Hurt in a FedEx Truck Crash in Richmond West? You Don't Have to Handle It Alone.

FedEx Truck Crashes in Richmond West and Southern Miami-Dade

FedEx truck accidents in Richmond West can leave people hurt in seconds, and the questions that follow can feel overwhelming. If a FedEx truck hurt you or someone you love, you may have a claim against the people or companies responsible. Florida gives injured people a limited window to act, so the first steps matter.

Richmond West is an unincorporated Miami-Dade County community where delivery traffic is part of everyday life. Anyone who has sat in game-day traffic heading to a Miami Dolphins game knows how fast a busy road can jam. Add large delivery trucks sharing lanes with families, school traffic, and commuters, and the stakes rise. A single crash can overturn a truck or block several lanes at once.

You may be dealing with medical care, a damaged car, insurance calls, or a loss in your family. You don’t have to sort out every question at once. Taking a few steps early can protect your health and your options. Start with the practical steps below, then learn who may be responsible and what Florida’s deadlines mean for you.

What to Do in the First Hours and Days After a Crash

Call 911 and get medical care right away, even if you feel okay. Symptoms can show up later, so tell your doctor about every ache. Follow the care plan your doctors give you and keep every appointment. Those records matter later.

Next, get the crash report number from the responding agency. It must be submitted to the state within 10 days after the investigation is completed (Fla. Stat. § 316.066). Under Florida law, the people involved in a crash and their legal representatives are among those an agency may give the crash report to without waiting, so it can help to request yours early.

Write down the names, phone numbers, and insurance details of every driver. Get the names and contact information of witnesses too. Take photos of the vehicles, the roadway, any skid marks, the truck’s markings and company name, and your injuries. Save receipts and keep a written log of time missed from work.

Be careful with recorded statements. An insurance adjuster may call and ask you to give a recorded statement, including an adjuster for FedEx or its insurer. You can speak with a lawyer before you give one.

What Happens When a FedEx Driver Is Involved in a Crash

After a FedEx truck crash, several processes often run at the same time. Police or a crash investigator documents the scene. The driver reports the crash to the employer. Insurers open claims on the truck’s side and on yours. Each process creates records, and those records can shape your claim.

Delivery work can run through contractors as well as company drivers. That matters because the driver’s employment status can affect which insurer covers the truck and which companies may be named in a claim. Lawyers review contracts, insurance information, and crash paperwork to sort this out.

Federal trucking rules also create records. Motor carriers must require each driver to record duty status for each 24-hour period (49 C.F.R. § 395.8). Drivers must also prepare a written driver vehicle inspection report at the end of each day’s work on each vehicle they operate. Drivers are not required to prepare a report if no defect or deficiency is discovered by or reported to the driver (49 C.F.R. § 396.11). These records can show hours on the road and the condition of the truck. Because commercial trucks run under federal safety rules, these files often matter to a claim.

Who May Be Responsible When a FedEx Truck Hits You

The driver may be responsible if careless driving caused the crash. Distraction, speeding, following too closely, and failing to stop are common examples.

The company or contractor that owned, leased, or assigned the truck may also be responsible.

Other parties can matter too. A maintenance provider or a vehicle manufacturer may share responsibility if a mechanical failure contributed to the crash.

Florida also divides fault by percentage. Under Florida law, in a negligence action, a court enters judgment against each liable party based on that party’s percentage of fault, not on the doctrine of joint and several liability. In plain terms, each responsible party answers for its own share. Who is responsible depends on the facts of each crash, and the crash report and trucking records help show the answer.

Injuries From Large-Truck Crashes and Why Medical Follow-Up Matters

Large-truck impacts can cause serious harm. These include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, back and neck injuries, and severe burns. Some injuries are not obvious at the scene. Medical follow-up protects your health and creates a clear record of what happened to your body.

Florida has a special rule for pain-and-suffering damages in motor vehicle cases. Under the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law (ss. 627.730-627.7405), a person hurt in a Florida motor vehicle crash may recover damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience only when the injury meets the conditions set out in § 627.737. Under Fla. Stat. § 627.737, a plaintiff may recover damages in tort for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience because of bodily injury, sickness, or disease arising out of the ownership, maintenance, operation, or use of a motor vehicle only in the event that the injury or disease consists in whole or in part of significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function; permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement; significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement; or death.

Because the rule turns on the injury, detailed medical records matter. Follow the care plan from your own doctors. This page does not replace their advice, and it is not medical advice.

Compensation: What a FedEx Truck Claim May Consider

A FedEx truck claim may consider medical bills, lost wages, future care needs, property damage, and pain and suffering where Florida law allows it. Florida law defines economic damages to include past and future lost income, and medical and funeral expenses (Fla. Stat. § 768.81). Pain and suffering covers the human cost of an injury, such as the daily limits it places on your life.

No one can promise an amount in advance. The value of a claim depends on the injuries, the evidence, and how fault is shared. A serious injury can change work, home life, and daily care for years, and those long-term needs belong in the discussion.

CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery. That means you can talk through your options without a bill for the work upfront.

Florida Deadlines and Fault Rules

Florida generally gives two years to file a lawsuit for most negligence claims (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a)). Under Florida law, an action founded on negligence generally must be commenced within two years. Some claims follow different timing rules, so deadlines apply to your situation. Contact a lawyer promptly.

Florida also uses modified comparative fault, a shared-fault rule (Fla. Stat. § 768.81(6)).

Acting early also protects evidence. Video from nearby businesses, truck data, and inspection reports can be overwritten or discarded. Federal rules require motor carriers to keep driver vehicle inspection reports for three months from the date the report was prepared, except private motor carriers of passengers (nonbusiness), driveaway-towaway operations, and motor carriers operating only one commercial motor vehicle (49 C.F.R. § 396.11).

When a FedEx Truck Crash Causes a Death

A death in a FedEx truck crash is a devastating loss, and the family’s grief comes first. Florida law allows a claim when a death is caused by the wrongful act or negligence of another person. The person who would have been liable had the injury not caused death can be held liable for damages (Fla. Stat. § 768.19).

The personal representative is the person handling the deceased person’s estate. The claim is for the benefit of the survivors and the estate (Fla. Stat. § 768.20).

Florida law also names who may recover. Minor children may recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance, and all children may recover them if there is no surviving spouse. Each parent of a deceased minor child may recover for mental pain and suffering (Fla. Stat. § 768.21).

Next steps can wait until you feel ready. Keep the crash report, and gather medical records, funeral bills, and employment information. Speak with a lawyer about the claim when you are ready. You don’t have to carry this alone.

Talk With Igor Hernandez About Your FedEx Truck Crash

If a FedEx truck crash has left you or someone you love hurt, questions about records, fault, and deadlines need attention soon. Igor Hernandez is one of the lawyers at CHG Personal Injury Lawyers, a Florida firm serving clients throughout Florida. The firm focuses on personal injury cases, including truck accidents and wrongful death claims.

Frequently Asked Questions