Insurance Companies and Truck Accidents

Our attorneys can handle the most complex cases

In the typical accident involving two passenger vehicles, the standard procedure for building and securing a claim may be cut and dry. The at-fault driver and his or her insurance company are responsible for compensating your losses. However, accidents involving large commercial trucks are far more complex. Trucking companies and their insurance providers will go to great lengths to protect themselves and keep their costs down. They often do this by taking advantage of accident victims who don't know their rights.

That's why you should never try handle a truck accident claim without the help of an experienced truck accident attorney. Pajcic & Pajcic has decades of experience handling truck accidents in the greater Jacksonville area, and our case results – including a historic $1 billion verdict in a fatal truck accident – speak for themselves. If the negligence of a truck driver, or his or her company, caused your accident, we'll fight to hold them accountable.

Why truck accidents are so complicated

Accidents involving large commercial trucks are usually more complicated than those involving passenger vehicles. Oftentimes, these accidents involve more than two parties, multiple insurance companies, and a host of attorneys, adjusters and investigators. In order to protect themselves, trucking companies will launch an investigation within hours of the accident. They'll use their own team of investigators and adjusters, who will often produce results in their favor.

Due to the sheer size and weight of large commercial trucks, they often pose a major liability to insurance companies. In fact, a single truck accident can cost insurance companies millions of dollars in damages. For this reason, truck companies pay very high premiums for liability coverage. In order to protect their assets, insurance companies will do whatever they can to avoid paying the costly damages caused by truck accidents.

Why you need an attorney

Dealing with insurance companies after a truck accident can be very difficult, since the cab, trailer and cargo are often insured separately. If more than one passenger vehicle was affected by the truck accident, multiple insurance companies can be involved. In order to ward off multiple claims, trucking companies and their insurance providers may agree to offer a small sum of money to each crash victim. But the meager lowball settlements offered by insurance companies are never enough to cover the full cost of recovery.

Our legal team investigates your truck accident to find out what really happened. We take legal action to gain access to important evidence, including:

• Event data recorder information – The event data recorder is the truck’s “black box” that records information about speed, braking, acceleration and steering patterns. It can provide insight into the operation of the truck just before the crash.
• Hours of Service (HOS) logs – Federal regulations place limits on the number of hours a driver can spend behind the wheel. Drivers are also required to take regular breaks. They must keep a log of their hours of service, which is usually done electronically.
• Maintenance records – Trucking companies are required to keep the trucks in their fleet maintained and to make any needed repairs promptly.
• Employment records – Trucking companies must make sure the drivers they hire are qualified and have good driving records.