Were you injured in a truck accident in West Palm Beach, FL?
At Warner & Fitzmartin Personal Injury Lawyers, we are trusted truck accident lawyers with over 20 years of experience.
If a tractor-trailer struck your vehicle in West Palm Beach, the injury claim will involve a motor carrier and a commercial insurer. Driver logs, inspection reports, and the truck’s electronic data have to be requested and preserved. Our West Palm Beach, FL truck accident lawyer sends that request early and builds the case around evidence. Warner & Fitzmartin Personal Injury Lawyers has represented injured clients in truck and auto cases for more than 20 years. Reach out to schedule a free case review, and we’ll explain where your claim stands.
Truck Accident Lawyer West Palm Beach, FL
A truck accident attorney in West Palm Beach identifies every party responsible for a commercial vehicle crash and pursues them. That usually means the driver and the motor carrier. It can also include a cargo loader, a maintenance contractor, or the company that leased the trailer. Each one carries separate insurance, and each one will point at the others.
Florida recorded 47,101 commercial motor vehicle crashes in 2023, and 332 people died in them, according to FLHSMV crash figures. Palm Beach County contributes to those numbers through I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, which carry freight through West Palm Beach. Our attorneys know the carriers, adjusters, and courtrooms involved in these claims. That familiarity shapes each West Palm Beach truck accident case we prepare.
Types of Truck Accident Cases We Handle in West Palm Beach
Commercial trucking cases at our firm cover far more than tractor-trailer wrecks on the interstate. Box trucks, dump trucks, tankers, and delivery vans all count as commercial vehicles when a company owns or operates them. The list below covers the truck accident claims we handle most often for clients in West Palm Beach.
- Car accidents. A passenger car struck by a loaded tractor-trailer absorbs most of the force in the collision. We handle these claims from the first insurer call through settlement or trial. We also document injuries that adjusters routinely try to minimize.
- Motorcycle accidents. Riders hit by trucks changing lanes or turning across traffic rarely escape serious harm. We investigate the driver’s line of sight, the truck’s mirror setup, and any distraction inside the cab.
- Rear-end collisions. A fully loaded semi needs far more distance to stop than a car. When a truck driver follows too closely or brakes too late, we obtain the braking data stored in the truck’s engine control module.
- Jackknife and rollover crashes. These wrecks often trace back to speed, poorly secured cargo, or a fatigued driver. Several vehicles can be caught up in one event, which makes early witness statements especially valuable.
- Underride collisions. A car that slides beneath a trailer suffers catastrophic damage to the passenger compartment. We examine the trailer’s guards and lighting, and we look at whether the carrier maintained them.
- Blind spot and wide-turn accidents. Trucks have large blind zones on both sides and behind the trailer. Wide right turns at West Palm Beach intersections put cars, cyclists, and pedestrians at risk. We reconstruct the turn to establish fault.
- Government truck accidents. City, county, and state agencies operate their own fleets. Claims against them follow different notice rules and timelines. We handle those requirements from the start.
- Wrongful death. When a truck crash takes a life, we pursue the claim on behalf of the family. That recovery covers lost support, funeral costs, and the loss of the relationship itself.
Why Choose Warner & Fitzmartin Personal Injury Lawyers as my Truck Accident Lawyer in West Palm Beach, FL?
More Than 20 Years in Truck and Auto Litigation
Aaron Warner is a civil litigation attorney and a Life Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group limited to lawyers who have secured a verdict or settlement of $1,000,000 or more. He has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2019 and appears in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. Elissa Fitzmartin is a trial attorney who graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where she served on Law Review and in the Federal Appellate Clinic. She sits on the board of directors of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association and has handled cases in several states beyond Florida. Clients who hire us get a personal injury lawyer in West Palm Beach, FL who has already tried cases like theirs.
Results in Truck and Auto Injury Claims
Our West Palm Beach truck accident lawyers have recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. Results from vehicle cases include:
- $375,000 for a truck and auto accident
- $388,000 for a car accident
- $500,000 for a wrongful death claim
- $300,000 for a car accident involving an off-duty police officer
Prior results don’t guarantee a future outcome. They do show what thorough preparation can produce against a commercial insurer.
We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You won’t receive bills for attorney fees, and our firm pays the upfront costs of building your case. Our fee is a percentage of the compensation we recover for you. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing. Your first consultation is free and confidential, and it doesn’t commit you to filing a claim.
What Is Important to Understand About a Truck Accident Case?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Truck Accident Cases
Occupants of other vehicles accounted for 70 percent of the people killed in large-truck crashes nationwide in 2024, according to NHTSA fatality data. That imbalance explains why compensation in these cases tends to be substantial. Florida law allows an injured person to recover both economic and non-economic losses, and the recoverable damages fall into these categories:
- Medical expenses, past and future
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Property damage to your vehicle
Liability is where truck cases differ most from car cases. A motor carrier can be responsible for its driver’s negligence. It can also be liable for hiring, training, or maintenance failures. Whether the claim runs against the driver or the company shapes the insurance coverage available. Florida applies modified comparative negligence under section 768.81, so a person found more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing. Below that line, the award is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned.
What Is the Truck Accident Case Timeline?
Most truck cases follow the same general path, though the pace depends on the injuries and on how the carrier responds. The main stages are:
- Investigation and evidence preservation, including a written demand that the carrier keep the truck’s data and driver records
- Medical treatment until your doctors can state a long-term prognosis
- A demand package to every insurer with a role in the crash
- Negotiation, followed by a lawsuit if the offer doesn’t reflect the injuries
- Discovery, depositions, mediation, and trial if the case doesn’t settle
Florida gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a negligence lawsuit under section 95.11 of the Florida Statutes. Claims involving public agencies carry additional notice requirements with shorter windows, so an early consultation matters when a government fleet vehicle is involved.
What Are Important Aspects of a Truck Accident Case?
Evidence in a trucking case disappears faster than in almost any other injury claim. Carriers are permitted to discard certain driver records after a set period, and a damaged truck may be repaired or sold within weeks. Our West Palm Beach truck accident attorneys send a preservation letter as soon as we are retained. Three areas receive the most attention:
- Electronic data from the truck, which records speed, braking, and hours behind the wheel
- The driver’s qualification file, testing history, and hours-of-service logs
- The carrier’s maintenance and inspection records for the tractor and trailer
Retained specialists in accident reconstruction and trucking safety review this material and explain it to a jury when the case goes that far.
What Should You Bring to Your Truck Accident Consultation?
Bring whatever you have, and don’t worry about what’s missing. We can request most records directly. The most useful items are:
- The crash report, or the report number from the investigating agency
- Photos or video from the scene, including the truck’s markings and USDOT number
- Medical records and bills received so far
- Contact information for any witnesses
- Any letter or call log from an insurance company
The consultation is free. You’ll leave with a candid assessment of the claim, including whether it is worth pursuing, and a plain list of what happens next.
Most Dangerous Locations for Truck Accidents in West Palm Beach, FL
The Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency reports that 38 percent of the county’s fatal crashes occur on just 4 percent of its roads, according to its 2025 Vision Zero plan. Several of those corridors run through West Palm Beach and carry heavy commercial traffic.
Dangerous streets:
- Okeechobee Boulevard: the main east-west connection between I-95 and downtown, listed on the county’s High Injury Network
- Southern Boulevard (US-98): a High Injury Network corridor that brings truck traffic in from the western county
- Military Trail: a long north-south arterial with repeated fatal and serious-injury crashes at its signalized intersections
- Forest Hill Boulevard: a High Injury Network road with heavy retail and delivery traffic near the I-95 interchange
Dangerous highways:
- Interstate 95: the primary freight corridor through the city, with heavy merging at the Okeechobee, Palm Beach Lakes, and Southern interchanges
- Florida’s Turnpike: high-speed truck traffic connecting to Okeechobee Boulevard and Southern Boulevard
- Beeline Highway (SR 710): a truck route running northwest out of the city that also appears on the High Injury Network
Reach Out to Warner & Fitzmartin Personal Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
Our West Palm Beach truck accident attorney will review your crash at no cost and explain the options that fit your injuries. The consultation is free, and you decide afterward whether to move forward. We return calls and messages during regular business hours. Contact us to schedule a free case review with a truck accident lawyer in West Palm Beach, FL.
