Truck accidents can and do cause serious personal injuries and fatalities each year. They also cause many millions of dollars in property damage annually. While personal injuries are often far more devastating, property damage can also cause serious financial problems for people and businesses. Some of the more common kinds of property damage caused by trucking accidents include:

1) Damage to real property. When a truck careens out of control, it can easily hit a home, house, or other building, causing considerable damage to the structure. Smaller structures – such as trailer homes – can be completely destroyed by a truck. Even if there is no building on a property, a truck can create gaps or gashes in the soil or can cause damage to driveways, roads, and other paved or soft surfaces.

2) Damage to cars and other vehicles. If a truck collides with a vehicle, the car is often severely damaged, sometimes beyond repair. A collision with a truck can shear off parts of a car, can crush a car, or can break major systems of a car.

3) Damage to shipped property. If a truck is in an accident while carrying a shipment of products, those products may be thrown against the sides of the truck, possibly breaking. While properly securing a load can reduce the possibility of breakage, property damage to shipped property is almost inevitable in a serious truck accident.

4) Incidental property damage. In addition to the direct damage caused by a truck accident, there are incidental types of damage which can also occur. For example, if a truck collides with a car, the items stored inside a car – including cameras, luggage, and other personal items – can also be damaged.

5) Property damage caused by hazardous materials. Sometimes, trucks carry dangerous products, such as flammable or corrosive liquids or substances, which can cause damage when spilled. Flammable materials may spill from a truck during a collision, for example, causing fire damage to property as well as burn injuries to people nearby.

It is important to hire a Florida personal injury attorney when coping with the aftermath of a trucking accident. Since there are so many types of property damage possible in a trucking accident, it is vital to evaluate the true costs of all these types of damages. A qualified Florida attorney can assist you with this process.