Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Lawyer

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: If you have been injured in a truck accident due to a truck’s lack of visibility on the road or highway in Ft. Lauderdale, a truck accident attorney from our law firm is prepared to help you with your case, and if necessary, go to court if your case is large enough.

Truck accidents are common in larger cities like Fort Lauderdale, however, they can happen anywhere. We serve victims in Ft. Lauderdale and all of Florida. Call us now to see if we can get started on your case.

How Our Fort Lauderdale Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help

Some of the Services We Provide for You:

• We can send someone to your home or hospital if you can’t make it our office.
• We have the financial resources to front all costs and immediately begin working on your case.
• We can assist you with your property damage if that’s something you would like help with.
• We will do our best to accommodate you by recommending you to doctors who are willing to wait until the end of your case to get paid.

Injured after a truck accident and need help fighting for compensation? Reach out to the Law Offices Cytryn & Velazquez, P.A. to schedule a free consultation. Call (954) 833-1440 or contact us online to get started!

FMCSA Reflective Tape Requirements

In order to reduce accidents, federal law requires all trucks to maintain high visibility on the road. This includes using reflective tape in specific areas of the truck and making sure the tape is clean. Unfortunately, many trucks do not bother to check whether the tape is visible, while others choose to drive without the tape.

Consequently, many vehicles are unable to see the trucks during poor weather conditions and/or at night, which often results in serious accidents. In particular, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires trucks to have retro-reflective tape or reflex reflectors.

The requirement of the location of the retro-reflective tape varies depending on the:

Type of truck

• Size
• Weight
• And the date of manufacture for the vehicle

For example, trailers and semi-trailers manufactured on or after December 1, 1993 are required to have retro-reflective sheeting or reflex reflectors (also known as conspicuity material) in each side of the trailer, upper rear of the trailer, and lower rear of the trailer. However, truck tractors manufactured on or after July 1, 1997 only need retro-reflective sheeting near the top of the mud flaps and near the top of the cab.

According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), conspicuity tape on trucks has reduced side and rear impacts in the dark by 29 percent. In addition, it is estimated that when all heavy trailers have reflective tape, it will prevent 7,800 crashes per year, prevent approximately 3,100 to 5,000 injuries per year, and save an estimated 191 to 350 lives per year.

The Importance of Truck Inspections

Truck drivers are also required to inspect their vehicle before and after making a trip. Inspection is necessary to ensure the vehicle is safe to operate. Among the list of inspection is checking to see if the retro-reflective tape is clean and visible to vehicle drivers.

The FMCSA provides the full list of inspection for truck drivers listed below:

• Brake performance
• Tire inflation
• Tire wear and deterioration
• Wheel retention and deterioration
• Steering system performance
• Full trailer coupling
• 5th wheel hitches and adjustable axles
• Vehicle lighting and conspicuity
• Payload characteristics
• Cargo securement

Hiring a Truck Accident Lawyer

Attorney Dan Cytryn, our law firm’s founder, is a member of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (APITLA). This is national association of lawyers dedicated to help eliminate unsafe and illegal interstate trucking practices such as trucks failing to use reflective tape.

Members of APITLA work through learning, legislation, and litigation to reduce accidents caused by unsafe trucks on the road. Dan Cytryn is a proud contributing member of APITLA by representing truck accident victims in our area.

Our law firm has over 40 years of experience handling truck accident cases and would like to represent you for your injuries.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, call a truck accident attorney in Fort Lauderdale now at (954) 833-1440 or contact us online for your free consultation.