You can recover compensation for any damages you suffer in a semi-truck accident. Many who are hit by trucks face medical costs, debilitating physical pain and discomfort, psychological and emotional trauma, lost income (and other professional damages), and property-related expenses, including vehicle repair costs. Damages from truck accidents tend to be more serious than damages from collisions involving lighter vehicles. More weight, in the case of truck accidents, means more harm to the accident victims. It’s worth hiring a Billings, MT truck accident lawyer (and the experience they bring to your case) to pursue the compensation you deserve after your semi-truck accident.
The Economic Cost of a Truck Accident
There is a financial cost whenever a multi-thousand-pound vehicle strikes another vehicle or a pedestrian. That cost can reach five, six, seven, or even eight figures, particularly when the crash results in disabling injuries. The term “economic damages” refers to those we typically measure in monetary terms. Examples of possible economic damages from a truck accident include: - Medical costs: After a semi-truck accident, you might need ambulance transport, emergency medical care, hospitalization, surgeries, and many other forms of care.
- Medical-adjacent costs: Some costs may not be traditionally considered “medical expenses” but also entitle an accident victim to compensation. This may include the cost of medications, medical equipment, and rehabilitative services.
- Lost income: Those hit by a truck typically need at least a day off work and sometimes far more time than that. If your income is not guaranteed, time off work will mean lost income. If you suffered a severe injury or were disabled during the accident, you may lose your income for the foreseeable future.
- More professional damages: Injuries from a truck accident might also erode your earning power, prevent you from earning bonuses and other incentives, cost you benefits you receive through your employer, and result in other professional damages.
- The cost of repairing or replacing a damaged vehicle: If your vehicle was damaged during the collision with the semi-truck, your lawyer will seek compensation for repairs. If your vehicle was totaled, your lawyer will determine the vehicle’s replacement value.
The Non-Economic Cost of a Truck Accident: Also Known as Pain and Suffering
The financial value of your non-economic damages may be just as significant as your economic damages. While financial damages like vehicle repairs may hit your account once, the toll of pain and suffering can linger, draining your quality of life without an end in sight. Some types of pain and suffering your lawyer may include in your case are:- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is proven to result from traffic accidents
- Scarring, amputation injuries, and other types of disfigurement (which can come from contact with broken glass, road rash, contact with hot vehicle components, and other hazards)
- Lost quality of life, which is often inevitable when you suffer injuries, psychological trauma, or both
- Emotional anguish
- Changes in your mood and personality, which may result from brain trauma, the psychological effects of the accident, or the general difficulty of being in a serious truck collision
- Loss of physical abilities
- Difficulty sleeping, which may be due in part to traumatic memories of the collision
There Is No Room for Error When Calculating the Cost of a Truck Accident. Let an Attorney Assist You.
You should never be hasty in accepting a settlement after a truck accident. Instead, hire an attorney to ensure you’re seeking the entire money you deserve. You cannot risk accepting less money than you deserve because: - You may struggle financially for the foreseeable future: Most people do not have the financial security to absorb the cost of an accident. If you do not receive full compensation for accident-related damages, you may be facing financial hardship for the foreseeable future.
- You might be unable to afford the medical care and mental health services you need: If you are struggling financially, you may be more likely to forego medical care. Doing so may delay recovery or even result in permanent medical conditions.
- Your quality of life may decline dramatically: Financial hardship, lingering injury symptoms, and the other consequences of a meager financial recovery will diminish your quality of life. You deserve recovery, and you also deserve to get your life back to normal as soon as possible. A Billiings, MT truck accident lawyer will pursue the amount of compensation that will enable you to get your life back—to the degree that you can.
How Your Attorney May Value the Cost of Your Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Several factors can influence the cost of a truck accident case. Your attorney will total your financial losses, but determining a case value is not so simple. A truck accident lawyer must also account for: The Severity of Their Client’s Injuries and Trauma
There is a direct correlation between the severity of one’s injuries and the cost of their case. The more serious your injuries and trauma are, the more (and more expensive) care you may need.Your Recovery Timeline (and Whether You Are Disabled)
Whether you anticipate a relatively speedy recovery or are permanently disabled, you deserve fair compensation. That said, a longer recovery timeline (or a permanent disability) generally means a more expensive case.The Details of Your Personal and Professional Life
Your semi-truck accident attorney will handle your case through the lens of you. This is an essential approach because:- The details of your professional life, like the amount of money you earn, will affect how much money your lawyer seeks—if you lose a month’s worth of income due to injury, your lawyer needs to know what that amount of income is
- The details of your personal life also matter—if you cannot be the family member you want to be because of accident-related trauma, for example, this is relevant to your case
The Circumstances Surrounding the Accident
The details of your accident can be relevant to your case value because:- Some types of negligence are egregious and may call for your lawyer to seek punitive damages
- The share of fault for the semi-truck accident may affect the value of your case
More Duties Your Semi-Truck Collision Attorney Will Perform for You
Valuing your case is an important responsibility for your Billings truck accident lawyer, but it’s just one of many important duties your lawyer will handle. You should also expect your commercial truck collision lawyer to: Determine Whose Negligence Caused the Collision
Accidents don’t happen unless someone is negligent. If everyone—from truck manufacturers to trucking companies and drivers—acted responsibly, crashes wouldn’t occur. Your lawyer will determine whose negligence caused your accident. They may evaluate video footage, witness accounts, your recollection of the accident, and all other accident-related evidence to establish who caused the wreck.Document Your Recoverable Damages
No two truck accident survivors suffer the same damages. Your attorney will secure the documentation necessary to prove your damages, which may include:- X-rays and other images of your injuries
- Medical bills (which are direct proof of the cost of accident-related care)
- Your heartfelt statements about how the accident has caused you pain, anguish, and other types of pain and suffering
- Testimony from doctors and mental health experts about your injuries and pain and suffering (and care costs associated with each)
- Bills for vehicle repairs and temporary transportation
- Your income statements showing a decline in income or earning power
Be the Contact for Insurance Companies (and Anyone Else Taking Part in Your Case)
When we say a Billings, MT semi-truck accident lawyer will handle every detail of your case, we mean every detail. It includes phone calls and other correspondence from other insurance companies, which:- May start immediately after the accident (so don’t wait to hire your attorney)
- Maybe well-disguised attempts to violate your rights
- Can lead to a costly lapse in judgment if you don’t allow your lawyer to handle them—countless accident victims have accepted lowball settlements from insurance companies, to their great regret
- Are better left to an attorney
Evaluate Insurance Policies (and Weigh Whether a Lawsuit Can Benefit You)
Aside from when premium payments are drafted from our bank accounts, insurance policies are an afterthought for most. Only when an accident happens, do most truly consider what the policy says. Insurance policies are dense, complicated, filled with conditions and coverage limits, and the type of document a lawyer will evaluate for you.Engage in Settlement Negotiations
A settlement can be the best way to resolve your truck accident case. Your attorney will be your representative in settlement talks, and they will enter those talks with:- Proof of who caused the accident
- Highlights of relevant details of insurance policies
- Documentation of your accident-related damages
- Any expert testimony that supports your case
- Arguments for why you deserve the compensation your lawyer is pursuing on your behalf
- The intent to negotiate the deal you deserve
Attack the Legal Process, If Your Case Requires It
If circumstances lead you to file a lawsuit, allow your lawyer to lead the legal process ferociously. Winning a legal case requires determination, resolve, and plenty of resources. Your lawyer will provide all three of these resources.Trucking Companies (in Montana and Elsewhere) Have a Duty to Prevent Accidents. One Company May Have Failed You.
Trucking companies must protect others, including the more than 100,000 people who call Billings home. Your lawyer will investigate and determine whether a trucking company is liable for your accident-related damages. Some reasons why a trucking company might be liable for an accident involving their driver are:- Negligent hiring practices: If a trucking company hires any employees who are unfit for the job, including drivers, the company can be held liable for any accidents resulting from its negligence.
- Unsafe equipment: Unsafe trucks and cargo trailers are clear accident hazards that a trucking company must prevent through maintenance and replacement of outdated equipment.
- Failure to monitor employees: Ensuring employees are rule-abiding, sober, and fit to drive is one of a trucking company’s most pressing duties.