JONES LAW GROUPYour Lawyers for Life! Personal Injury Law Firm in St. Petersburg
Reviewed by Bobby Jones, Personal Injury Attorney, Jones Law Group | Published July 6, 2026 | Updated July 6, 2026
A loaded semi can weigh 80,000 pounds. Your car weighs about 4,000. When those two collide on I-275 or US-19, the physics decide who gets hurt, and it is never the truck. What most people do not realize is that the legal fight starts the same day. Trucking companies have rapid-response teams, investigators and defense lawyers who can be at the crash scene within hours, building the company’s version of events while you are still in the emergency room. A St. Petersburg truck accident lawyer puts someone on your side of that race. At Jones Law Group, we have recovered more than $50 million for injured clients across Tampa Bay, and we take truck cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win.
We work these cases from our office on Central Avenue, and the first thing we do is send a preservation letter so the trucking company cannot legally destroy the evidence that proves your claim.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<svg viewBox="0 0 800 992" width="100%" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-label="Steps to take after a truck accident in St. Petersburg, Florida" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Arial,sans-serif;">
<rect x="1" y="1" width="798" height="990" rx="16" fill="#FFFFFF" stroke="#D9DEE5" stroke-width="2"/>
<text x="40" y="58" font-size="26" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">What to Do After a Truck Accident</text>
<text x="40" y="86" font-size="15" fill="#5A6675">7 steps to protect your health and your claim in St. Petersburg</text>
<!-- Step 1 -->
<rect x="40" y="110" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#EAF0FA" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="158" r="22" fill="#2D5BA8"/>
<text x="88" y="165" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">1</text>
<text x="128" y="146" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Call 911 and get medical care</text>
<text x="128" y="170" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Truck-crash injuries are often internal. Let paramedics evaluate</text>
<text x="128" y="190" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">you even if you feel able to walk.</text>
<!-- Step 2 -->
<rect x="40" y="220" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#EAF0FA" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="268" r="22" fill="#2D5BA8"/>
<text x="88" y="275" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">2</text>
<text x="128" y="256" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Report the crash</text>
<text x="128" y="280" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Required for injury or significant damage under Fla. Stat. § 316.065.</text>
<text x="128" y="300" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">The police report identifies the carrier and its insurer.</text>
<!-- Step 3 -->
<rect x="40" y="330" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#EAF0FA" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="378" r="22" fill="#2D5BA8"/>
<text x="88" y="385" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">3</text>
<text x="128" y="366" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Photograph everything you safely can</text>
<text x="128" y="390" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Include the truck's USDOT number on the cab door, the trailer,</text>
<text x="128" y="410" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">skid marks, debris, and your vehicle.</text>
<!-- Step 4 -->
<rect x="40" y="440" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#EAF0FA" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="488" r="22" fill="#2D5BA8"/>
<text x="88" y="495" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">4</text>
<text x="128" y="476" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Get witness contact information</text>
<text x="128" y="500" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Crashes on busy corridors like US-19 usually have witnesses,</text>
<text x="128" y="520" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">and they scatter fast.</text>
<!-- Step 5 (urgent) -->
<rect x="40" y="550" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#FBEDEC" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="598" r="22" fill="#B23A30"/>
<text x="88" y="605" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">5</text>
<text x="128" y="586" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">See a doctor within 14 days</text>
<text x="128" y="610" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Miss the 14-day window and you lose your PIP benefits,</text>
<text x="128" y="630" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">which still pay first even in a truck crash.</text>
<!-- Step 6 -->
<rect x="40" y="660" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#EAF0FA" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="708" r="22" fill="#2D5BA8"/>
<text x="88" y="715" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">6</text>
<text x="128" y="696" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Do not talk to the carrier's insurer</text>
<text x="128" y="720" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">Their team starts building a file on day one. You are not</text>
<text x="128" y="740" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">required to give them a statement.</text>
<!-- Step 7 (urgent) -->
<rect x="40" y="770" width="720" height="96" rx="12" fill="#FBEDEC" stroke="#E3E7EC"/>
<circle cx="88" cy="818" r="22" fill="#B23A30"/>
<text x="88" y="825" font-size="20" font-weight="bold" fill="#FFFFFF" text-anchor="middle">7</text>
<text x="128" y="806" font-size="17" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Call a lawyer quickly</text>
<text x="128" y="830" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">A preservation letter stops the ELD logs and black-box data</text>
<text x="128" y="850" font-size="14" fill="#5A6675">from being erased or overwritten.</text>
<line x1="40" y1="896" x2="760" y2="896" stroke="#E3E7EC" stroke-width="1"/>
<text x="40" y="928" font-size="14" font-weight="bold" fill="#16243F">Jones Law Group · St. Petersburg, FL · (727) 571-1333</text>
<text x="40" y="952" font-size="11" fill="#8A93A0">For general information only. Not legal advice. Fla. Stat. §§ 316.065, 95.11.</text>
</svg>A truck accident claim differs from a car claim in three ways: who can be held liable, which rules apply, and how much insurance is on the table.
Start with liability. In a car crash there is usually one at-fault driver. In a truck crash, the driver may be only the first name on the list. The motor carrier can be liable for the driver’s conduct and for its own failures, like pressuring drivers past legal hour limits or skipping maintenance. A separate company may have loaded the cargo that shifted. Another may have serviced the brakes that failed. Each defendant means another insurance policy, and finding all of them is a large part of the value of the case.
Then the rules. Commercial trucking is regulated by the FMCSA, which limits how many hours a driver can be behind the wheel, requires drug and alcohol testing, and mandates inspection and maintenance records. When a fatigued driver rear-ends traffic on the Howard Frankland approach, the hours-of-service logs often tell the real story. A violation of these federal rules is not a technicality. It is evidence of negligence.
Finally, the money. Interstate carriers hauling ordinary freight must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, and many carry $1 million or more. That is good news for a badly injured victim, and it is exactly why the carrier’s insurer assigns experienced adjusters and defense counsel from day one.
The most important evidence in a truck case is electronic, and none of it belongs to you. The truck’s electronic logging device (ELD) records the driver’s hours. The engine control module, often called the black box, records speed, braking, and throttle in the seconds before impact. Add dashcam footage, dispatch records, the driver’s qualification file, and post-crash drug test results, and you have the skeleton of the case.
Here is the problem: carriers are only required to keep some of this data for a limited time, and ELD records can lawfully be overwritten in as little as six months, with some onboard data cycling much faster. Once we send a spoliation letter, a formal demand to preserve evidence, the company destroys it at its own legal peril. That letter needs to go out in days, not months, which is the single best reason to call a lawyer early in a truck case.
The trucking company started investigating the day of the crash. The sooner we send a preservation letter, the more of the truth survives. Call (727) 571-1333 for a free consultation.
The first steps mirror any serious crash, with two truck-specific additions at the end.
What to Do After a Truck Accident7 steps to protect your health and your claim in St. Petersburg1Call 911 and get medical careTruck-crash injuries are often internal. Let paramedics evaluateyou even if you feel able to walk.2Report the crashRequired for injury or significant damage under Fla. Stat. § 316.065.The police report identifies the carrier and its insurer.3Photograph everything you safely canInclude the truck’s USDOT number on the cab door, the trailer,skid marks, debris, and your vehicle.4Get witness contact informationCrashes on busy corridors like US-19 usually have witnesses,and they scatter fast.5See a doctor within 14 daysMiss the 14-day window and you lose your PIP benefits,which still pay first even in a truck crash.6Do not talk to the carrier’s insurerTheir team starts building a file on day one. You are notrequired to give them a statement.7Call a lawyer quicklyA preservation letter stops the ELD logs and black-box datafrom being erased or overwritten.Jones Law Group · St. Petersburg, FL · (727) 571-1333For general information only. Not legal advice. Fla. Stat. §§ 316.065, 95.11.Steps to take after a truck accident in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Pinellas County sits at the end of a peninsula, so nearly all freight moving in and out funnels through a handful of corridors: I-275 and the Howard Frankland Bridge, Gandy Boulevard, US-19, and the 34th Street corridor. Delivery traffic adds box trucks to 4th Street North and Central Avenue every day. We use crash data from Forward Pinellas to show patterns at specific interchanges and intersections when fault is disputed.
The injuries from these crashes are treated at the county’s most capable facilities. The most serious go to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, the only Level II trauma center in Pinellas County, and those trauma records become the backbone of your damages claim.
Different crash types point to different failures, and knowing which is which shapes the investigation from the start.
A fatigued or distracted trucker who plows into slowed traffic causes some of the most catastrophic injuries we see, especially when a car slides under the trailer. Hours-of-service logs are usually the first place we look.
These often trace back to speed, brake condition, or improperly loaded cargo. Maintenance records and the loading company’s paperwork become defendants’ problems.
A semi’s no-zones are enormous, but “I didn’t see them” is not a defense. Drivers are trained and required to clear those zones before moving over.
Trucks swinging right from an inside lane trap cars and cyclists at city intersections. Intersection camera footage matters here, and it gets erased quickly.
Amazon-style delivery fleets and local box trucks are commercial vehicles too, often with layered contractor arrangements that we untangle to find the responsible company.
No honest lawyer promises a number, but truck cases tend to be worth more than car cases for two reasons: the injuries are worse, and there is more insurance available to pay for them. Florida sorts your damages into two buckets. Economic damages cover measurable losses: emergency care, surgeries, future treatment, lost wages, and lost earning capacity if you cannot return to your work. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, which loom large when injuries are permanent.
Your own share of fault matters too. Florida uses modified comparative negligence, which reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault and bars it entirely above 50%. Carrier insurers push hard on this, which is why the electronic evidence is worth fighting for. For a fuller breakdown of how value is calculated, see our guide on how much a Florida injury settlement is worth, and our guide to Florida’s two-year injury deadline.
Already got a settlement offer from the carrier’s insurer? Early offers in truck cases are almost never full value. Have us review it free before you sign anything. Call (727) 571-1333.
Jones Law Group is led by attorney Bobby Jones, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Stetson Law graduate who has practiced personal injury law in Tampa Bay for more than 20 years. We have recovered over $50 million for injured clients and hold a 4.9 rating on Google. Truck cases reward preparation, and preparation is how a veteran runs a case: preserve the evidence early, identify every defendant, and be genuinely ready for trial so the insurer knows the demand is not a bluff. We work on contingency, so we only get paid when you do. You can see the full range of cases we handle on our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer page.
Potentially several parties: the truck driver, the motor carrier that employed or contracted the driver, the company that loaded the cargo, a maintenance contractor, and in some cases the truck or parts manufacturer. Each liable party typically means an additional insurance policy available to pay your claim.
The engine control module records data like speed, braking, and throttle position in the moments before a crash, and the electronic logging device records the driver’s hours behind the wheel. Together they can prove speeding, fatigue, or hours-of-service violations. This data can be overwritten unless a preservation letter is sent quickly.
Federal rules require interstate carriers hauling ordinary freight to carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, and carriers hauling hazardous materials must carry more. Many companies carry $1 million or higher. That is far more than a typical Florida driver’s policy, which is one reason truck cases are fought so hard.
You generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit, under Florida Statute § 95.11 as amended by HB 837 in 2023. The practical deadline is much shorter, because trucking evidence like driver logs and onboard data can be lawfully destroyed within months if no one demands its preservation.
Do not give a recorded statement or sign anything. Carrier insurers move fast precisely because early statements and quick releases save them money. You are not required to speak with them, and once you have a lawyer, all of that contact goes through us.
Jones Law Group works on a contingency fee, with no up-front cost and no hourly bill. We advance the case costs, including experts, and we only collect a fee if we recover money for you. The initial consultation is free.
The carrier’s team started working the day of the crash. Yours can start today. Tell us what happened in a free consultation, with no obligation and no fee unless we win.Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33707
Phone: (727) 571-1333
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The $50 million figure reflects total amounts recovered for clients over time, not a promise about any individual case. If you have a specific legal question, contact a licensed Florida attorney.
Speak with us before time runs out! In Florida, you have a limited window to file a personal injury case, so speak to an Attorney today.
Call our personal injury law office directly at (727) 512-9847
Jones Law Group is a dedicated personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg, FL, serving the Tampa Bay area since 2006. Our experienced attorneys specialize in car accidents, slip and fall cases, employment law disputes, construction law issues, and overtime wage claims, fighting for maximum compensation on a contingency fee basis. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Call our personal injury law office at (727) 512-9847
© Copyright 2006–2025 Jones Law Group Attorneys at Law. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Terms of Use
Attorney Advertising.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
We will gladly call you on your schedule.
Use the secure and confidential form below.