This page is for people hurt by someone else’s work zone or jobsite, not for a workers’ compensation mill. If a dump truck, a lane shift on I-75, or a missing taper on US 41 put you in the hospital, that is a third-party injury case. If you were the worker and a subcontractor’s crane or a driver’s negligence caused it, that can be a third-party case on top of comp. Call (941) 923-7700.
Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A. has practiced personal injury from 2023 Constitution Blvd since 1998. Read the truck page if a commercial vehicle hit you, and the car accident page if this was a regular crash that just happened near cones.
Work zones on this coast
FDOT and county crews are on I-75, US 41, University Parkway, Fruitville, and Bee Ridge in overlapping projects most years. Night work. Concrete barriers. A lane that ends with no drum. A truck that is supposed to have a TMA (truck-mounted attenuator) and does not. Drivers come off the Ringling Bridge or the Siesta bridge into a sudden stop. That is how these files start.
We pull the MOT (maintenance of traffic) plan, the night work permit, and the contractor’s contract with the state or the county. Those documents say who owned the barrels, the lights, and the flagger.
Who the defendants are
- The general contractor who set an illegal taper or left a drop-off unmarked.
- A paving or striping subcontractor that owned the scene that night.
- A trucking company running dump trucks through a live lane without a spotter.
- A utility contractor that left a steel plate with no ramps.
- A driver who blew through the work zone and hit you. Their insurer still owes. The contractor may too.
Sovereign immunity can apply when a government body is in the case. Those files have extra notice rules. We calendar them on day one.
If you were the worker
Workers’ compensation may pay medical and a portion of wages. It does not pay full wages, pain, or the other driver’s negligence. A third-party claim against a separate contractor, a motorist, or a product maker is often the only way to make the family whole. Do not sign a comp settlement that quietly waives that claim. Call us before you sign.
We are not a workers’ comp defense firm. We represent injured people.
Evidence that disappears
Work zones change overnight. We send a preservation letter for cameras, EDR data on the dump truck, and the daily inspector log. If you have dashcam, we want it the same day. Photograph the barrels, the signs, the lighting, and the plate in the lane. Then get off the road.
Injuries
High-speed differentials. A car into a barrier. A dump-bed that was left up. We see brain, spine, burns from fuel, and death claims. Wrongful death has its own page: wrongful death.
Is this a workers’ comp case or a personal injury case?
It can be both. Comp is against your employer’s carrier. Injury is against everyone else who caused it. We map both so you do not leave money on the table and do not double-dip.
How long do I have?
Most injury cases: two years. Claims against a state or county unit can be shorter on notice. Call this week. (941) 923-7700.
The cones were confusing. Does that mean I caused it?
Florida comparative fault can reduce a recovery. A bad MOT plan is still the contractor’s problem. We do not need a perfect driver. We need the truth about the zone.
Ready to talk
Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A., 2023 Constitution Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34231. Amiee and Drake Buckman. Free consult. Tell us if this was a work zone or a jobsite. We will tell you if we take it.
Contact us for a free consultation
We work with clients in Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, North Port, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and throughout Florida. Get in touch with us today and tell us what happened to you. We will review your case for free and with no further obligation from you.
Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A.
