Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer

Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer

Representation for 18-Wheeler & Semi-Truck Accident Victims in FL

Each day, Tampa motorists share the road with tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and 18-wheelers. When a fully loaded truck weighing up to 80,000 pounds collides with a passenger vehicle, the results are devastating. In Hillsborough County alone, there are over 2,700 commercial vehicle accidents each year, resulting in hundreds of serious injuries and dozens of fatalities.

If you’ve been injured in a truck crash in Tampa, you are facing a complex and overwhelming battle against large trucking corporations and their aggressive insurance companies. You need a law firm with a proven track record of taking on these giants and winning.

At Burnetti, P.A., our experienced Tampa truck accident lawyer has a strong reputation for handling these complex cases. We have the resources, the expertise, and the results to prove it, including an $11,000,000 recovery for a client injured in a commercial vehicle accident.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Tampa

Free case consultation call us at 1-800-287-6388

Why Choose Burnetti, P.A. for Your Tampa Truck Accident Case?

A truck accident claim involves complex state and federal regulations and multiple liable parties. Your choice of attorney is critical. Here is what sets Burnetti, P.A. apart:

• A Team Led by Board-Certified Specialists: A serious truck accident case requires the highest level of legal skill. Our firm is home to Florida Bar Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyers. This is the highest level of evaluation for trial attorneys, a distinction held by less than 5% of Florida lawyers, signifying a tested specialist in trial law. This level of expertise is essential when facing powerful corporate legal teams.
• Your Advocate, Never Theirs: We have made a foundational promise to our clients: we only represent injured people, never insurance companies. This ensures our loyalty is exclusively to you. We are dedicated to maximizing your recovery, not maintaining relationships with the trucking insurers we fight against every day.
• Direct, Personal Communication: We believe you deserve to speak directly with your lawyer. That’s why we limit the number of cases we accept and provide you with your attorney’s direct cell phone number. You will have a direct line for your questions, ensuring you are never left in the dark about your case.
• The Resources to Win: Trucking companies have deep pockets. We level the playing field by committing our firm’s full financial resources to build your case, hiring top experts in accident reconstruction and trucking safety. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we win your case.

What To Do After a Tampa Truck Accident

The moments after a crash with a commercial truck often decide how strong a claim becomes before a lawyer ever gets involved. A Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer can only work with the evidence that exists, so what victims do in the first hours matters. Florida crash data shows commercial vehicles are involved in tens of thousands of collisions statewide each year, and Burnetti, P.A. has seen early missteps cost injured victims real compensation.

The following steps protect both your health and your legal position:

• Seek Medical Care Immediately: Some injuries from a truck collision, including internal trauma, do not present symptoms right away. Prompt treatment protects your health and creates a medical record tied to the crash date.
• Report the Crash: Contact law enforcement so an official report is filed. This document becomes a key piece of evidence in any liability dispute.
• Document the Scene: Photograph vehicle damage, road conditions, and any visible injuries before evidence disappears or gets repaired away.
• Avoid Recorded Statements: Trucking insurers move quickly after a crash. You are not obligated to give a statement before speaking with an attorney.
• Preserve Time-Sensitive Evidence: A truck’s electronic logging device and driver logs can reveal hours-of-service violations, but this data is often overwritten or destroyed within weeks if not formally preserved.

Who Can Be Liable for a Tampa Truck Accident?

Unlike a typical two-car collision, a truck accident claim can involve several responsible parties at once. Identifying every one of them is often what separates a partial recovery from a full one, and it is central to what a Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer investigates from day one.

• The Truck Driver: Fatigue, distraction, or a violation of federal hours-of-service rules can place direct fault on the person behind the wheel.
• The Trucking Company or Motor Carrier: Negligent hiring, inadequate training, or pressure to skip required rest periods can extend liability to the carrier itself.
• Cargo Loaders and Shipping Companies: Improperly secured or overloaded freight can shift during transport and cause a driver to lose control.
• Maintenance Companies: A third-party mechanic who performs faulty brake or tire work can bear responsibility when that failure leads to a crash.

More than one party often shares fault in the same crash, which is exactly why the next question, how Florida divides responsibility among them, carries so much weight for your recovery.

Establishing Negligence in Tampa Truck Accident Cases

To win compensation, you must show the truck driver breached their duty of care, causing your injury. Useful evidence includes:

Different types of evidence that can be useful in your truck accident claim in FL:

• Police reports and eyewitness statements
• Medical and repair records
• Truck driver logs and maintenance records
• Photos, videos, and surveillance footage
• Cell phone and black box data
• Expert witness testimony

How Our Firm Builds a Winning Truck Accident Claim

Evidence in a truck accident case can disappear quickly. We act immediately to preserve it. Our process includes:

1. Rapid Investigation: We dispatch investigators to the scene, document evidence, and interview witnesses.
2. Preserving Critical Evidence: We send spoliation letters to the trucking company, legally demanding they preserve crucial evidence like the truck’s “black box” data recorder, driver logs, maintenance records, and driver qualification files.
3. Hiring Experts: We work with accident reconstruction specialists to determine exactly how the crash happened and prove the truck driver or trucking company was at fault.
4. Calculating Full Damages: We consult with medical and financial experts to calculate the full lifetime cost of your injuries, including future medical care, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering.

Common Causes of Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Our investigation focuses on proving the specific cause of your crash. We have experience handling cases involving all forms of trucking negligence, including:

• Fatigued Driving: Drivers violating federal hours-of-service rules to meet deadlines.
• Distracted Driving: Using cell phones, GPS, or other devices while driving.
• Impaired Driving: Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Inexperienced Driving: Trucking companies hiring drivers without adequate training.
• Poor Maintenance: Failure to properly maintain brakes, tires, and other critical components.
• Improperly Loaded Trucks: Overloaded or unsecured cargo that causes the truck to become unstable.

Common Types of Truck Accidents

Truck accidents involve large vehicles designed to transport cargo and often cause more severe damage than typical car crashes. Common types include:

Common types of truck accidents include:

• Rear-End Collisions: Truck hits the vehicle ahead, often due to distracted driving or sudden stops.
• Jackknife Accidents: Trailer swings out forming a sharp angle with the cab, usually from locked wheels.
• Rollovers: Truck tips over due to speed, sharp turns, or uneven loads.
• Underride Accidents: Smaller vehicle slides under a truck’s trailer, causing severe injury.
• Override Accidents: Truck runs over a smaller vehicle, often from poor visibility or unsafe following.
• T-Bone Accidents: Side-impact crashes, often at intersections.
• Wide Turns: Trucks swing wide during turns and may collide with nearby vehicles.
• Tire Blowouts & Brake Failure: Mechanical issues causing loss of control and crashes.
• Hazmat Accidents: Involving trucks carrying hazardous materials, increasing risk of spills or explosions.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Truck accidents often result in severe and life-altering injuries due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks.

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Burns from fires or explosions
• Whiplash and chronic back or neck pain
• Broken bones and internal injuries
• Lacerations and bruises

How Florida Comparative Negligence Can Affect a Truck Accident Claim

Once liability is identified, Florida law still asks a second question: how much of the fault, if any, belongs to the injured party. Under Florida Statute Section 768.81, the state follows a modified comparative fault rule, meaning a claimant’s recovery is reduced by their own percentage of fault, but a claim is not automatically barred unless that share exceeds 50%.

Consider a driver found 20% at fault for a crash valued at $200,000. Under this rule, the recoverable award drops to $160,000 rather than being denied outright. If that same driver were found 55% at fault, Florida law would bar recovery entirely. Because trucking insurers routinely try to shift a larger share of fault onto the injured party to reduce a payout, building a case that accurately documents the truck driver’s and carrier’s conduct is essential to protecting full compensation. This is one reason a Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer works to establish fault early, before an insurer’s version of events becomes the default narrative.

Florida Commercial Truck Insurance Requirements

Comparative fault determines how much of a claim survives; insurance coverage determines how much money is actually available to pay it. Florida sets minimum liability coverage for commercial trucks under Florida Statute Section 627.7415, scaled to the vehicle’s weight, requiring $50,000 per occurrence for trucks between 26,000 and 35,000 pounds, $100,000 for trucks between 35,000 and 44,000 pounds, and $300,000 for trucks over 44,000 pounds.

Larger interstate carriers face higher federal floors. Under 49 CFR Part 387, most for-hire trucks over 10,001 pounds hauling non-hazardous freight in interstate commerce must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage, a figure set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Confirming which policy limits apply to the truck involved in your crash is one of the first steps our attorneys take, since it shapes what compensation is realistically available. Burnetti, P.A. has spent decades identifying every applicable policy so injured clients recover the full amount the law allows.

Contact Burnetti, P.A. Your Trusted Tampa Truck Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Tampa, time is critical. The sooner you contact an experienced Tampa truck accident attorney, the better we can protect your rights, preserve vital evidence, and build a strong case for the compensation you deserve.

At Burnetti, P.A., we understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll these accidents take. We are committed to guiding you through every step of the legal process with compassion, clear communication, and aggressive advocacy.

Don’t face the powerful trucking companies and their insurers alone. Let us fight for your justice and help you move forward.

Doug Burnetti

Founder, Burnetti, P.A.

Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and founder of Burnetti, P.A., Doug Burnetti has spent his career fighting for the injured across Florida. Known for his courtroom skill and dedication to justice, he leads a firm built on integrity, strength, and results—recognized by Florida Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell® for excellence in trial advocacy. He is also the recipient of the Jerry A. DeVane Award, presented by the Lakeland Bar Association.

Free case consultation call us at 1-800-287-6388

Client Reviews

What Our Clients Are Saying About Us

A. Bell

Compassionate, friendly and professional law firm. I was hurt in a car accident and didn’t know where to turn. They dealt with the insurance company on my behalf and that was a tremendous relief. I could concentrate on healing. I am so grateful for their support and help. I definitely am in the best hands. The best law firm if you want a caring knowledgeable attorney on your side. Thank you, Burnetti, PA.

View More Reviews on Google Maps.