By: Spencer Munns
The insurance company for a commercial trucking carrier is not the same as the adjuster who handles a typical fender-bender. They have legal teams, claims specialists, and years of experience minimizing what they pay injured people. When a truck hits your vehicle on I-4, the Beachline, or anywhere in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole County, the case that follows is more legally complex than a standard car accident, and the opposition is better resourced.
We represent truck accident victims in Orlando and throughout Central Florida. Our attorneys handle every aspect of the case, from pulling the truck’s black box data to deposing the driver, the carrier, and their safety personnel, through settlement or trial in the Orange County Courthouse.
Call our Orlando office at 407-578-9696 for a free case review. No fee unless we recover for you.
How a Truck Accident Case Is Different From a Car Accident Claim
Truck accident cases involve federal law, multiple defendants, and evidence that disappears fast. That combination makes them fundamentally different from a standard two-car collision.
Commercial trucks are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which sets standards for driver hours, vehicle inspections, cargo loading, and maintenance. A violation of those federal regulations is not just a traffic infraction. It is evidence of negligence that applies directly to your civil claim.
The truck’s electronic logging device, onboard cameras, and “black box” flight data recorder capture speed, braking, hours driven, and GPS position at the time of impact. Carriers are not required to preserve that data indefinitely. We act immediately after being retained to send preservation letters that prevent evidence from being erased.
To consult with an experienced truck accident lawyer serving Orlando
(855) 780-9986
Who Is Actually Responsible When a Commercial Truck Causes an Accident?
In most car accidents, one driver is at fault. In truck accidents, liability often extends to multiple parties, each with their own insurance coverage and legal team.
Potentially responsible parties include:
- The truck driver, for negligent operation
- The trucking company, for negligent hiring, training, or supervision
- The cargo loading company, if improper loading caused instability or shifting
- The company responsible for truck maintenance, if a mechanical failure contributed
- The truck or parts manufacturer, if a defect played a role
Identifying all responsible parties is not optional. Missing one means leaving available insurance coverage on the table. We conduct a full investigation before settling on a liability theory.
Does Florida’s No-Fault System Apply to Truck Accident Injuries?
Your PIP coverage applies first after any vehicle accident in Florida, including truck crashes. PIP pays up to $10,000 toward your medical expenses and lost wages regardless of who caused the collision.
For most truck accident victims, $10,000 does not come close to covering the actual cost of their injuries. When injuries meet Florida’s serious injury threshold (permanent injury, significant scarring, or significant loss of a bodily function), you can step outside the no-fault system entirely and pursue the full value of your damages from the at-fault carrier and driver.
Most commercial truck accidents produce injuries serious enough to qualify. We assess threshold eligibility at the start of every case.
Orlando Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me
(855) 780-9986
Federal Trucking Regulations and Why They Matter to Your Case
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets the rules that commercial drivers and carriers must follow. When those rules are broken, the violation can establish negligence in your civil claim without requiring you to prove the driver’s intent.
Common violations we investigate include exceeding hours-of-service limits, falsified logbooks, missing pre-trip inspection records, overloaded trailers, and failure to maintain required insurance coverage. The FMCSA’s carrier safety database at fmcsa.dot.gov allows anyone to look up a carrier’s safety record, crash history, and inspection violations. We use that data as a starting point in every trucking case.
Federal safety standards for commercial vehicles are also set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov. Defects in braking systems, tires, and steering components that NHTSA has investigated or recalled are directly relevant when mechanical failure contributed to a crash.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Orlando?
Florida gives injured victims two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit under Florida Statutes Section 95.11. For wrongful death claims, the same two-year deadline applies from the date of death.
Two years move faster than most people expect when you factor in medical treatment, recovery, and the investigation needed to build a complete case. Carriers and their insurers begin their own investigation immediately. Waiting to contact an attorney gives them a head start.
Contact us as soon as you are able after the accident.
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What Compensation Is Available After a Truck Accident in Florida?
Because truck accidents typically cause severe injuries, the damages available extend well beyond what PIP covers. A successful claim can include compensation for:
- All medical expenses, past and future
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering, including permanent impairment
- Property damage to your vehicle
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members
The value of your case depends on the severity of your injuries, the strength of the liability evidence, and the insurance coverage available from all responsible parties. Commercial carriers are required to carry significantly higher liability coverage than private passenger vehicles.
Call 407-578-9696 or contact us online to discuss what your case may be worth.
Our Orlando Truck Accident Attorneys
Travis J. McMillen, Orlando Truck Accident Lawyer
Travis J. McMillen is a partner at Bogin, Munns & Munns and a Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer—a distinction held by only a small percentage of attorneys, signifying an elite level of expertise and experience in civil litigation.
Having litigated complex cases in state and federal courts across Florida, Travis brings a powerful strategic advantage to his clients: he spent over a decade representing insurance companies before shifting his practice to exclusively advocate for the injured.
This “insider” perspective allows him to dismantle the defense tactics used by commercial carriers and trucking insurers, identifying leverage points that others often miss. A graduate of Oxford University and Charles University in Prague, Travis was elected to the prestigious Order of the Barristers, reflecting his exceptional courtroom advocacy.
He combines this global academic foundation with rigorous local trial experience to hold negligent trucking companies and their insurers fully accountable for the damages they cause.
Our Orlando office is at 1000 Legion Place, Suite 1000, Orlando, FL 32801. We handle truck accident cases on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Case results depend on individual facts and circumstances.
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Speak With an Orlando Truck Accident Attorney
Trucking companies have lawyers working on your case from the moment the accident is reported. The sooner you have representation, the better positioned you are to preserve evidence, respond to the carrier’s investigation, and build a claim that reflects the real cost of your injuries.
We represent truck accident victims in Orlando, Orange County, and throughout Central Florida from our headquarters at 1000 Legion Place, Suite 1000. There is no fee unless we recover for you.
Bogin Munns & Munns also handles car accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall injuries, workers’ compensation, criminal defense, immigration, and estate planning from 11 offices across the region.
Call 407-578-9696 or contact our Orlando office online for a free truck accident case review.
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