Day: December 16, 2020

Delivery truck accidents are very different from ordinary road traffic accidents involving cars or smaller vehicles. The damage is often far worse, and the ensuing lawsuits are more complicated and harder to resolve. That’s why it’s so important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney. This will give you the best possible chance of receiving the compensation you deserve for your injuries, medical expenses, pain, suffering, and other damages. 

Every year, thousands of Americans are killed in accidents involving large delivery vehicles. Serious injuries, fatalities, grieving families, financial devastation — these are common in the wake of truck accidents. With the rise of online shopping and home deliveries, this number is only likely to increase. It’s more likely now for people to be injured or killed in an Amazon delivery truck accident, say, or a FedEx delivery truck accident. 

Many factors can cause a delivery truck accident. Speeding, distracted driving, driving while impaired by drugs, driver exhaustion — all of these can contribute to truck accidents. It’s important to get support from an experienced attorney, someone who can help guide you through the complexities of such an accident: determining who is at fault and effectively seeking compensation.

Who’s Liable in a Delivery Truck Accident? 

One of the crucial issues in a delivery truck accident case is determining who’s at fault. For your case to succeed, you’ll need to prove negligence on the part of the driver or other parties. 

In some cases, the delivery company may be liable for negligence. For instance, in a UPS delivery truck accident, UPS might theoretically be responsible. Sometimes, though, the delivery truck driver may be an independent contractor who might be held criminally liable for the crash.

In some cases, delivery companies may attempt to evade being sued by claiming that the driver was an independent contractor. Independent contractors, however, must satisfy certain specific conditions under the relevant employment and tax laws. If it can be proven that a company is paying employment taxes, then the driver can be shown to be an employee rather than a contractor.

Other parties may bear liability for a delivery truck accident. For example, if the accident is due to a cargo having been improperly loaded, the person or entity responsible for loading the cargo may be liable. If the accident is due to a defective truck part, the manufacturer can be sued. If the accident is due to a poorly maintained road or a faulty traffic signal, the authority responsible for their upkeep may be liable.

Comparative Fault in Delivery Truck Accidents 

Some people assume that if they were partly responsible for the accident, they wouldn’t be entitled to compensation. This is a misconception. In many states, including Florida, you may still be entitled to a percentage of compensation even if it’s determined that you’re partly at fault.

Delivery Truck Accident Settlements 

The amount you’re entitled to will depend on several factors. Your settlement may include:

Property and vehicle damage: It’s common for smaller vehicles involved in delivery truck accidents to be very severely damaged. In many cases, they will be written off entirely. You may receive compensation for your damaged or destroyed vehicle.

Medical expenses: Many victims of delivery truck accidents are left facing substantial medical bills. While there’s a lot of variation between cases, your settlement will generally be higher depending on your treatment’s cost and length.

Lost income: You may have to take a lot of time off work after an accident. Some people are rendered unable to work. 

Pain and suffering: You may be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the accident. 

Other costs included in your settlement may consist of legal fees, expenses relating to ongoing care, and funeral expenses.

Because lawsuits relating to delivery truck accidents are so complicated, it’s important to get expert legal advice. At Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group, we have the expertise to bring you the compensation you deserve. 

Real estate fraud comes in many forms. There are many ways for a scammer to separate you from your funds, from rental scams to title fraud. Once you’ve fallen for a real estate scam, it can be very difficult to get your money back. Prevention is far better than cure when it comes to real estate fraud. Read on to find out some of the most common tricks and how you can avoid falling for them.

Rental Scams

There are many types of rental scams out there. Typically, an individual or organization will claim to be renting a property they don’t own. They will ask for a “viewing fee” to look at the property, or want a big deposit up-front before you can move in. Once you’ve given them your money, you’ll discover that the property was never theirs to rent.

You can protect yourself by renting through reputable property companies.

Escrow Wire Fraud

This is one of the most common types of real estate fraud. It typically starts with a phone call, email, or text, ostensibly from an escrow or title company, often one that the target is already doing business with. These calls and messages originate with scammers. Targets are tricked into wiring money to the fake escrow company. The funds are then withdrawn and transferred to an offshore account, making it hard to recover your money even when you realize that you’ve been scammed.

Today’s fraudsters are very adept at setting up fake websites and phone numbers, so it looks as if you’re interacting with a real company. If you look closely at the email, URL, or phone number, it may be wrong — off by a digit or a letter. These differences can be hard to spot. Consult genuine documents to confirm contact details and access websites by carefully typing the URL into your browser. Before making any transfers, check with the escrow company to confirm any details.

Real Estate Investment Seminar Scams

Real estate investment can be an exciting opportunity. If you’re looking to expand your investment portfolio, you may have been tempted by seminars that promise to help you get started in real estate. These seminars, unfortunately, are often scams. Targets pay a large sum to attend — usually upwards of $1,000 dollars. These events don’t provide you with useful instruction. They are used to sell further training, which is even more expensive. Many people end up paying tens of thousands of dollars, far more than they’ll clear in future real estate transactions.

The best way to avoid this type of scam is to keep in mind this adage: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time and don’t rush into anything. Ask to read the one-page disclosure document that they are legally obliged to provide. If it looks like a scam, you can report the company to the Federal Trade Commission.

Title Fraud

Deeds and titles can be forged or subjected to fraud in other ways. Someone may pose as a seller (grantor) or their representative, possibly working with an unscrupulous notary. Scammers may also obtain access to deeds by presenting themselves as a property owner or through theft.

You can protect yourself through title searches and title insurance. Verifying that the deed is valid is an integral part of any real estate transaction.

As domestic and commercial real estate scams become more common, more and more people fall victim to them. Your best hope of recovering your money is to enlist the services of an experienced real estate fraud attorney. At Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group, we have the experience and knowledge to help you recover your funds from real estate frauds and scammers. If you’ve been a victim of real estate fraud in Florida, contact us today.