$50M+ RECOVERED FOR CLIENTS
Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in Pinellas Park leave little time to react. A large truck that shifts suddenly often merges without enough space or drifts into a smaller vehicle hidden in a blind spot. These wrecks differ from ordinary collisions because the truck’s size has a greater impact, and it may push a passenger vehicle sideways or trap it beside a trailer before the driver realizes the danger. Importantly, cars have a hard time hitting the brakes or gas to get out of the way of a semi.
At Herman & Wells, our attorneys understand how unsettling this type of truck accident crash can be. You may know the truck moved into your path, yet the trucking company may argue that you were hard to see or following too closely. Our job is to focus on the choices the driver made in the moments before the crash.
A tractor-trailer needs extra room and time to change lanes because the trailer swings wide and takes longer to clear a space. Even a small steering correction may cause a serious sideswipe when the truck occupies more than one lane.
Trucking companies often dispute liability due to blind-spot visibility in these crashes. Truck drivers call these areas no-zones because a smaller vehicle may vanish from the mirror’s view, but that does not excuse an unsafe movement. In Pinellas County, a commercial driver must check carefully before changing lanes, and a glance or an unsafe drift across the line may cause a preventable collision. The lane-change conduct matters because it shows whether the trucker used reasonable care.
State law gives these cases a clear starting point. Florida Statutes § 316.085 indicates that a driver should not change lanes until the movement is safe and will not interfere with another vehicle traveling in the same direction. In Pinellas Park, an unsafe lane change that disregards this duty and causes a truck collision may strongly indicate negligence.
Large trucks also involve safety rules beyond ordinary traffic laws. Fla. Statutes § 316.302 adopts the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for commercial motor vehicles in the state, so a truck driver and the trucking company must follow federal safety rules as well as state traffic laws. Those rules may affect how a company trains or supervises the driver.
Fault matters, too, because the state follows modified comparative negligence. Fla. Statutes § 768.81 reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault, and since 2023, a person found more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing. Because of this rule, trucking insurers often try to shift blame. A careful investigation could prevent someone from distorting the facts.
In Pinellas Park, cases involving unsafe lane changes that cause truck crashes often depend on details that disappear unless someone preserves them. Skid marks fade, owners quickly repair vehicles, black box recordings are overwritten, and driver logs may become harder to secure with time. To address that, our attorneys move early to gather information and build a complete representation of the crash. Useful evidence may include:
This evidence does more than show impact. It may reveal whether the truck drifted slowly or merged too sharply, and whether the company placed an unsafe driver on the road. If the insurer claims you were in a blind spot, we examine whether the driver checked mirrors and signaled before the lane was clear.
Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in Pinellas Park require more than a basic injury claim. They demand careful attention to trucking rules and the driver’s decisions before the crash. We keep you informed throughout the process and make ourselves available when concerns arise.
Our attorneys prepare each case with the evidence needed for meaningful negotiation or trial. Contact Herman & Wells today to discuss your situation and learn how our truck accident lawyer may help you move forward.
