Palm Beach County · Truck Accident Attorney · Hablamos Español
18-wheelers and commercial trucks cause catastrophic injuries. Their carriers deploy investigators and lawyers from the moment of your crash. Attorney Marcos Gonzalez levels the playing field — AV-Rated, former insurance attorney, $500M+ recovered. Call now.
Commercial truck accidents occur in several distinct patterns, each with different liability and evidence implications. Advocates USA is experienced in every type of truck crash that occurs on Palm Beach County’s roads.
When a loaded 18-wheeler rear-ends a passenger vehicle at highway speed, the force differential is catastrophic. Inadequate following distance — a violation of federal safety standards — and driver fatigue are the most common causes. ELD data showing hours violations is critical evidence in these cases.
When a truck’s trailer swings out of alignment with the cab — often from braking failure or driver error — the trailer sweeps across multiple lanes, striking multiple vehicles. Jackknife accidents frequently involve brake maintenance failures and create multi-party liability scenarios.
Commercial trucks making right turns from left lanes or swinging wide into adjacent lanes cause devastating side-impact crashes, particularly for cyclists and motorcyclists. These crashes most commonly occur at the intersections along Congress Avenue, Okeechobee Boulevard, and US-1 where trucks navigate dense intersection geometry.
When a passenger vehicle slides under the rear or side of a trailer, the results are almost always catastrophic or fatal. Inadequate underride guards — a federal equipment requirement — create product liability claims against the trailer manufacturer in addition to driver and carrier liability.
Improperly secured cargo — on agricultural trucks on SR-80, flatbed carriers on I-95, and material delivery trucks throughout the county — can spill into traffic lanes, strike following vehicles, or cause the truck itself to become unstable. Cargo loading liability may extend to the shipper in addition to the carrier.
Commercial truck brake systems are complex and require regular inspection and maintenance under FMCSA standards. When brake maintenance records show failures to inspect or repair known deficiencies, both the carrier and any third-party maintenance company face liability for brake-failure crashes.
Commercial trucks — 18-wheelers, flatbeds, tankers, cement mixers, dump trucks, delivery box trucks, and heavy equipment transport vehicles — travel every major road in Palm Beach County continuously. I-95, the Florida Turnpike, Southern Boulevard, Okeechobee Boulevard, and the industrial corridors near the Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach carry thousands of commercial vehicles daily. SR-80 through the Glades agricultural communities carries sugar industry trucks, produce haulers, and heavy farm equipment that can weigh far more than a typical 18-wheeler. The weight differential between a loaded commercial tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle is enormous — a fully loaded 18-wheeler weighs up to 80,000 pounds, more than 20 times the weight of a typical car. In a collision, there is no contest.
What truck accident victims typically don’t know is that the trucking company and their insurance carrier have detailed accident response protocols that activate the moment a serious crash is reported. Specialized accident investigators are dispatched to the scene. The truck’s electronic logging device and event data recorder are secured — by the company’s team, in their interest. The driver’s statement is taken before they speak to anyone else. Evidence is controlled. Insurance defense counsel is retained. All of this happens before most injured victims have even been discharged from the emergency room.
This imbalance of resources is not accidental — it is a deliberate and highly developed system designed to minimize what the company pays to people their driver harmed. Advocates USA has the experience and the resources to meet it. We act within 24 hours of being retained to send legal preservation demands that prevent the trucking company from destroying or overwriting critical evidence. We retain our own accident reconstruction experts and commercial vehicle safety specialists. We identify every liable party in the complex trucking industry chain — the driver, the carrier, the shipper, the maintenance company, the equipment manufacturer. And we fight with the full force of our trial experience against the multiple insurance layers involved in commercial truck cases.
Beyond the liability complexity, truck accident cases involve uniquely large damages. The force involved in these crashes produces catastrophic injuries — spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, multiple fractures, internal organ damage, and deaths. Recoveries in serious truck accident cases routinely reach into the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Advocates USA pursues every dollar of those damages, from every liable party, with the preparation of a firm that has recovered over $500 million for South Florida injury victims.
Compensation available to victims in Palm Beach County:
Truck accident evidence — ELD data, dashcam footage, black box data — can be overwritten in as few as 30 days. Call (877) 872-4878 immediately — we send a preservation demand within 24 hours.
These are the routes and locations in Palm Beach County where commercial vehicle accidents most frequently cause serious injuries.
I-95 carries the highest concentration of commercial truck traffic in Palm Beach County, with an enormous volume of 18-wheelers moving freight between Miami-Dade and the rest of the state continuously. High-speed lane changes, aggressive merging at interchanges, inadequate following distances by fatigued drivers, and the sheer volume of commercial vehicles create serious accident risk throughout the I-95 corridor. The interchange areas at Glades Road in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach Boulevard, Lake Worth Road, Okeechobee Boulevard, and PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens are high-accident transition zones where speed differentials between highway and ramp traffic create multi-vehicle crash risk.
The Florida Turnpike carries significant truck freight between South Florida and the rest of the state, parallel to I-95. Turnpike service plazas at Lake Worth and Boynton Beach are frequent rest stops for commercial drivers who re-enter the highway after breaks. High-speed rear-end crashes by trucks with inadequate following distances — particularly in reduced-visibility conditions — are among the most common serious crashes on this corridor.
State Road 80 runs west from West Palm Beach through the Glades communities, carrying sugar industry trucks, produce transport vehicles, and heavy agricultural equipment. Two-lane sections through the Glades create head-on collision risk in passing situations. Poor nighttime lighting, limited emergency response capacity, and the sheer weight of fully loaded sugar and produce haulers make crashes on this corridor disproportionately deadly. Advocates USA serves crash victims from Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay with full legal representation.
The Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach is an active cargo hub with constant truck traffic serving import/export operations. Commercial vehicles serving the port travel through Riviera Beach’s industrial corridor on Blue Heron Boulevard, 45th Street, and Australian Avenue. Port operations run 24 hours, and late-night loaded truck traffic on surrounding roads creates elevated serious crash risk. Port-area accidents may also involve federal maritime law considerations depending on the specific location of the crash.
The area around Okeechobee Boulevard and Military Trail in West Palm Beach includes significant warehouse and distribution activity with Amazon delivery service partners, UPS, FedEx, and numerous freight carriers operating constantly. Delivery vehicle accidents — from large box trucks to sprinter vans — are a growing category of commercial vehicle injury claims throughout Palm Beach County as e-commerce delivery volumes continue to increase year over year.
The Congress Avenue corridor through Boynton Beach’s light industrial areas serves multiple warehouse and distribution operations with constant commercial vehicle traffic. The intersections with Gateway Boulevard, Hypoluxo Road, and Industrial Avenue create heavy truck turning conflicts with passenger vehicles and cyclists.
Indiantown Road connects Jupiter’s residential and commercial communities to I-95 and sees increasing commercial vehicle traffic as the area develops. Larger delivery vehicles serving Jupiter’s growing residential population and commercial truck traffic serving the industrial zone near the railroad create accident risk throughout the corridor.
Military Trail passes through agricultural and nursery land in western Palm Beach County in addition to its suburban commercial character. Agricultural equipment, nursery delivery trucks, and landscape supply vehicles create unexpected large-vehicle hazard scenarios for passenger vehicle traffic on this long north-south corridor.
Glades Road’s major retail corridor and the construction activity associated with the Boca Raton Innovation Campus redevelopment generate significant dump truck, material delivery, and construction equipment traffic. Construction vehicle accidents are among the most serious heavy-vehicle crash types due to the weight and unusual configurations of construction equipment.
Southern Boulevard serves as a major east-west truck corridor from Port of Palm Beach’s receiving areas through West Palm Beach, Greenacres, and Wellington to the western agricultural communities. Commercial vehicles navigating this corridor encounter multiple high-risk intersections and the challenging transition from urban multi-lane to rural two-lane conditions west of Wellington.
Northlake Boulevard serves Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, and the communities of the northern county as a primary east-west arterial. Commercial delivery and construction traffic on this corridor creates crash risk at the intersections with Military Trail, US-1, and Alternate A1A.
The commercial zones in Delray Beach along Congress Avenue and the restaurant supply corridors serving Atlantic Avenue generate commercial vehicle traffic that interacts with dense pedestrian and cyclist activity. Delivery trucks making stops in the Atlantic Avenue entertainment district create unpredictable vehicle movement scenarios.
What Florida law says about your claim
Commercial drivers may not operate more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, within a 14-hour on-duty window. ELD data documents compliance or violation. Hours violations create powerful evidence of driver fatigue and employer negligence in scheduling.
Size and weight limits for commercial vehicles operating on Florida roads. Violations create evidence of negligence per se — fault is established without further proof when a statute designed to prevent harm is violated and that violation causes the plaintiff’s injury.
Trucking companies are vicariously liable for their drivers’ negligent acts within the scope of employment. Independent contractor classifications are scrutinized — when the company exercises sufficient control over operations, contractor drivers may also create employer liability.
Florida Statutes 95.11(3)(a): 2 years from the accident date. ELD data overwrite timelines may be shorter. Call (877) 872-4878 immediately.
Get the truck’s DOT number, carrier name, plate, trailer plate, and driver’s CDL information. Note any cargo spills, damaged safety equipment, or visible regulatory violations.
Both vehicles, point of impact, skid marks, road conditions, cargo condition if visible, and any dashcam equipment on the truck. Take video of the full scene.
Truck accident injuries are severe. Internal injuries and spinal trauma require immediate evaluation. Your same-day medical record is critical evidence.
Their investigators may reach out to witnesses and even the injured party quickly. Do not give any statement. Call (877) 872-4878 immediately — we send a preservation demand within 24 hours.
Dashcam footage from your vehicle, photos from the scene, witness information, and all medical records from the day of the accident forward. Provide everything to Advocates USA.
Driver, carrier, shipper, maintenance company, manufacturer — we pursue all available sources of compensation simultaneously.
Legal hold letters are sent within 24 hours demanding preservation of ELD data, dashcam footage, driver logs, maintenance records, and all other relevant evidence.
We retain specialists who analyze ELD data, brake performance records, load configurations, and crash dynamics to establish exactly what happened and who was responsible.
We identify every party in the contractor chain — carrier, broker, shipper, maintenance company, equipment manufacturer — and build liability cases against each one with relevant evidence.
We analyze the driver’s complete service records, training history, drug and alcohol testing records, and the carrier’s safety compliance history with FMCSA to identify every regulatory violation.
For catastrophic injuries, we retain life care planners and economists to document the full lifetime economic impact of your injuries and present that value comprehensively.
We prepare every truck case for trial from the first day. That preparation produces better settlements and — when necessary — better jury verdicts.
Attorney Marcos Gonzalez worked inside major insurance companies before representing injured people. He knows every tactic they use to deny and minimize claims — and applies that insider knowledge against them every single day.
The highest peer-awarded rating in the legal profession for legal ability and ethical standards. Recognized by judges and fellow attorneys across Florida — not purchased through advertising.
Over half a billion dollars won for injury victims across South Florida. Individual verdicts up to $4 million. These are results real clients received — not marketing promises.
Our entire team is fully bilingual. We serve Palm Beach County’s large Spanish-speaking community with complete, dedicated legal representation in their language — from first call through final settlement.
Accidents don’t follow a schedule. Neither do we. Call any hour — we answer and we act immediately to protect your evidence and your case.
Zero upfront cost, zero hourly fees, zero payment unless we win. Our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. If we don’t win — you owe us absolutely nothing.
Our Results
A sample of results for clients across Palm Beach County and South Florida. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Advocates USA represents injury victims in every city throughout Palm Beach County
Advocates USA handles all personal injury cases throughout Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County, Florida
Commercial truck accidents involve multiple potentially liable parties — the driver, the trucking company, the freight shipper or loader, maintenance providers, and equipment manufacturers. They are governed by both federal FMCSA regulations and Florida traffic law. Commercial insurance policies carry significantly higher limits than personal policies, and the companies and their insurers deploy specialized defense teams immediately after serious crashes. Trucking company investigators may arrive at the scene before the injured party has even been transported to the hospital. Advocates USA meets this complexity with equal preparation and speed.
The truck’s electronic logging device (ELD) showing hours-of-service compliance, the event data recorder (EDR/black box) capturing speed and braking data before the crash, dashcam footage, the driver’s paper log book and prior trip records, maintenance and inspection records for the truck and trailer, bills of lading showing cargo type and weight, the driver’s employment and training history, and all internal trucking company communications about the trip and the accident. Advocates USA sends a legal hold letter demanding preservation of all of this data within 24 hours of being retained.
Commercial truck drivers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Hours-of-service rules (49 CFR Part 395) limit driving to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, with a 14-hour on-duty window. Violations of these rules are documented in ELD data and create powerful evidence of driver fatigue — a factor in a large percentage of serious truck accidents. FMCSA also regulates vehicle inspections, driver qualifications, and drug and alcohol testing.
Potentially liable parties include the driver (for traffic violations and FMCSA regulation violations), the trucking company (respondeat superior for the driver’s acts plus independent negligence for hiring, training, supervision, and safety compliance), the freight shipper or loader (if improperly loaded cargo contributed to the crash), the truck maintenance company (if brake or mechanical failure was a factor), and the equipment or parts manufacturer (if a product defect contributed). Advocates USA pursues all liable parties simultaneously.
Driver fatigue is a leading cause of serious truck crashes. FMCSA hours-of-service regulations exist specifically to prevent fatigue-related accidents, and violations are documented in ELD data. When a driver exceeded legal driving hours or the trucking company set delivery schedules that made compliance impossible, both the driver and the company face significant liability. We analyze all available driving records, delivery schedules, and ELD data to establish fatigue as a factor.
2 years from the date of the accident under Florida Statutes 95.11(3)(a). But the practical deadline for evidence preservation is much shorter — ELD data can be overwritten in as few as 30 days. Call Advocates USA at (877) 872-4878 the same day as your accident if at all possible.
I-95, the Florida Turnpike, US-1, Southern Boulevard (SR-80 including the Glades agricultural corridor), Okeechobee Boulevard, and the industrial corridors near Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach carry the highest commercial vehicle volumes. SR-80 through the Glades region carries heavy sugar industry and produce transport trucks on two-lane rural highways. The interchanges at I-95/Okeechobee Boulevard and I-95/Boynton Beach Boulevard see the highest concentration of multi-vehicle commercial truck accidents in the county.
Amazon’s delivery service partners (DSPs), FedEx Ground contractors, and UPS drivers operate under complex ownership and employment structures that affect liability analysis. DSP drivers may be employed by independent contractors rather than Amazon directly — a classification Amazon uses to limit its liability exposure. Advocates USA is experienced in piercing these structures to establish Amazon’s liability when its partner network’s negligence causes injury.
Yes. You have the right to pursue the full scope of damages from all at-fault parties — the driver, trucking company, and all other responsible parties. Commercial insurance policies for 18-wheelers carry minimum coverage of $750,000 and often carry $1 million to $5 million or more depending on cargo type. Advocates USA identifies and pursues every available coverage layer.
A denial from a trucking company’s insurance carrier is a negotiating position, not a final determination. Trucking companies and their carriers deploy experienced defense counsel specifically because truck accident claims can involve large damages. When their insurer denies or undervalues your claim, we escalate — through demand letters, litigation, and trial preparation that demonstrates our willingness to let a jury decide. Advocates USA is a trial firm.
Yes — Hablamos Español. Our bilingual team represents truck accident victims throughout Palm Beach County fully in Spanish.
ELD data is overwritten in 30 days. Call Advocates USA immediately — free, 24/7, English and Spanish. No fees unless we win.
Call (877) 872-4878 — Free, 24/7
Hablamos Español · Greenacres, FL · Serving All of Palm Beach County
