Measuring the amount pain and suffering you or your loved ones endure as a result of being involved in a semi-truck accident is impossible. Putting a monetary amount to that suffering is difficult at best, which is why you need assistance from an attorney experienced in semi-truck accidents to help you maneuver through the legal and insurance process to help you receive the compensation you are entitled to because of this accident. No amount of money can replace your loved one, eliminate their injuries or remove the memories of the horrific accident from your mind. It can, however, help you to move on by providing financial assistance for the family of the loved one if the accident caused a fatality, pay ongoing medical and living expenses if there were life-altering injuries, and compensate the victim and family for pain and suffering caused by the accident.
What Kind of Compensation Can Victims Expect to Receive as a Result of a Semi-Accident?
Generally, the following four considerations are examined when determining just how much a semi-truck claim is worth:
Liability
How much of the accident was deemed to be the fault of the victim? An attorney experienced in truck accidents can discuss with you the particulars of your state with regard to contributory negligence (a defense that states that the victim is partially responsible for the accident because of their actions or negligence). In many states, it is up to the victim or the victim’s family to prove that the accident was at least fifty percent the fault of the driver of the semi-truck in order to receive any claim.
An experienced truck attorney’s job is to assign all of the fault on the truck driver. Insurance companies will aggressively fight to rebuke the claim as each public claim involves a great deal of money and exposure of the company involved.
Insurance companies, in an effort to fight back, will use controversial methods of interpreting federal and state semi-truck laws in an effort to assign fault to you and if successful, you could lose a huge percentage or even all of your claim.
Medical Treatment & Injuries
The most significant portion of your semi-truck accident claim represents medical costs. Because this can be such a large amount of money, the details will be heavily dissected by the insurance company. This is why it is so important to not only immediately seek medical attention after the accident, but to also follow up within a few days to have any soft-tissue issues checked out. These include back and neck issues which may not manifest themselves immediately after the crash.
Make sure you keep all scheduled doctor appointment and diligently follow any directions given to you by physicians or physical therapists.
Fatality Involved
If the accident resulted in a fatality, commonly a wrongful death lawsuit will ensue. Each state has its own specific laws as to the damages that can be recovered. Consult with an experienced wrongful death attorney who specializes in semi-truck fatalities to find out how the laws in your state affect the compensation you can receive.
Available Insurance Money
An experienced auto accident attorney Dekalb County GA trust can investigate whether the owners of the trucking company have multiple policies that you were not made aware of. Once multiple policies are discovered, the amount of compensation you can receive may be more appropriate for the injuries and expenses sustained in the accident.
Thank you to attorney Andrew Lynch, P.C. for the above information.