I used to defend trucking companies and commercial carriers.Now I represent the people they hurt.
Trucking companies don’t wait to protect themselves. Many send a response team to the scene within hours. Their lawyers and adjusters are building a defense while you are still in the hospital.
I know the playbook because I used to run it.
AV Preeminent · Martindale Rising Star · Super Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 · The National Trial Lawyers Member · Florida Justice Association
The things people ask first.
You can recover if you are 50% or less at fault. Your award is reduced by your share. Fla. Stat. § 768.81
In a car crash, your own PIP pays first: up to $10,000 if a doctor finds an emergency medical condition. Fla. Stat. § 627.736
Interstate trucks must follow the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations: hours of service, driver qualification, inspections, and maintenance. Florida applies most of those rules to commercial vehicles on its roads too. Fla. Stat. § 316.302
An employer is generally responsible for a driver’s negligence on the job, and can also be liable for its own negligent hiring, training, or supervision.
Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. Fla. Stat. § 768.81
Most negligence claims arising after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years. Fla. Stat. § 95.11
Your own personal injury protection (the part of your own car insurance that pays medical bills no matter who caused the crash) covers the first $10,000. Get treatment within 14 days.
Call anyway. I’ll give you my honest take. Fault is often split, and you may still have a claim. The choice is always yours.
I know what they try to keep quiet. Driver logs, electronic logging data, the truck’s black box, dispatch records, maintenance files. Some of it can be overwritten or thrown away if nobody demands it. I send a preservation letter fast so the proof that wins your case still exists.
I know where the company is exposed. Hiring a driver with a bad record. Pushing hours past federal limits. Skipping inspections. Overloading. Those are the facts that make a carrier’s lawyers want to settle, and I know where to look for them.
I find every policy. Commercial cases can involve the driver, the motor carrier, the trailer owner, the shipper, the loading company, and a maintenance shop. Commercial policies are often far larger than a personal auto policy. Every party found is more money available to you.
I handle your property damage claim at no charge. I handle that claim for you and charge nothing for it.
I handle your case personally. A trucking company has a team. So do you. You get your attorney, not a case manager.
Steps that protect your claim.
Call 911 and get a crash report.
Get checked by a doctor within 14 days.
Photograph the truck, the company name, the DOT number on the door, and the scene.
Get names and numbers of witnesses.
Don’t talk to the trucking company’s adjuster or sign anything.
Call me early so evidence can be locked down before it disappears.
My office is on North Dale Mabry in Carrollwood. You don’t have to come to me. I’ll meet you at the office, at your home, or at the hospital. Most clients handle everything by phone, text, and email.
Bring what you have: photos, the exchange form, insurance letters, medical bills. It doesn’t need to be organized. That’s my job.
Call or text me at (813) 547-4707.
What your claim can include
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More parties, more insurance, federal rules, and evidence that can vanish. The trucking company starts defending the case immediately.
An electronic control module that records speed, braking, and other data. Logging devices track hours driven. Both can prove fault, so I demand they be preserved.
That doesn’t end the case. Carriers, brokers, and shippers can still share responsibility. I look at every contract and policy.
Call me. I will give you my honest take. Fault is often shared, and you may still have a claim. I can also share names of PIP doctors past clients spoke highly of. The choice is yours.
Yes, at no charge.
Nothing unless we win. My fee and case costs come out of the recovery. If there is no recovery, you owe nothing.
Every case is handled by me. Not assistants, case managers, or call centers.
Written by Jacob Gordon, Florida Bar No. 125004 · Updated October 2026