at all the factors that led to the accident and any details about it. Furthermore, the insurance company may want to investigate the full extent of your injuries, including taking a look at your medical records.

Finally, you can begin the negotiation phase once you have a good idea of your eventual expenses and evidence that establishes liability for the accident. You may need to go through several rounds of negotiation as your lawyer issues a demand for the compensation you feel you deserve for your injuries and the insurance company comes back with a counteroffer. Multiple rounds of negotiation can significantly extend the claim process.

When should I get in touch with a lawyer after my Lakeland truck accident?

Matthew A. Dolman, Attorney
Matthew Dolman, Lakeland Truck Accident Lawyer

Ideally, you should get in touch with a lawyer as soon as you can. In many cases, the insurance company will try to get ahead of you on your claim. You may, in fact, get an early settlement offer before you even have a chance to recover from your injuries or get an idea of what your long-term recovery might look like. If you accept that offer, you could be denied the compensation you deserve. A lawyer, on the other hand, can help you navigate those early interactions and give you a better idea of how to protect your rights.

While Florida law allows four years after an accident to start the claim process, it can also prove much easier to collect evidence, establish liability, and protect your right to compensation if you start working with a lawyer soon after your accident.

Do You Need a Lakeland Truck Accident Lawyer?

Following truck accident injuries, you may find yourself with any number of questions about your next steps. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we can help you get answers to those essential questions and pursue the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact us today at (833) 552-7274 (833-55-CRASH)

 

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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