What Is Average Truck Accident Settlement
You have already been involved in an accident involving a delivery truck or tractor trailer and you should be compensated for your loss due to the accident.
But you’re not sure what to expect and how much you should recover.
What is the average settlement for truck accident injuries?
All accidents are different and therefore all accident settlements are different.
Settlements for truck accidents are based on injuries and can be anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to somewhere in the $ millions of dollars.
All truck companies carry substantial insurance policies in case of accidents like this.
These policies offer a large compensation package that means that commercial truck accidents offer a higher compensation package than that of a car accident.
The average settlement from a truck accident really does have a wide range, so your best bet is to call truck accident lawyer Richard Harris.
Contact Truck Accident Lawyer Richard Harris
Truck accidents are more complex and usually involve more parties than the average car accident claim.
This requires a much deeper investigation process that can gain a much larger compensation package for the accident victim.
Contact The Richard Harris Law Firm today if you were involved in a truck accident in Nevada.
We can give you details about what your claim may be worth during a consultation appointment.
We have over 40 years of experience in personal injury and truck accidents in Nevada.
We offer offices in both Las Vegas and Reno for your convenience.
We work completely on a contingency basis, meaning we take no money up front and we only accept fees after we win your case.
Our main goal is to make our clients as whole again as possible after a serious accident.
Average Truck Accident Settlement Includes
Truck accidents on average cause more severe injuries than other types of accidents.
This means that victims of truck accidents can expect to recover more compensation than people involved in other types of auto accidents.
All settlement amounts vary depending on the actual injuries sustained in the accident and who was at fault etc.
We have built a traffic camera accident footage command center in Reno and Las Vegas to help.
Most truck accident settlements include compensation for all losses you suffered due to the accident.
Medical Bills
Medical expenses usually serve as the catlist to which your settlement is based upon.
The trucking company or the truck driver will not directly pay your medical bills if you were injured in an accident where a truck driver or company was responsible.
Since injuries from truck accidents are more severe than other accidents your medical expenses may be more significant than if you were involved in another type of accident.
Make sure when the accident happens you seek medical attention immediately after the accident, even if you think you don’t need it.
Secondly, make sure you keep up with all medical expenses when they come in.
Keep good, organized records to show the full extent of your injuries (broken ribs, surgeries, facial injury, etc.) and therefore the costs of medical treatment.
This can include any and all medical expenses including emergency room treatment, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescriptions.
As you may know you may get several bills for one medical procedure for example you may get a bill from the medical provider and the facility for the same medical treatment.
Medical Bills included :
- Emergency medical treatment
- Hospitalization after an accident
- Surgeries related to accident injuries
- Long-term care
- In-home care
- Medical equipment like a walker or wheelchair
- Therapy, including physical, occupational, and psychological
Also, since some injuries require long term care or permanent disability you should speak to your attorney about other related medical expenses.
If you have been paralized from a truck accident and will be wheelchair bound you may need to modify your home to make it accessible for your new needs.
This is still considered a medical expense since it involves a new disability because of the accident.
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Lost Wages
Injuries from a serious truck accident can mean long recovery time.
In some cases people can’t afford to miss even a few days of work, this can cause financial hardship even after a few days if someone doesn’t have financial support from family or friends.
In the case of serious injuries it can take a few weeks or even several months to recover from your injury and return to work.
So even if you can go on temporary disability or you will be receiving less than half of your income and that’s only if you can get it.
Your employer may try and work with you to get you back to some form of a normal work schedule as soon as possible.
However, your job might require real physical work and your employer might not be able to accommodate you or provide a job with the modifications that you need to work safely under the restrictions of your doctors.
Even if your employer tries to help you out it might not be possible to return to work for a period of time.
Bills don’t stop coming because you’ve been injured in an accident.
Lost wages should be part of your claim if you have been injured in a truck accident.
Discuss with your attorney how lost wages should be included.
This should include all lost wages including:
- Straight lost wages, time missed work
- Lost accrued time including vacation, sick or comp time
- Part time work due to physical limitations
- Future medical procedures that involve missing work
- Weekly appointments like physical therapy during work hours
Lost income like medical expenses can add up fast over the period of time you miss work while you recover.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering from an accident is considered arbitrary and can be based on many factors.
Judges and jurors usually have no limit when it comes to pain and suffering awards.
Pain and suffering includes the physical pain from your injuries but can also include emotional turmoil that a victim can suffer after an accident, especially a severe truck accident.
This can include lost time with friends and family, loss of activities that you used to enjoy, anxiety and depression.
Some victims of bad truck accidents can also develop ongoing psychological issues including PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD involves ongoing treatment and medication that can last a lifetime.
Your legal team can include your pain and suffering into your claim against a negligent party after a truck accident.
They will include all elements of pain and suffering based on your injuries and the limitations those injuries have caused you.
The amount you recover will be determined by your injuries and how those injuries have impacted your life.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are damages that are awarded above and beyond regular compensation and awarded to punish the defendant in a legal case.
For example if it is determined that the trucking company didn’t perform the regular maintenance on its trucks and the brakes on one the trucks failed causing the accident that you were injured in, you can be awarded punitive damages because of the company’s negligence.
Does it Matter who Caused the Accident
There are a lot of factors that contribute to truck accidents.
Driver negligence is the number one factor but poor maintenance by the trucking company, incorrect loading procedures, equipment failure by the manufacturer all can contribute to the accident and can increase the likelihood of a truck accident.
These factors can also increase your settlement.
Usually your legal team will do an investigation to determine who is at fault and if multiple parties are at fault then they can file a claim against all parties that are at fault and this can increase the compensation you receive.
On the other hand if you contributed to the accident in any way, for example cutting off a truck driver, speeding, or stopping short in front of a delivery truck or reckless driving in any way.
This could reduce your compensation you can claim since you are partially responsible for the accident.
You can still file a claim against the truck driver or trucking company but your claim will be reduced by the percentage that your actions contributed to the accident.
For example, if an investigation and the court determines that you were 10% percent at fault in the accident then you will only be able to receive 90% of the settlement of the 100% of damages.
During a free consultation the legal advisors at The Richard Harris Law Firm can explain this in detail so call today for a free consultation.
