If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you need a knowledgeable Trucking Accident Lawyer. These attorneys have experience with trucking laws and regulations, so they can hold negligent companies accountable for their careless conduct. Defendants in truck accidents can include the driver, the employer, the company that leased the vehicle, and others. To prove liability, your attorney must show that each defendant owed you a duty and breached it.
Injuries sustained in a trucking accident can be severe and life-altering. Victims may sustain broken bones, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), diffuse axonal injury (DAI), and other serious physical and mental conditions that can make it difficult to work. In addition to physical and psychological damages, victims may suffer monetary losses as well. These include medical bills, lost wages, and property damage.
A trucking accident lawyer can help you determine the value of your damages. These can be based on several factors, including the extent of your injuries, the long-term impacts of your accident, and other circumstances.
If a truck driver or trucking company violated safety regulations, they can be held liable for your injuries and damages. These include violations of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, failure to maintain a roadworthy fleet, and other situations where the driver was negligent.
Serious injuries caused by truck accidents often result in extensive hospitalizations, surgeries and medical care. These treatments can be costly and leave victims with large bills.
Fortunately, there are several options for helping truck accident victims pay their medical bills while waiting for compensation. An attorney can help you identify these sources and pursue financial relief for your losses.
The first type of insurance that may be available to you is your own health insurance coverage. Whether or not your health insurance will pay your medical expenses depends on a few factors.
Another type of coverage is personal injury protection (PIP). This insurance will pay for your medical expenses regardless of who was at fault in the crash.
Whether you were a salaried employee or self-employed, the lost wages you suffered as a result of your injuries are one of the most important components of a successful compensation claim. However, proving your income losses can be difficult when the injuries are severe and long-lasting, or when you do not know exactly how long you will be out of work.
Fortunately, there are several ways to calculate lost wages following a trucking accident. In general, you can determine the amount of your lost earnings by multiplying your hourly or annual wage by the number of hours you missed due to your car accident injuries.
It also helps if you can obtain a written statement from your employer verifying the number of hours you missed and any raises, bonuses, or other benefits you are owed as a result of your accident. Getting this information from your employer may be the most effective way to prove your lost wages in a personal injury case.
While it’s easy to identify physical injuries such as broken limbs, concussions, punctured lungs or traumatic brain injury, pain and suffering damages are harder to define. This is because it’s not clear how to value non-monetary damages like mental anguish, emotional trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life.
The fact that pain and suffering is not easily measured makes it difficult for insurance companies to determine a fair amount of compensation for their accident victims. Some methods that insurance companies use to calculate the value of pain and suffering include a per diem rate or a multiplier.
The value of the physical pain and suffering suffered by a victim of a trucking accident will depend on the nature of the injuries. Generally, these can include neck and back injuries, broken bones, TBI, abrasions, muscle strain, cuts and bruises, disfigurement, and more. A victim might also suffer from PTSD or other mental injuries, which can make it difficult to work and live as normally as before the accident occurred.
