Truck crash claim: what can I do?

Venue & Jurisdiction: Florida truck accident claims are filed in the circuit court of the county where the accident occurred or where the defendant resides or maintains its registered agent. Circuit courts have unlimited civil jurisdiction. Miami-Dade, Hillsborough (Tampa), Orange (Orlando), and Duval (Jacksonville) circuit courts see the highest commercial trucking caseloads.

Statute of Limitations: Following the 2023 tort reform (HB 837), Florida's statute of limitations for negligence-based personal injury — including truck accidents — was reduced from four years to two years (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3)(a)). Claims arising before March 24, 2023 retain the prior four-year period. Wrongful death claims carry a two-year limit under Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(d). Florida's modified comparative fault rule now bars recovery if the plaintiff is more than 50% at fault (changed from pure comparative fault by HB 837).

FMCSA & Florida Regulations: FMCSA regulations govern all interstate commercial trucking in Florida, including hours-of-service rules, ELD mandates, and CDL requirements. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Florida Highway Patrol enforce state truck weight and dimension limits. Florida requires intrastate carriers to comply with Florida-specific registration and insurance minimums through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Florida's warm climate and year-round agricultural freight create 24-hour trucking operations that heighten fatigue-related accident risk.

High-Accident Corridors: Florida's most hazardous trucking routes include Interstate 95 (the Eastern Seaboard corridor from Miami through Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Jacksonville), Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley across South Florida and the I-4 corridor), Interstate 4 (Orlando–Tampa), and U.S. 27 (agricultural freight through Lake and Highlands counties). Florida Turnpike interchanges near Miami-Dade and Broward counties experience high-frequency rear-end and lane-change collisions involving tractor-trailers.