A crash with an 80,000-pound truck is not a bigger car crash — it is a different case, run on federal rules that sit on top of Florida law. The evidence that wins it starts disappearing within days. Same-day response. No fee unless we recover for you.
When a tractor-trailer, dump truck, or box truck hits you, you are not up against one driver with a basic auto policy. You are up against a trucking company, its insurer, and the team they send to the scene — sometimes within hours — to start building a defense before you have left the hospital. As a Fort Lauderdale truck accident lawyer, Robert DiStefano works the case the same way: fast, documented, and aimed at every party that shares the blame.
The single most important thing to understand is that the proof in a truck case is perishable. The truck's electronic logging device records hours, speed, and braking, but that data can be overwritten on a set schedule. Driver-qualification files, drug-and-alcohol test results, dispatch records, and maintenance logs all sit in the company's hands — and a company under no legal pressure has little reason to keep them. That is why we send a formal preservation letter, sometimes called a spoliation letter, within days of taking your case.
If you were hurt, the order of operations is simple. Get medical care now, even if you feel okay — some of the worst truck-crash injuries hide for a day or two. Do not give the company's insurer a recorded statement. Keep every document and photo you have. Then call us so the preservation letter goes out before the evidence does.
A car case runs on Florida law alone. A commercial-truck case adds a thick layer of federal safety rules — and a violation of those rules is often the cleanest proof of fault you can put in front of a jury. Here is what shapes your claim.
49 C.F.R. Parts 350–399 (FMCSA)
Interstate trucks answer to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These rules govern driver hours of service, logbooks and electronic logging device (ELD) data, driver qualification, drug-and-alcohol testing, vehicle inspection, and cargo securement. When a carrier breaks one of these rules — an over-hours driver, a skipped inspection, a missed drug test — that violation can establish negligence directly.
Fla. Stat. § 768.81 amended 2023
Effective March 24, 2023 (HB 837), Florida moved to a 51% bar. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing; at 50% or less, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. Trucking insurers push blame onto the injured driver hard — the ELD data and the company's own records are often what keep your fault percentage where it belongs.
Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a) amended 2023
Effective March 24, 2023 (HB 837), the deadline to file a negligence claim was cut from four years to two years. Wrongful death is two years from the date of death. Waiting also lets the truck's data and the company's files quietly age out. In a truck case the practical deadline to preserve proof is far shorter than the legal one.
Fla. Stat. § 627.736
Your own $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays first, regardless of fault — but you must get treatment within 14 days of the crash or you forfeit it. PIP rarely covers a serious truck-crash injury. Because your injuries cross Florida's permanent-injury threshold (Fla. Stat. § 627.737), the real recovery comes from the trucking company's far larger commercial policy.
This page provides general information about Florida law and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; your specific case requires a consultation.
A car crash usually comes down to two drivers and two policies. A commercial-truck crash can involve a chain of companies — and each one may carry its own insurance. Finding every responsible party is how a truck claim reaches its real value.
The trucking company's team can be on the scene the day of the crash. The preservation letter is how we make sure they keep what they find — instead of losing it.
Broward County moves an enormous amount of freight, and most of it travels a handful of routes. If your crash happened on one of these, we know the road and the traffic patterns that caused it.
If your crash happened on any of these roads, we have handled cases on it. Call (954) 572-8000 and tell us where it happened.
The first move in a truck case is not a lawsuit. It is a preservation letter that goes out before the company's data and files can quietly disappear.
Forty years opposite the same insurers and defense firms in Broward courthouses means Robert knows how trucking carriers build a defense — and how to take it apart. You speak with Robert DiStefano directly, not a case manager. And it costs nothing up front: these injury cases are handled on contingency, no fee unless we recover for you.
Not a commercial-truck crash? We also handle everyday car accident claims and bus and limo cases. For all motor-vehicle matters, see related case results →
We send the preservation letter within days — ELD data, driver-qualification file, drug-test records, maintenance and dispatch logs, and any onboard footage — so the company cannot let it age out.
Driver, motor carrier, truck or trailer owner, maintenance provider, shipper, and parts makers — we trace the chain and the insurance behind each one.
PIP coordination, permanent-injury documentation, future-care and lost-wage projections, and lien handling — a damages model the carrier has to take seriously.
Most cases resolve on a documented demand. When an offer undervalues your claim, Robert files and tries it — and the carriers know he will.
★★★★★
“The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results.”
Taravia Google
★★★★★
“I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!”
Paulavia Google
★★★★★
“Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything, and his paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement — I highly recommend him.”
Stacy Leevia Google
Same-day response, Monday through Friday. Free case review. No fee unless we recover for you. Prefer to write? Reach us through our contact page.
(954) 572-8000