Trucking Accidents

The booming economy and explosive growth of Cape Coral have increased the risk of all types of traffic collisions. However, collisions with trucks, buses or other large commercial vehicles continue to be among those most likely to result in serious or fatal injury.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorney for the Injured, we began representing injury victims in Cape Coral in 1971 – one year after the city incorporated with a population of 10,000 residents in 1970. Today, Cape Coral is home to more than 180,000 people, eight elementary schools, six middle schools and 5 high schools. In 2017 Forbes named Cape Coral #1 out of 25 in “America’s Fastest Growing Cities.”

Statewide, more than 34,000 commercial vehicle accidents are reported to law enforcement each year, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. But the booming home construction industry and thriving economy make them especially dangerous in Cape Coral.

While many drivers assume most truck collisions occur on Interstates and freeways, such as I-75 or Alligator Alley, only about one-third of fatal collisions occur on divided highways. Nearly two-thirds occur on major local roads.

Interstate 75 passes within 10 miles of Cape Coral and connects northward to Tampa; and southeastward to Miami/Fort Lauderdale. Cape Coral borders on U.S. Highway 41. U.S. 41 and I-75 can be accessed from State Route 78/Pine Island Road. Within the city a network of approximately 1,100 miles of roadways includes many main arteries: Veteran’s Parkway, Del Prado Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway. Trucking collisions on Cape Coral Bridge and Midpoint Bridge, which span the Caloosahatchee River between Cape Coral and Fort Myers, can be particularly dangerous because motorists have no place to go to avoid a collision.

Causes of Cape Coral Truck Accidents

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, our Cape Coral trucking accident lawyers know traffic collisions involving semis, tractor-trailers, buses or other large commercial vehicles are among the most complex cases a personal injury law firm can handle.

Determining causation is a critical factor in making a personal injury or wrongful death case following a serious or fatal Cape Coral trucking accident. Your chosen law firm should be familiar with Hours-of-Service (driving limits) regulations enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as well as other federal rules involving driver cell phone use, truck maintenance and other inspection and enforcement data. Review of a commercial driver’s record and work history may also reveal medical or performance issues, including drug test results and impactful medical conditions such as sleep apnea. Your Cape Coral truck accident lawyer must be experienced in each of these areas in addition to each of the other elements of building your case, which include comprehensive review of your damages and identifying all at-fault parties and their associated insurance carriers.

The Large Truck Causation Study, a landmark report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published in 2006, found driver error was to blame for 4 in 5 truck collisions. “This study makes it clear that we need to spend more time addressing driver behavior, as well as making sure trucks and buses are fit for the road,” the FMCSA reported at the time. Inattention and exhaustion were among the most common issues. Other issues include medical conditions and over-the-counter or prescription drug use.

Maintenance and load safety were also major issues. The report found two-thirds of trucks involved in fatal collisions had previous violations and more than one-third had been placed out-of-service for safety violations.

Trucking Accident Lawsuits in Cape Coral

As we have outlined, trucking accident litigation is always a complex matter, but when you consider the trucking industry has spent decades perfecting the art of dodging liability through use of independent contractors, limited liability corporations, leased trucks and trailers, and other tactics, it becomes clear that facing some of the nation’s largest insurance defense firms in such cases is a matter only to be trusted to the most experienced personal injury or wrongful death law firm.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, our Cape Coral truck accident lawyers take a comprehensive approach that works to conduct a thorough and exhaustive review and investigation of the collision in making a comprehensive damage demand of each defendant identified as being responsible for a trucking collision.

If you or someone you care about has been hurt, contact the Cape Coral truck accident lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured. You pay us no fees unless we win.