Night Driving Truck Accidents

Driving during night hours is always more difficult, as well as dangerous, regardless of the type of vehicle you are in. However, trucks pose an even greater risk of a collision in the dark, especially if a truck driver is fatigued when visibility is low. Nighttime hinders a truck driver’s ability to see other cars on the road, as well as vice versa, which can lead to significant, and deadly, accidents. If a truck driver or other driver is careless or negligent while driving at night, those harmed by that carelessness have legal recourse. Miami truck accident lawyer Robert Dixon of the Law Offices of Robert Dixon offers compassionate and zealous legal representation to injured victims, and families of loved ones who have passed, as a result of a negligent truck driver. Our firm assists clients throughout South Florida, including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties in pursuing proper personal injury or wrongful death claims against the parties responsible for their harm. If you’ve been involved in a night driving truck accident, please contact our office today to schedule a free, no obligation consultation and find out more about our legal services.

Although state and federal hours of service (HOS) regulations restrict how many hours a truck driver may be on the road, they do not dictate what time of day drivers may travel. As such, it is common for commercial trucks to drive at night, when traffic may be less and more distance can be covered. However, night driving leads to more dangers, as drivers are more apt to be fatigued, which is the most common factor contributing to truck accidents. Night driving increases driver fatigue due to the stress put on an individual from poor visibility, as well as interfering with a person’s normal sleep rhythm. Driving at night also lowers visibility for all drivers, making it difficult to determine the speed other vehicles are traveling at and restricting the area of vision to only where headlights shine. These visibility hinderances are only amplified if weather is also an issue at night. Trucks also have more blind spots than other vehicles, which can further contribute to night driving truck collisions.

Different parties can contribute to causing a night driving truck accident. Often these types of accidents are due to a truck driver’s negligence, either by getting behind the wheel without having enough sleep, or failing to pay proper attention and take precautions while driving in the dark. A trucking company can also be held accountable for its employee’s negligent actions, or negligence of its own, for example, if a company fails to adequately train its drivers on proper protocols for driving at night.

Truck collisions can lead to some of the most serious injuries, which can include multiple broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and others that can have a permanent impact on a victim’s life. Therefore, victims often need financial assistance to help pay for medical costs incurred, as well as those to be expected, time missed from work, changes in a victim’s ability to earn a living, and pain and suffering. Although the legal process can be daunting, especially when you are coping with the pain and emotional toll of a catastrophic injury, filing a personal injury suit may be necessary to cover the costs of treatment and move forward. Timing can also be a factor, as Florida imposes a time limit of four years within which a plaintiff has to file a claim. This may seem like a long time, but the amount of evidence that needs to be collected immediately may be extensive in these complicated cases, and the potential of this evidence being lost or destroyed is greater as time passes; working with a skilled attorney can help you counteract this process. Time constraints are even more vital if a claim is pursued on behalf of a deceased loved one, as Florida’s Wrongful Death Act only gives family members two years from the date of a victim’s death in which to file a claim.

When you’ve been injured in a truck accident, your priority is and should be seeking medical treatment and focusing on recovery. Understanding that your priority is your recovery, injury attorney Robert Dixon makes it his priority to protect and advocate for your legal rights. Mr. Dixon and his staff at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon offer dedicated legal support to clients at all stages of the legal process, from initial investigation into what caused your accident, up to the resolution of any settlement or necessary litigation. If you were involved in a nighttime truck crash, please call our firm at 877.499.4878 or contact us online for a free, no obligation consultation to learn about your legal options. We serve clients in areas including Miami, and West Palm Beach.