A Florida commercial vehicle accident is a crash involving a vehicle used for business rather than personal travel. The most dangerous of these involve semi-trucks, also called tractor-trailers or 18-wheelers, which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds (roughly 20 times the weight of a passenger car). That size difference is why these crashes so often cause catastrophic injuries.
Semis are not the only commercial vehicles on Florida roads. Others include:
- Delivery trucks and box trucks
- Dump trucks
- Cement mixers
- Buses
- Shuttle vans
- Garbage and utility trucks
- Tanker trucks carrying fuel or chemicals
- Company cars and rideshare vehicles
These vehicles are often regulated by both Florida law and federal safety regulations, which makes the resulting claims more complex than an ordinary car accident.
How Common Are Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Florida?
These crashes are more frequent than many realize. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the state recorded 46,651 commercial motor vehicle crashes in 2024. These collisions resulted in 315 deaths. Miami-Dade County alone saw 8,817 commercial vehicle crashes in a single recent year, which caused nearly 1,300 injuries.
More than half of fatal commercial vehicle crashes in Florida happen during daytime hours, between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., and more than half occur on roads other than interstates. In other words, everyday drivers face this risk on the same local roads they travel to work and school.
Who Could Be Liable for a Florida Commercial Vehicle Crash?
One of the biggest differences in these cases is that fault usually extends beyond the commercial vehicle driver. Several other parties may share responsibility a commercial vehicle or truck accident, including:
- The trucking or transportation company
- The vehicle owner, if separate from the company
- A maintenance provider responsible for negligent repairs or inspections
- A cargo loader who overloaded or improperly secured freight
- A parts manufacturer, for a defective brake, tire, or other component
Identifying every liable party is of the utmost importance in commercial vehicle accident cases. It often determines how much insurance coverage is available to pay your claim. Uncovering who shares liability generally requires evidence like the truck’s black box data, driver logs, and maintenance records. These tend to disappear if no one acts quickly to preserve them.
What Damages Are Recoverable After a Collision with a Commercial Vehicle?
Because these crashes tend to cause serious harm, the damages at stake are often substantial. Under Florida law, you may recover both economic and non-economic damages, including:
- Emergency treatment, hospital stays, and surgeries
- Future care for near-drowning or spinal injury complications
- Lost income and reduced earning capacity
- Physical, occupational, and cognitive rehabilitation
- In-home and long-term care for catastrophic injuries
- Pain, suffering, and emotional trauma
- Permanent scarring, disfigurement, and disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
In crashes involving egregious conduct, punitive damages may also be available, and a fatal crash may give rise to a wrongful death claim.
To learn if you have a commercial accident claim and what it may be worth, contact Elliott Law Firm, PLLC at (800) 300-0303 for a free consultation.