What Affects Compensation In Car Or Truck Accidents?

Accidents involving cars and trucks are unfortunately common. People who suffered injuries in these accidents have the right to demand compensation. However, several factors will affect how much compensation will be involved in the case. 

Liability

Normally, liability is the biggest factor. Partial liability rules mean the defendant only pays whatever percentage reflects their liability. If a defendant was 70% liable in a $100,000 case, for example, then they'd pay $70,000 in damages.

Truck and car accident attorneys work hard to prove that their clients weren't liable. They may present evidence showing that the defendant was not fit to operate a vehicle at the time. For example, truck accident attorneys may present company logs that show a driver was operating on insufficient sleep. Typically, this raises the defendant's liability.

Medical Bills

Medical bills tend to form the baseline for compensation. Car accident lawyers will seek compensation for their clients' hospital stays, rehabilitation, and ongoing care. They also can demand compensation for future medical expenses for however long the victim might need. Truck accident lawyers, in particular, often handle cases where their clients will never fully recover. Consequently, they'll demand compensation to cover decades of projected expenses for things like in-home care, future medical procedures, and prescriptions.

Economic Damages

Victims can seek compensation for economic losses. These go beyond the simple damage to a vehicle. You also can pursue damages for lost wages since the accident and projected losses going forward. Notably, projected economic losses are based on your current employment and not what you might have done employment-wise had there not been an accident.

Pain and Suffering

You also deserve compensation for your pain and suffering. This includes what you experienced at the moment of the accident, what you experienced during treatment, and what you may experience in the future.

Traditionally, insurers and courts use pain and suffering as a multiplier. Depending on the severity of the victim's pain and suffering, they'll apply the multiplier to the medical damages to calculate compensation for pain and suffering. Unsurprisingly, truck accident lawyers often seek high multiples given the severity of wrecks involving rigs.

Life Value

Finally, you can pursue compensation for the loss of certain types of life value. Married people can seek damages for loss of consortium. Parents can seek compensation for the loss of the ability to parent. You can also pursue damages for the loss of your enjoyment of life, such as no longer participating in your preferred hobbies.

Contact local car accident attorneys to learn more.

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