Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Florida has over 12,000 bridges and many overpasses. Most drivers of passenger vehicles and light trucks don’t even have to worry about clearance, but for commercial truck drivers this is a serious concern.
Unfortunately, each year Florida residents are injured or killed in bridge strike accidents involving overpasses, bridges, and other structures with low clearance. If this has happened to you, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free consultation with a Florida truck accident attorney. An attorney on our team can explain your rights to compensation and can review any next steps you might want to take.
What Are Bridge Strike Accidents?
A bridge strike happens when a commercial truck such as a big rig tries to drive under a bridge or underpass that isn’t tall enough. In this situation, the top of the truck scrapes along the underside of the structure or sometimes crashes right into it, causing serious damage to the infrastructure and potentially serious injuries to those at the scene.
Bridge strikes in South Florida happen for many reasons:
- Distracted or fatigued driving that causes a trucker to miss warning signs about clearance
- Inexperienced truck drivers
- Drivers being overly confident in GPS directions
- Drivers being unsure about the height of their truck
- Drivers being asked to drive a large fleet of trucks, which can cause confusion about the different clearance limits
- Poor road design or signage that fails to alert drivers about upcoming dangers
What Injuries Happen in Bridge Strikes in South Florida
South Florida bridge strike accidents have led to many kinds of injuries, including injuries to occupants of nearby cars. One hazard in this kind of collision is that truck drivers may panic and the truck may swerve or jackknife into other vehicles.
Another immediate danger is the infrastructure itself. When a truck crashes into a bridge or overpass, the top of the truck may be sheared off and the structure of the bridge or overpass can sustain damage. Parts of the truck or bridge may crash into vehicles and pedestrians in the area. If the truck is carrying hazardous or flammable materials, this can spill on the road, putting anyone in the area in danger of exposure or burn injuries. The bridge itself can become unstable and may need to be shut down for repairs.
Do I Qualify for Financial Recovery?
If you’re injured in a bridge strike accident, you may be entitled to compensation, though the insurance company for the trucking company may try to deny or minimize your claim. Depending on your injuries, you may be able to seek financial recovery for:
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Medical costs
- Car repair or replacement costs
- Incidental expenses related to your injury (for example, the cost of taxis if you can’t drive because of your accident)
- Personal property repair or replacement costs
- Other losses
To seek compensation, you will need to establish that negligence played a role in the crash that caused your injuries, and you’ll need to be able to identify all liable parties. Since this is a complicated process, many survivors of bridge strike accidents work with a Florida trucking accident claims attorney, who can help them seek compensation.
If you’re injured in a bridge strike or any commercial trucking accident in Miami, Homestead, Hollywood, or any surrounding areas, connect with Flaxman Law Group at 866-352-9626 or contact us online. We’ll schedule a free consultation with a South Florida truck accident attorney so you can get answers to your questions and get recommendations about any next steps you can take.