Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Meghann Cuniff
Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
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Jeffrey Johnson, J.D.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
As the most populous city in the Southeast region of the United States, Jacksonville is home to sunny weather and beaches that attract visitors from all over. It’s also a major commercial hub that brings commercial trucks in and out of the city.
Knowing what to do if you have an accident with a truck can make your situation much easier and give you more time to experience the fun Jacksonville has to offer. Here are the best truck accident lawyers in Jacksonville.
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Best Truck Accident Attorneys in Jacksonville
Compare Top Truck Accident Attorneys
Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Florida
If you are involved in a truck accident in Florida, you will want to consider possible legal options to protect yourself and possibly receive financial compensation for injuries suffered or damage to your vehicle. In addition to finding an attorney, you’ll want to be familiar with the basics of trucking laws in Florida.
Florida Statute of Limitations
Statutes of limitations set a deadline by which you must file a lawsuit.. In Florida, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases, such as a truck accident lawsuit, is four years.
Florida Laws for Truck Drivers
There are specific laws that apply to truck drivers, designed for safety reasons. They include:
- Limited time on the road. Truck drivers in Florida may drive 12 hours straight after 10 consecutive hours off. They are barred from driving after the 16th hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
- Insurance requirements. Florida has different insurance minimums depending on the product being trucked. The minimum for liability insurance for oil transport is $1 million, while the minimum for hazardous materials is $5 million.
- Speed limits. The speed limit for trucks on rural freeways and interstates in Florida is 70 mph.
- Drug tests. Anyone who employs someone with a commercial driver’s license must receive a negative drug test before they permit the driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle such as a truck. If a crash occurs, the driver may be required to take a drug test. Florida requires drug tests if someone died in the crash, someone needed medical treatment or a motor vehicle was disabled.
Identifying Fault for a Truck Accident
Identifying who is at fault in a truck crash is necessary to establish legal grounds for a lawsuit. Florida has a comparative negligence model to identify fault.
If a victim of a truck accident is partly at fault for the accident, their damages are reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if the truck driver is determined to be 90% at fault for the accident, but the driver of the car who was injured was driving recklessly and is determined to be 10% at fault, the car driver can receive 90% of their damages because they are responsible for the other 10%
How Can an Attorney Help You?
An experienced truck accident lawyer can help you navigate the legal system to get the best possible financial outcome for your situation. Some attorneys may specialize in car accidents but are not experienced in truck accidents. Others may not have the time to devote to extensive discovery and investigation. Multi-lawyer firms can be great, but experienced solo practitioners should also be considered.
How to Find the Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Jacksonville, FL
Attorneys advertise now more than ever before, so it’s important to know how to shift through the gimmicks and find the best attorney possible to take your case. There are several ways to identify a good truck accident lawyer in Jacksonville, Florida.
- Pinpoint their expertise. You’ll want to find a truck accident lawyer who is experienced in personal injury litigation. You’ll also ideally want to find a lawyer who has handled other lawsuits specifically involving truck accidents to help ensure the best possible representation.
- Look at their experience. Have they been practicing long enough to have the experience to truly be one of the best truck accident lawyers? You want a lawyer who is experienced in personal injury law and in the jurisdiction where your case will be filed.
- Consider their references. Do you have friends or family members who have previously worked with a good truck accident lawyer in Jacksonville? They may have insight about who to consider. You also should read client reviews and endorsements from other lawyers.
- Ask how much they cost. Most attorneys will take your case on contingency, meaning they’ll get paid by taking a percent of whatever amount of money you receive.
Methodology
To come up with the Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Jacksonville in 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Forbes Advisor’s mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating, then reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a practice area.
Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
- Legal experience
- Special licenses & certifications
- Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
- Legal thought leadership
- Education & employment background
- Scholarly lectures & writings
- Awards & honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds, but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much are most truck accident settlements?
The amount of money in a settlement for a truck accident depends on the severity of the injuries and the specific details of the case. Awards could range from several thousand dollars to millions of dollars. A good truck accident attorney in Jacksonville can evaluate your case and give you an idea of how much compensation you may be entitled to.
How long do most truck accident settlements take?
Settlements in personal injury cases can take anywhere from a few months to a few years to secure. Sometimes you may need to file a lawsuit. Other times the threat of a lawsuit will result in a settlement offer. The complexity of your case may depend on the complexity of your truck accident and other outside factors such as insurance coverage.
How much of a truck accident settlement goes to lawyers?
Lawyers often are paid a percent of a settlement. The percentage typically is 33%, but it can vary and should be negotiated between you and the truck accident lawyer you want to hire.
