On Friday, October 23, a landscaping truck in North Miami struck a bus bench, a tree, and three businesses near Northeast Eighth Avenue and 125th Street, close to the Museum of Contemporary Art, according to local reports. Two people who were in the truck were taken to a hospital. Police said the cause remained under investigation, and no conclusion about fault has been reported. When the vehicle is a work truck, the legal questions are usually wider than “what did the driver do?”

A Work Truck Crash Is Not Just a Two-Person Claim

A work truck — a landscaping truck, delivery van, box truck, or dump truck — is part of a business operation. Someone owns it, maintains it, schedules the route, and directs the driver’s work. A crash can therefore involve several separate duties: driving safely, inspecting and repairing the vehicle, training the driver, and loading the truck so it can stop and steer properly.

A local work truck is also different from an interstate tractor-trailer. Federal trucking rules govern interstate carriers, while many neighborhood work trucks operate only inside Florida under state rules and ordinary negligence law. Identifying only the driver can miss other responsible parties and other insurance coverage — note every company name, logo, and vehicle number you can safely record.

Who Else May Be Liable Besides the Driver?

The employer. If the driver was working within the scope of employment, the employer may be responsible for the driver’s negligence. Dispatch instructions and the driver’s schedule can help establish what job was being performed.

The vehicle owner. The company on the registration is not always the employer. A truck may be leased or owned by a separate business that entrusted it to someone else.

Maintenance providers. Brake, tire, steering, and lighting problems can point to missed inspections or improper repairs — especially if a defect was reported before the crash and the truck stayed in service.

Those who loaded the truck. An overloaded or unbalanced load can lengthen stopping distance and make a truck harder to control.

None of these parties is automatically liable. Each claim depends on evidence of what that party did or failed to do.

The Truck’s Own Records Are Evidence — And They Do Not Last

Many work trucks generate records a private car does not: GPS data, dash-camera video, dispatch messages, inspection reports, maintenance files, and phone records. Nearby businesses may also have security video. Much of this material is routinely overwritten or lost when the truck is repaired and returned to service.

That is why early preservation matters. A written request to preserve the truck, its data, records, and video should be sent promptly. Photograph the truck, the load, the roadway, and any company markings, if it is safe to do so.

Insurance Is Layered — and PIP Still Has a Clock

If you were in a car struck by a work truck, Florida’s no-fault rules generally apply to you first: your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) typically pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost wages, up to $10,000, regardless of fault. You must seek treatment within 14 days or you can lose PIP benefits entirely, and the full $10,000 is generally available only if a qualified provider finds an emergency medical condition; otherwise medical PIP is capped at $2,500.

Beyond PIP, the driver, owner, and employer may have different insurers. If the truck’s coverage is missing or insufficient, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage — if you purchased it — may apply. Each insurer must be notified separately.

Fault Percentages and Florida’s Two-Year Deadline

Florida follows modified comparative negligence for truck crash claims: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and you are barred entirely if you are found more than 50% at fault. In a crash still under investigation, do not let an early phone call become a recorded conclusion about fault before the truck’s records are known.

Most Florida negligence lawsuits from a truck crash must generally be filed within two years. Claims involving a government vehicle can carry shorter notice requirements, so do not assume one deadline fits every defendant.

What to Do in the First 48 Hours

1. Get medical care promptly — the 14-day PIP clock starts on the day of the crash.
2. Call police and keep the report number, plus the truck’s company name, license plate, and vehicle number.
3. Photograph everything safely — vehicles, the load, company markings, and the road.
4. Preserve video — ask nearby businesses to save security footage before it is overwritten.
5. Keep the truck’s records in view — note any visible damage to brakes, tires, or lights.
6. Do not sign a release or give a recorded fault statement to a commercial insurer until you understand its full effect.

If you were hurt in a truck or motorcycle collision in Miami-Dade or Broward County, Tacher Law offers free consultations for truck accident and other personal injury matters. Call +1 (305) 644-2211 or visit our contact page to discuss your situation.

Tacher Law, 16445 Collins Avenue, Suite 1625, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.