If you were involved in a truck accident that left you with minor or major injuries, and are considering suing the liable parties, it’s likely that you are wondering what the possible compensation is. Well, almost anyone who finds themselves in a situation similar to yours wonders about that too. However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, as the compensation varies from one accident to the next. The best way to know how much you are potentially going to get is to talk to a truck accident lawyer. These lawyers have dealt with dozens of truck accident cases and can use their experience to give a rough estimate of what you should expect.
We asked lawyer Harry M. Roth, a seasoned Philadelphia truck accident attorney about the average settlement of truck accident case. According to him, different factors need to be considered before establishing how much a truck accident settlement will cost. Namely:
The total cost of medical expenses
The cost of your medical expenses will play a critical role in determining how much compensation you may receive. Often, injuries sustained from a truck accident are severe or life-threatening. This translates to higher medical bills and sometimes, more extended hospital stays and treatments. You also might have to continue with therapy for weeks, months, years, and in worst cases, the rest of your life. But it is also possible to sustain minor injuries that don’t require special treatment. Ideally, there is no fixed price that you’ll receive for your medical expenses; the amount is entirely dependent on your case. But if you follow the right process and working with an experienced lawyer, then you can expect to be well compensated for your current and future medical costs.
Lost income
If you sustain injuries as a result of the truck accident, you’ll need to get medical attention, and can mean days, weeks, months or years away from work. Depending on the nature of your work, it may be difficult or even impossible for you to go back until you are fully recovered. In such cases, you’ll need to have documentation of your normal working hours along with the regular wages, and the amount of work time you’ve missed due to the injury. When arguing your case, your lawyer will add your lost wages (current and future) into the compensation amount.
Property damage and medical costs are easy to quantify because they are tangible, but pain and suffering are emotional and can be quite hard to determine. You lawyer will factor in the extent of the injuries and damages you sustained, the time you missed from work, reduced quality of life along with other aspects that you had to miss due to the injury. If your family depended on you for income, your lawyer would also note down how the accident has impacted their lives. They’ll then use this evidence to come up with an amount under pain and suffering.
Property damage
A collision with a truck results in a complete wreck, especially if your vehicle is regular size. If your car sustains damages, the insurance firm will take care of the repair costs, but if it’s totaled, you’ll often get the blue book value of your vehicle during the compensation process.
