Severe Burns From a Truck Crash Change Everything. We're Here to Help.

Florida Truck Accident Burn Injury Lawyer

Did a truck crash leave you or a loved one with severe, life-changing burns? You may have a claim. You can sue the driver, the trucking company, and their insurers.

A Florida truck accident burn injury lawyer can act fast. We investigate the crash. We save evidence before it disappears. We seek money for your medical care, lost income, and permanent harm.

This page is for people with catastrophic burns from a truck crash. That includes crashes with a semi-truck, 18-wheeler, tanker, or other big commercial vehicle. These are burns that need burn-center care, surgery, and lifelong follow-up. This page is also for families who lost someone to fatal burns.

If your burn was minor and healed on its own, this page is not for you. We handle only serious, permanent, disabling injuries. Burn cases need a level of medical and legal work that minor injuries do not.

You don’t have to face the legal side alone while you are still in the hospital.

Request a free, confidential case evaluation »

What “Catastrophic” Burns Actually Mean

Not every burn belongs in a serious-injury practice. The burns we handle are the ones that change your life for good.

Doctors rate burns two ways. First, by how deep they go. Second, by how much of the body they cover. That second measure is called Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) — the share of your skin that is burned.

The American Burn Association says some burns need care at a verified burn center. These include deep partial-thickness or full-thickness burns. They also include burns to the hands, feet, face, or genitals. Electrical burns, chemical burns, and inhalation injury (breathing in smoke or heat) belong there too. Those are the cases we take:

• Third-degree (full-thickness) burns that destroy the full skin layer and need skin grafts.
• Fourth-degree burns that reach muscle, tendon, or bone. These can lead to amputation.
• Inhalation and airway injury. This can double the danger of a burn and leave lasting breathing problems.
• Chemical and electrical burns. These are common in commercial-vehicle crashes. They cause deep tissue damage you can’t see on the surface.

Catastrophic burns bring complications that other pages rarely mention. Scars can tighten and limit how you move. You may need repeated surgeries over many years. Other problems include chronic nerve pain, a high risk of infection and sepsis, and trouble controlling body temperature. The emotional toll of disfigurement is real too. A full claim must cover all of it — not just the first hospital bill.

Why Truck Crashes Produce Uniquely Severe Burns

Big trucks carry large fuel loads. They often haul flammable or hazardous cargo. So the fire risk in a truck crash is much higher than in an ordinary car crash.

• Large diesel tanks. A Class 8 truck’s side tanks can hold well over 100 gallons of diesel. A ruptured tank feeds fire on impact.
• Tanker and hazmat cargo. Federal rules require warning placards on hazardous loads. That’s because fuel, chemicals, and compressed gas can ignite or burn on contact.
• Trapped occupants. A crushed car can pin people near flames. That means longer exposure and full-thickness burns.
• Chemical and electrical burns. Spilled cargo burns skin and eyes. Damaged high-power systems cause deep internal injury.

Catastrophic Burn Injuries We Handle

Severe burns rarely happen alone. In a violent truck crash, the same forces that cause burns often cause other permanent injuries. That’s why we build the whole case, not one injury by itself:

• Third- and fourth-degree burns needing grafts and reconstruction
• Inhalation and airway injury with lasting breathing problems
• Burns severe enough to require amputation or loss of function
• Burns that occur alongside a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury
• The broader category of catastrophic injury claims
• Wrongful death claims when burns are fatal

Federal Trucking Rules That Can Support Your Claim

Trucking companies must follow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enforces them. When a company or driver breaks one of these rules, that can be strong proof of negligence. Rules that often matter in burn cases include:

• Hours-of-service limits. Freight drivers can drive no more than 11 hours after 10 hours off duty (49 C.F.R. §395.3). Tired driving is a common cause of high-speed rear-end fires.
• Inspection, repair, and maintenance. Companies must inspect and maintain their trucks (49 C.F.R. §396.3). Neglected fuel systems and electrical faults feed fires.
• Hazardous materials transport (49 C.F.R. Part 397). These rules cover how dangerous loads must be routed and handled.

We gather driver logs (now mostly from electronic logging devices). We also get the truck’s engine control module (ECM) data, maintenance records, and the company’s safety history. Then we check them against these rules.

How Florida Law Shapes Your Case

Our firm is based in Florida. We ground your case in Florida laws you can read yourself:

• Deadline to file. Most Florida negligence claims from on or after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years. This is under Fla. Stat. §95.11. Older claims and some other cases differ, so confirm your deadline early.
• Shared fault. Florida uses modified comparative negligence under Fla. Stat. §768.81. If you are more than 50% at fault, you usually cannot recover. If you are 50% or less at fault, your recovery is cut by your share.

You can read the official text on the Legislature’s Online Sunshine site. The Florida Bar’s consumer resources offer neutral tips on choosing a lawyer.

What a Burn Injury Truck Accident Case Includes

• Investigate the crash. Police reports, ECM/black-box data, ELD driver logs, and maintenance and inspection records.
• Preserve evidence fast. We send spoliation letters (formal notices to save evidence). We inspect the truck before it is repaired or scrapped.
• Identify every responsible party. The driver, the trucking company, a cargo loader or shipper, a maintenance contractor, or a parts maker.
• Document your medical future. We work with your burn-center team and doctors to map surgeries and long-term needs.
• Calculate full damages. Medical bills, future surgery and rehab, lost earning ability, pain, disfigurement, and home or vehicle changes.
• Work with experts. Crash reconstructionists and life-care planners prove what happened and what recovery will really cost.

Who Can Be Held Responsible

More than one party often shares fault in a truck crash. Each may carry separate insurance. That can mean more money available than in a typical car case.

• The truck driver — for speeding, fatigue, impairment, or distraction.
• The trucking company — for careless hiring, poor training, skipped maintenance, or pushing drivers past legal hours.
• Cargo loaders and shippers — for loads that were unsafe or poorly secured.
• Maintenance providers and manufacturers — for bad brakes, tires, fuel systems, or other parts.

Acting quickly matters. Logs cycle out. ECM data can be overwritten. Damaged trucks get repaired or scrapped.

How the Process Works: Step by Step

You should be able to focus on healing while the legal work moves forward. Here is what to expect — no pressure at any stage.

1. Free case evaluation. You tell us what happened. We listen and explain your options in plain language — no cost, no obligation.
2. Investigation. We save evidence and find who is at fault while you recover.
3. Building the case. We document your injuries. We work with medical and life-care experts to value your future needs.
4. Filing and negotiating. We file claims and push the company and its insurers for fair compensation.
5. Settlement or trial. If an offer does not match the harm done, we are ready to go to court.

Timelines vary. A crash with several defendants and catastrophic injuries takes longer than a simpler one. Our job is to carry the legal load so you can focus on getting better.

Why Work With CHG Personal Injury Lawyers

We focus on catastrophic, life-altering injuries — not routine cases. That focus shapes how we investigate, staff, and litigate.

• Focused practice. Severe burns, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and wrongful death.
• Licensed and admitted. Our attorneys are admitted to The Florida Bar.
• Bilingual and nationwide. We serve clients and families in English and Spanish. We take catastrophic injury cases nationwide — a reach many local firms don’t offer.
• Resources to stand up to insurers. We fund investigations and expert work. That lets us meet well-funded trucking companies on even footing.
• No upfront fees. We work on a contingency fee. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

We cannot and will not promise a specific result. What we do promise is careful, honest, plain-language work on your case.

Talk to a truck accident burn injury lawyer today »

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Florida Truck Accident Burn Injury Lawyer

Severe burns change life in an instant. Legal deadlines don’t wait. A Florida truck accident burn injury lawyer can start saving evidence now while you focus on recovery. We serve clients in English and Spanish and take cases nationwide.

Request your free, confidential case evaluation »

Learn more about related claims: catastrophic truck accidents, severe burn injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and catastrophic injury claims.