Wide Turns

Turns that are easy to make in a standard vehicle are significantly harder in a commercial truck. For example, due to the size of commercial trucks, truck drivers often need to swing wide to make turns. Truck drivers must have sufficient skills and training to make wide turns, since an incorrectly performed wide turn can cause significant harm. If you sustained injuries in a wide turn accident involving a commercial truck, Joseph I. Lipsky can assist you in pursuing compensation from the parties responsible for the accident. Mr. Lipsky is a zealous Fort Lauderdale truck accident lawyer who can aggressively advocate on your behalf.

Turning a commercial truck is difficult, especially in residential areas or business districts where the streets are narrow and heavily traveled. In many instances, a commercial truck driver will need to swing out in the opposite direction to a turn, occupying multiple lanes of traffic at one time. In order to make sure that truck drivers can make turns and otherwise operate commercial trucks safely, they are required to undergo significant training.

Unfortunately, however, not all commercial truck drivers are properly trained, and the lack of training may result in an inappropriate turn that causes an accident. For example, a truck driver attempting a wide turn may lack enough room to turn safely, and the truck may tip over, crushing vehicles in the adjacent lane. Even properly trained truck drivers can make errors of judgment and cause accidents when making wide turns as well. For instance, some wide turn accidents are caused when a truck driver fails to check the truck’s blind spots or is traveling too fast and strikes a vehicle while trying to turn.

Regardless of the exact cause of a trucking accident that occurs during a wide turn, anyone harmed in the accident has a right to pursue a claim against the truck driver in a civil lawsuit. In most cases, the plaintiff in a trucking accident lawsuit will allege that the defendant truck driver was negligent. To establish negligence, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant had a duty of care to drive safely and reasonably, and the defendant breached that duty, thereby causing the accident. The plaintiff and their attorney must show that the accident caused actual damages as well to successfully demonstrate that the defendant should be found liable.

If a negligence claim is successful, the plaintiff may be awarded damages for economic harm, such as lost wages and the cost of medical bills for treating injuries sustained in the accident, and for non-economic harm, such as the pain and suffering caused by the injuries. If the plaintiff was married at the time of the accident, the plaintiff’s spouse may also be awarded compensation.

A common defense asserted in trucking accident lawsuits is that the injured person was partly at fault for the accident and therefore should not be awarded damages. For example, a truck driver may argue that the injured person was speeding or changed lanes improperly, putting them at risk. Even if the injured person is deemed partially liable for the accident, however, Florida law does not prohibit awarding compensation. Instead, any compensation granted to the injured person will be reduced in proportion to their fault.

Accidents that occur when trucks make inappropriate wide turns can cause significant harm. If you suffered harm due to a wide turn accident in South Florida, you should meet with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney to discuss your right to pursue damages. Joseph I. Lipsky represents injured people in lawsuits arising out of trucking accidents in Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties, including in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Key West, and West Palm Beach. We have offices in West Palm Beach, Plantation, Miami, and Delray Beach, and you can contact us at 1-888-352-5298 or via our form online to set up a confidential and free appointment.