Truck Accident Lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL
If you’ve been injured in a work-related truck accident, it’s time to speak with a reputable truck accident lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL residents trust. All too often, workers who have been injured in truck accidents assume that they either aren’t entitled to compensation or that they need to navigate all compensation matters on their own. Please don’t make any assumptions about your case yet and please don’t feel as if you need to weather this challenging time by yourself. The respected and compassionate legal team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt is here to help.
Table of Contents
- Truck Accident Lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL
- When Truck Accidents Are Work-related
- Truck Accident Law FAQs
- Concerns About Partial Liability
- Workers’ Comp Claims Are Time-Sensitive
- A Word About Social Media
- Why You Shouldn’t Navigate the Aftermath of a Work-Related Truck Accident Alone
- Palm Beach Truck Accident Statistics
- Palm Beach Gardens Truck Accident Law Infographic
- Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt
If you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits and your truck accident was work-related, we can help you to secure a medical and lost wage benefits and help you reach a favorable settlement.
When Truck Accidents Are Work-related
It’s important to speak with a Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer who specializes in work-related cases if your truck accident was work-related. Why? You are likely entitled to different kinds of compensation as a result of the work-related nature of your situation than non-workers are when they suffer injurious crashes. Working with an attorney who has little experience handling work-related crashes will not offer you the best chances of maximizing any compensation to which you may be entitled under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws.
Regardless of whether you are a documented or undocumented worker, and regardless of whether you work part-time or full-time, almost all employees are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they sustain work-related injuries. Also, for the purposes of workers’ compensation benefits, “work-related” doesn’t necessarily mean “on the clock.” If you were injured while running a work-related errand for your boss or traveling for work-mandated reasons, you may remain entitled to benefits even if you weren’t “on the clock” at the time of your crash.
If you have any concerns about whether your crash was work-related and covered under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws, simply schedule a free case evaluation with our team. We’ll be able to clarify your rights and options under the law.
Legal Assistance Is Available
You don’t have to navigate the aftermath of an injurious work-related truck accident alone. The knowledgeable legal team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt is here to help. We take great pride in advocating for the interests of hard-working people and we’ll do our utmost to maximize any and all compensation that you’re rightfully owed. Due to the time-sensitive nature of work-related legal claims, please don’t wait. Call our Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team today for a free case review. We look forward to hearing your story and assisting you and your family during this challenging time.
Truck Accident Law FAQs
Our firm makes speaking with a truck accident lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL residents trust as easy as it can be. Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt is proud to offer free case evaluations to any work accident injury victim who is interested in learning more about their options. Before attending a free, confidential consultation, make sure to write down any questions you have so that you can reference them easily during our meeting. You may also want to browse the FAQ answers below for a general sense of how some common concerns are addressed in the wake of a work-related truck accident. Know that we will personalize our legal guidance on your behalf once we’re familiar with the details of your situation.
What Should I Do After A Truck Accident To Preserve My Legal Options?
One of the best things you can do to preserve your legal options in the wake of an injurious crash is to connect with a Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer at our firm. Why? We understand how to preserve evidence that may prove to be critically important to the outcome of your case. We also understand how time-sensitive the compensation claims process can be and we’ll do our utmost to make sure that you’re aware of when you need to take certain steps in order to pursue various opportunities for compensation. If you choose to seek compensation, we can assist with that process efficiently and effectively.
Am I Entitled To Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
If you’re classified as a part-time or full-time worker (or you’ve been incorrectly classified as an independent contractor), it’s highly likely that you’re entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in the wake of a work-related accident. If you have questions about your eligibility, connect with our team today for clarification.
Can I File A Lawsuit?
Generally speaking, if you’re eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you can’t sue your employer in civil court for any injuries you’ve sustained in a work-related accident. However, if a third party – such as another motorist, a government agency tasked with maintaining roads, or a manufacturer of defective truck parts – is partially or totally responsible for your harm, you may be in a position to sue them. We can find the right personal injury lawyer to refer you to who can help you with that lawsuit.
What If My Employer Retaliates?
It is against the law for an employer to retaliate against an employee for exercising a legally-protected right. Filing for workers’ compensation in the wake of a work-related accident is a work-related right. While there are no guarantees that your employer won’t disregard this law, you have a right to seek compensation if you’ve sustained work-related harm. If your employer retaliates against you, the team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt will do everything in its power to protect you and to hold your employer accountable for their unlawful action.
What If I’m Undocumented?
The state of Florida extends the right to receive rightful workers’ compensation to documented and undocumented workers alike. Whether you’re a documented worker or not, if you’re an employee (as defined by law and no exceptions apply to your situation), the Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team at our firm can help you to secure rightful compensation.
Concerns About Partial Liability
If you’re hesitant to speak with a truck accident lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL residents rely on for guidance, please set aside your hesitation. The legal team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt offers free case evaluations so that anyone who is interested in learning about their rights can do so in a pressure-free environment.
One of the reasons why some workers hesitate to explore their legal options after an injurious crash is that they’ve been led to believe that they won’t be entitled to any compensation if they were partially to blame for what happened to them. While it is true that – in some states – accident victims are effectively barred from filing personal injury lawsuits if they were partially at fault for their circumstances, this is not the case with workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ comp is a no-fault system. Therefore, if you’re eligible for benefits and your harm is work-related, you’ll likely only be denied a benefits award if you were drunk or high on the job at the time of your crash, you instigated a road rage incident, or you were trying to crash on purpose in order to defraud the system.
Workers’ Comp Claims Are Time-sensitive
Our Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team has too often observed workers (who are otherwise rightfully entitled to compensation) denied the opportunity to receive workers’ compensation benefits because they waited too long to take critically important steps in the filing process. Under Florida law, an injured worker has 30 days from the date of injury to report their injury to their employer and two years from the date of injury to file their claim.
As a result of this reality, if your injurious truck accident was work-related, don’t wait to connect with our team. We need to get working on your case as soon as possible to better ensure that you receive the fairly-valued benefits award to which you are entitled.
A Word About Social Media
If it is at all possible for you to stay off of social media until your legal situation is fully resolved, that is the best course of action you could possibly take on such platforms at this time. Why? As the knowledgeable legal team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt can confirm, scouring the social media accounts of accident victims has become a favored tactic of insurance claims adjusters and opposing counsel alike. These individuals use social media activity as an excuse to devalue, reject, or argue against the claims of accident victims.
Even if your privacy settings are set to the strictest-available settings, chances are good that these parties can access your data and try to use it against you. Even seemingly mundane activities – like, posting a photo of you playing with your child – could be used as evidence that you’re not truly as injured as you claim to be.
If you can’t reasonably stay off social media at this time for whatever reason, connect with our Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team for guidance about what you should and shouldn’t say, post, “like,” etc. until your case is fully resolved.
Palm Beach Truck Accident Statistics
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 4,000 people are killed each year in truck accidents. Approximately 70 percent of those victims are occupants in passenger vehicles, while 15 percent are pedestrians, cyclists, or riding motorcycles. The remaining 15 percent of those victims are truck occupants.
Palm Beach Gardens Truck Accident Law Infographic
Why You Shouldn’t Navigate The Aftermath Of A Work-related Truck Accident Alone
While you may be tempted to “DIY” for your workers’ compensation claim, it’s important to connect with a skilled truck accident lawyer Palm Beach Gardens, FL residents trust before committing to that plan of action. When discussing your case with the knowledgeable team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, you’ll likely discover that you can benefit from working with an attorney in pretty profound ways. Here are some of the top reasons why it’s probably a very good idea to seek legal guidance instead of navigating the aftermath of your work-related truck accident alone.
One: You Need To Focus On Your Recovery
Healing – mentally, physically, and emotionally – from an injurious accident requires a great deal of time and energy. You don’t need the added stress of shouldering your legal claim on top of everything else you’re already dealing with. Instead, connect with a lawyer at our firm who can handle this heavy lifting on your behalf.
Two: Supporting Your Claim Can Be A Complicated Undertaking
Sometimes, proving that an accident and/or injury is work-related isn’t a straightforward process. Our Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team understands how to gather evidence so that claims are properly supported. Without this support, your compensation award may be under-valued or your claim for benefits may be dismissed.
Three: Negotiating Fair Compensation Isn’t Always Easy
Insurance claims adjusters are trained to minimize compensation awards – and even to reject them outright – when they can, to safeguard the bottom line of the workers’ comp system more broadly. As a result, they may use savvy tactics to reduce your award. We know how to spot these tactics and how to minimize their impact.
Four: Some Claims Are Particularly Complex
As explained above, if your injuries are work-related and you’re entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, you should be entitled to a compensation award in the wake of sustaining that harm. With that said, the workers’ compensation system isn’t perfect and there is too-often pushback against claims made for injuries sustained offsite and injuries that could potentially be cited as pre-existing conditions or as resulting from non-work-related circumstances.
Essentially, because your accident likely didn’t occur on a traditional job site – it probably occurred out on the streets of the U.S. – insurance adjusters may push back on your claim. Working with an attorney can help to smooth the claims process and eliminate red tape because seasoned lawyers understand what to expect and how to avoid bumps in the road.
Five: You Can Benefit From Our Firm’s Experience
The dedicated legal team at Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt has decades of combined experience advocating on behalf of the rights of injured workers. Whether you were driving a truck when you sustained a work-related injury, you were laying asphalt in a construction zone, or you were simply driving to a work-mandated event, we understand how to handle your claim efficiently and effectively.
While no law firm can guarantee results, you can feel confident in the knowledge that we’ll do our utmost to maximize any and all compensation that you may be owed as a result of the harm you’ve suffered. Connect with our Palm Beach Gardens truck accident lawyer team today to learn more; we look forward to speaking with you.
Palm Beach Gardens Truck Accident Glossary
When dealing with a work-related truck accident in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, understanding key legal terms is essential. At the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt, we help injured workers secure the compensation they deserve.
Workers’ Compensation Eligibility
Workers’ compensation eligibility refers to the legal standards that determine whether an injured worker qualifies for benefits under Florida law. Generally, most employees—including part-time and undocumented workers—are covered if their injury arises out of and in the course of employment. Unlike personal injury claims, workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, meaning employees do not need to prove employer negligence to receive benefits. However, workers may be disqualified if their injury was caused by intoxication, intentional misconduct, or certain other exceptions under the law.
Third-Party Liability Claims
A third-party liability claim is a legal action filed against a party other than the employer who may be responsible for a worker’s injury. In the context of a truck accident, third-party claims may be filed against negligent drivers, vehicle manufacturers, maintenance providers, or even government entities responsible for road conditions. Unlike workers’ compensation claims, which provide limited benefits, third-party claims can allow for recovery of additional damages, including full wage losses and pain and suffering. Filing both a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party liability claim may be an option in some cases. These claims require thorough investigation and evidence gathering.
Course And Scope Of Employment
The course and scope of employment define whether a worker’s injury is considered work-related under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws. Truck drivers and other employees who are injured while performing job duties—whether making deliveries, traveling between job sites, or running employer-directed errands—may qualify for benefits. Even if the accident occurred off the clock, the incident might still fall under this definition if the worker was engaged in a task that benefitted the employer. Employers and insurance carriers sometimes dispute whether an accident falls within this category, making legal guidance critical in contested claims. Understanding your employment classification can affect your compensation.
Modified Comparative Fault
Modified comparative fault is a legal doctrine used in Florida that impacts personal injury claims, including third-party truck accident lawsuits. If an injured worker pursues a claim against a third party, their compensation may be reduced based on their degree of fault. Florida law follows a 51% bar rule, meaning if the injured party is found to be more than 50% responsible for the accident, they cannot recover damages. This rule does not apply to workers’ compensation claims, as they are based on a no-fault system. However, comparative fault can play a significant role when filing lawsuits against negligent third parties.
Timely Notice Of Injury
Under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws, an injured worker must report their injury to their employer within 30 days of the accident. Failure to provide timely notice may result in a denied claim unless exceptional circumstances apply. After reporting the injury, the worker has up to two years to formally file a claim. Missing these deadlines can jeopardize access to medical treatment and wage replacement benefits. Because insurance carriers often look for reasons to deny claims, documenting and reporting injuries promptly is crucial for securing benefits. Keeping accurate records can strengthen your claim and prevent disputes.
Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt
8371 North Military Trail Suite 101, Palm Beach, FL 33410