Hurt in a FedEx Truck Crash in North Miami? Know Your Options.

What to Know After a FedEx Truck Crash in North Miami

If you were hurt in a FedEx truck crash in North Miami, you may have a claim against the people or companies responsible. Florida sets firm deadlines, so acting early matters.

Delivery trucks share busy roads with everyday drivers. In North Miami, that includes Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. A single crash can leave one person hurt, a family grieving, or both. Many people then face medical bills, missed paychecks, and calls from insurance adjusters, often in the same week.

This guide covers how these crashes happen, who may be responsible, what evidence helps, what Florida’s deadlines mean, and the first steps to consider. It offers general information, not advice about your own case.

Facing a large trucking company’s insurer alone can feel like playing the Miami Heat with a pickup squad. The game is hard, and you don’t have to play it by yourself.

Why These Crashes Can Be Life-Altering

Truck crashes can cause injuries that change a person’s life for good. A loaded commercial truck weighs far more than a passenger car, so the impact can be severe.

Serious injuries from these crashes can include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, severe burns, and serious back and neck injuries. Some of these injuries are permanent. They may require long-term medical care, equipment, or changes to work and family life.

Recovery is different for every person. Some people need months of treatment. Others need care for years. Follow your doctors’ care closely, and keep every medical record and bill. Treatment decisions belong to your treating physicians, not to a lawyer or a website.

When a crash takes a life, the loss reaches the whole family. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.19, when someone’s death is caused by another’s wrongful act or negligence, the party who would have been liable had the person survived can be held liable for damages. Families facing this often have many questions at once. Taking one step at a time can help.

Who May Be Responsible When a FedEx Truck Is Involved

More than one party can share responsibility after a FedEx truck crash. The driver is one possibility. The company that employed or contracted the driver, and the vehicle’s owner, may also be involved.

Some FedEx deliveries are made by independent delivery contractors. Which company is responsible turns on the facts and the contracts involved. That’s why it helps to find out early who employed the driver and who owned the truck.

Other parties can matter too. A maintenance provider, or someone who loaded or secured the cargo, may bear responsibility in some crashes. Federal rules require a motor carrier, except a private motor carrier of passengers (nonbusiness), a driveaway-towaway operation, or a motor carrier operating only one commercial motor vehicle, to repair any defect or deficiency listed on the driver vehicle inspection report that would be likely to affect safety before a driver operates that vehicle again (49 C.F.R. § 396.11).

Claims can also reach companies that arranged the trucking.

Florida also divides fault by percentage. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, in a negligence action, the court enters judgment against each liable party based on that party’s percentage of fault, not on joint and several liability. Each party is judged by its own share, so identifying every party early matters.

Evidence That Matters in a North Miami Truck Crash

The most useful evidence is usually the crash report, photos, video, and the trucking company’s records. Each piece helps tell what happened and why.

Florida requires a long-form crash report, which the officer must complete and submit within 10 days after investigating, after a crash that results in death, personal injury, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort, and after certain other listed crashes. The officer must submit it within 10 days after finishing the investigation (Fla. Stat. § 316.066). Those reports can be made available to the parties, their legal representatives, and their insurers, within the statute’s privacy limits.

Video matters, and timing matters more. Dash camera footage, store surveillance, and traffic camera recordings may be recorded over. Ask for them promptly, and note where each camera was pointed.

Trucking records can be important too. Federal hours-of-service rules say a driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty. Under federal rules, a driver may not drive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty, and a driver may drive a total of 11 hours during that period (49 C.F.R. § 395.3). Driver logs and maintenance records can show whether those rules were followed.

Following an occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a public road in commerce, federal rules require the employer to test surviving drivers for alcohol as soon as practicable when the occurrence meets the criteria set out in the regulation, except for an occurrence involving only boarding or alighting from a stationary motor vehicle, an occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo, or an occurrence in the course of operating a passenger car or multipurpose passenger vehicle, unless that vehicle is transporting passengers for hire or hazardous materials that require marking or placarding (49 C.F.R. § 382.303). Witness names, medical records linking injuries to the crash, and your own notes all help build a clear account.

Florida Deadlines and Fault Rules to Know

Florida’s deadline for negligence lawsuits is two years (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a)). Wrongful death is listed as its own type of action in the same statute. Families should track that deadline separately.

Deadlines apply to every case. Waiting can limit your options, so don’t assume you have time. Contact a lawyer promptly.

Florida uses comparative fault, which means each person’s share of blame is measured as a percentage. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, in a negligence action, a party found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm may not recover any damages; this does not apply to an action for personal injury or wrongful death arising out of medical negligence under chapter 766. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, an injured person’s own share of fault reduces the damages proportionately but does not bar recovery, unless that person is found greater than 50 percent at fault for his or her own harm.

Florida’s no-fault system includes personal injury protection (PIP). The statute sets out which injured people and which insurers PIP benefits apply to (Fla. Stat. § 627.736).

First Steps in the Days After a Crash

Get medical care first, even when injuries seem minor. Follow your doctors’ instructions, and keep every appointment and receipt. Symptoms can change over the days after a crash.

Report the crash to police. If you safely can, photograph the vehicles, the damage, the road, and any visible injuries. Write down the names of drivers and witnesses. Note the company name and phone number on the truck. Each party must give the officer proof of insurance, which the crash report records (Fla. Stat. § 316.066).

Be careful with recorded statements. Insurance adjusters, including the trucking company’s insurer, may call soon after a crash. Talk with a lawyer before giving a recorded statement to any insurer.

Grief makes paperwork heavy. Keeping records together can ease that load.

This information is general and does not replace advice about your specific situation.

Talk With Our Lawyers About a Free, Confidential Consultation

If a FedEx truck crash in North Miami hurt you or someone you love, you don’t have to sort out the next steps alone. Our team can help you understand your options.

Igor Hernandez is the responsible lawyer for this page. CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based personal injury firm that serves people throughout Florida. The firm’s lawyers are licensed in Florida and admitted to The Florida Bar. They handle personal injury cases of every severity, from everyday crashes to catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

Your first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation to continue. The firm charges no attorney’s fees or case costs unless there is a recovery.

If you’re weighing your options after a FedEx truck crash in North Miami, request a free case evaluation with our team today.

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