Contractor Vehicle Accidents in Sarasota

A contractor vehicle accident is a weekly event in Southwest Florida. The rate of these incidents seems to climb every year.

Contractor vehicles operate on every major road, highway, shopping center, and residential street in Southwest Florida. These business purpose motor vehicles are typically vans, pick-ups, box trucks, and small trucks towing trailers. Contractors, trades, and businesses in other fields choose these vehicles for their utility.

The Contractor Vehicle on Our Southwest Florida Roads

Contractor businesses which use commercial pick up trucks and vans include electricians, plumbers, roofers, builders, air conditioning and ventilation services, cable TV companies, carpenters, pest control, and various repair services. There is a contractor vehicle—van, light truck, SUV, or pick up—for every trade, and almost every driver in SW Fla encounters these vans and small trucks as much as passenger cars.

Why is a contractor vehicle is so popular with building trades, home repair services, and subcontractors? The features these motor vehicles provide to help these businesses get the job done as quickly as possible. For example, commercial pick up trucks have options which serve the contractor’s purpose. Racks which are used to carry ladders, pipes, and other equipment, are installed. Cargo containers on each side of the pick up truck’s open bed are used to store tools and product. Some trucks have commercial caps and toppers which enclose the truck bed for additional cargo space.

Similarly, a contractor vehicle is often equipped with compartments for storage space of tools, materials, and equipment. Look inside a contractor van and you see the layout is designed to maximize the number of items stored. The contractor vehicle is deigned to be a mobile workshop and virtual store.

As you are driving on any road, street, or highway, you will notice that contractor vans and pick ups appear to be as common as cars. This is perfectly fine, of course, so long as the vehicles are operated in a safe and reasonable manner.

Driver Safety in Contractor Vehicle Operation is Critical

Drivers of commercial vans and work trucks are usually employees of the contractor. The primary job is providing the installation, maintenance, or repair of a product in the field. These employees are typically dispatched from the business. Upon reaching a destination, the driver employee provides the requested service and is then dispatched to the next service call. This cycle continues throughout the entire shift, and often into overtime.

While driving is part of the mobile job, the primary function of the employee is providing maintenance and repair services. Driving is secondary, and unfortunately, often treated as such by contractor employers. Contractor vehicle drivers are rarely trained on how to safely operate these vehicles on our busy roads.

• Driver training: Many contractor employee driver the contractor vehicle have a standard driver’s license and little or no training on the larger and heavier vans and pick-ups they drive for the company. Because a contractor vehicle can be more difficult to maneuver, have longer stopping distances, and must slow down for every turn, there is a learning curve to safe operation. Careless driving in a contractor vehicle spells trouble for other motorists.
• Lack of clear rear view: Most contractor vans contain obstructions which limit visibility for drivers. Examples include no rear windows in contractor vans, interior obstructions such as cargo bays and equipment, and exterior limits created by ladder racks, and equipment stored in the bed of the pick up. These materials and configurations often prevent direct field of vision through the rear view mirror or rear window rear windows to cars and motorcycles sharing the road.
• Side view limits: The drivers of a contractor vehicle often relies only on using side view mirrors. Using only side view mirrors can deceive the commercial pick-up driver as to vehicles approaching on the left or right sides of the truck, which lead to serious sideswipe collisions.

There are certainly many other factors which can contribute to a contractor vehicle accident in our area. Overall, every driver of a contractor vehicle must understand the challenges present in driving these vans and pick up trucks. When drivers receive quality training on capabilities and limits of these vehicles, then the chance of collision is reduced.

Attorney for Contractor Vehicle Accident Victims

Every traffic collision is an unwelcome event which has the potential to cause pain and hardship. A crash with a contractor van or pick up often causes personal injury because of the size, weight, and speed of the business vehicle.

Experienced Sarasota accident attorney David Harris represents the injured—drivers and passengers of cars and vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists—who have been injured in a crash with a contractor vehicle in Southwest Florida. David understands the added complexities often present in contractor vehicle accident claims and personally works with injured clients in the pursuit of justice.

David is driven for clients and is determined to recover full compensation for the injured to pay for medical bills, lost work, future needs, and pain and suffering. If David agrees to represent you in your contractor van accident claim, then know that you receive personal representation. David values you and treats you with respect, answers your phone calls or promptly returns the call, answers your questions, and seeks your opinions. David pursues justice for you and with you.