The preservation of evidence from the scene of the accident can be crucial to your case. Your best bet is to contact an attorney as soon as possible to assist you in the investigation. If your injuries permit after the accident, try to take photos. Do not speak to investigators or the truck driver until you speak with an attorney. The trucking company will likely have their own lawyers and investigators on the scene quickly.

The trucking companies are required by law to keep maintenance records and driver hour logs. This information is vital to your case, and you should have your attorney review it.

Do not accept any sort of settlement or compensation for the accident without first speaking with an attorney, even if it seems fair at the time. The trucking company and the insurance company are interested in protecting their bottom lines, you need a lawyer who has your best interests in mind.

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

• Keep still. If you are injured—even if it seems minor at the time—remain still until paramedics arrive to assist you.
• Call 911. This should be the first thing you do if you are involved, or simply witness the accident.
• Remain silent. Say as little as possible, even saying something simple like “sorry” or “I’m fine” can have repercussions that you may not even consider at the time. It is best not to even speak to the truck driver or other drivers, speak only to the arriving police officers.
• Pay attention to details. Try to remember everything about the crash. Write things down so you don’t forget them, including anything you noticed before or after the accident.
• Take pictures. Take pictures of the accident scene, your vehicle, the truck and debris or injured parties.

Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in a truck accident? Would you be able to remember these tips if you found yourself in an accident? It is important to remain calm to protect yourself and your rights as well.

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

The victim was eventually pulled out of the car, but rescuers had trouble getting to him. They rushed him to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Officials shut down the highway for several hours. The victim’s condition is unknown.

Every year 41,000-45,000 people die in the U.S. in car accidents. 9% of the deaths involve commercial trucks. 4% are related to truck driver fatigue.

Have you or a loved one been injured or killed in a truck accident?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando wrongful death attorneys.

Legislation for a ban in Florida was proposed, but nothing has passed all the way through the state government. Some proposed legislation bans all drivers under the age of 18 from using a cell phone while driving at all. Another one banned cell phone use in school zones. The fines for the violations range from $30 to $60 for first time offenders.

Some officials claim that the law would be difficult to enforce, given advances in hands-free and blue-tooth technology.

“If you identify someone who has a hands-free set hooked up to their ear that doesn’t mean they are talking on their phone,” Captain Donald Melanson of the West Hartford, Connecticut Police Department. Others argue that the police can use new technology to detect phone use.

“It would be really easy for police to have a computer on board to pick up those [cell phone] signals,” says Fred Mannering, a Purdue University civil engineering professor. “But it’s sort of big brother.”

The Metier Law Firm, LLC, a Denver firm, posted about this issue as well. Would you like to see a statewide texting ban imposed on all Florida drivers? Have you or a loved one been injured in a car accident?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

“I pulled out of the entrance [of his neighborhood] and I saw this car upside down and smoking,” Buck told the Palm Beach Post. “I kind of saw a hand pulling at the window.”

Buck ran to pull the two women out of the car. A bus driver who saw the wreck also stopped to offer assistance. Others gathered shortly after.

“I didn’t do a whole lot of talking—everyone was speaking Spanish around me,” Buck said. “I pulled them out, then the police came, I gave my report and was like ‘Guess my job’s over.’ So I took off.”

The women suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. The driver appeared to be in ‘good condition’ and the passenger may have suffered a broken leg.

Wooten, Kimbrough & Normand, P.A.—Orlando personal injury attorneys.

“The doctors here didn’t think Devon was going to make it through the first night because his brain injuries were so severe,” said Dana. “Here it is, five days later, and we’re still just trying to keep him alive.”

Devon suffered severe brain injuries that he may never fully recover from. He is currently in a medically-induced coma.

“The police officer told us it was bad, very bad,” said Dana. “He said, ‘I hate to do this, but we need someone to ID to make sure this is your son.’ When I went over there, his face was so swollen, I couldn’t even tell if it was my own son.”

Have you or a loved on been injured in a truck accident?

Wooten, Kimbrough & Norman, P.A.—Orlando wrongful death attorneys.

Rosberg states in her complaint that an Abbott truck was reversing when it felt a little resistance, which was Rosberg. Instead of stopping the vehicle, the driver allegedly pulled forward and ran over her body a second time. The driver did not initially stop to observe what had been hit.

As a result of the incident, Rosberg suffered massive internal injuries, including a crushed pelvis, several broken ribs and internal organ injury. She is expected to survive despite being in a coma.

The police report found the driver to be negligent, and witnesses agreed that the driver had acted negligently. Rosberg is suing Abbott Laboratories in Cook County District Court and alleges that the company failed to protect people going from the parking lot to the Abbott building. Rosberg is also suing the driver of the Abbott truck over his negligent actions.

A Tennessee Highway Patrol report on the accident says witnesses recounted how the dump truck veered onto the shoulder of the road before striking the bicyclist. Tipton told police that he did not see Montgomery until he started rolling on the ground.

Montgomery was revived by good Samaritans who said that he did not have a pulse and was not breathing. He underwent emergency surgery to repair a broken pelvis and spinal fractures and to stop internal bleeding. He underwent surgery as recently as last week to repair additional damage caused by the truck accident. Montgomery feels fortunate that he is not paralyzed, even though he faces a long battle for full recovery.

The local police did not file any charges against the driver and said there was no presence of drug or alcohol. The state law requires motorists to give cyclists 3 feet of space when passing or approaching. The defendants had no comments against litigation. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

The semi-truck started experiencing mechanical problems and the driver attempted to pull over to the left shoulder when an SUV behind the semi clipped the truck’s trailer. The female driver, Allison Manlove, 19, was ejected from the SUV and died at the scene. Two cars were tangled up with the SUV, and two people in one of the vehicles had to be taken to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

In Pottsville, PA, another serious injury was caused by a semi-truck accident. An Orwigsburg woman filed a lawsuit against MRD Lumber Co for unspecified money damages as compensation for the injuries she suffered in the crash in front of MRD’s former business location. Suzanne Holley told a jury that she had no warning before an August 2004 accident on Route 61 that left her with serious leg injuries. Holley testified that she saw the nose of the truck coming out of the MRD parking lot as she was driving her 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. The truck driven by Edward J. Yaeger pulled out in front of her and blocked both southbound lanes. Holley saw the nose of the truck blocking both yellow lines and the rear of the truck was still coming out of the driveway. Holley suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament and a torn medial meniscus in her left knee as a result of the truck accident.

Edward Bernitsky filed a lawsuit against the trucking company and one of its drivers, alleging they caused the accidents in the southbound lanes of Route 61 in Port Clinton. The plaintiff testified that the driver’s tractor trailer had turned in front of him as he was driving south.

Bernitsky claimed he suffered an injury to his right ankle that continues to be a pain problem, and has left him unable to work as a journeyman electrician for several weeks. The plaintiff testified the truck accident cost him his job and imperiled his future with his current employer. He had underwent two surgeries to repair the damage to his ankle, but continues to have pain.