- November 25, 2024
- Attorney Matt Stoddard
- Truck Accidents
How much compensation you can expect from a truck accident lawsuit depends on numerous factors. Every accident is different and has its own facts and intricacies. Verdicts and settlements in truck accidents can range from the thousands of dollars into the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. An experienced Georgia truck accident lawyer can help you determine what your unique case may be worth.
Factors That Influence Truck Accident Settlements
The amount of money you could get in a truck accident settlement will be influenced by several things. These include:
- How severely you were injured. The worse your injuries the more likely a higher settlement.
- Your damages, or losses. Compensation will be greatly influenced by the extent of your medical expenses and other damages.
- The amount of insurance available to cover your losses. Most trucking companies are required to carry at least $1,000,000.00 of insurance but some companies have much larger policies.
- How many parties are at-fault and their percentage of liability. In truck accidents, the truck driver may have caused the accident, but the company they work for may also be liable if they did not properly train the driver or maintain the vehicle; if a part failed on the truck, the manufacturer may also be liable.
- The strength of the evidence of negligence. The stronger the evidence against the driver and other parties, the more likely the parties and their insurers are to offer a fair settlement.
- The degree of negligence. Additional payment may be available in cases of gross negligence.
- Whether you share any responsibility for the accident. In this case, under Georgia statute 51-12-33, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Another important consideration in getting an appropriate settlement is the skill of your personal injury attorney in investigating the evidence, proving fault, and negotiating on your behalf.
Types of Compensation in Truck Accident Lawsuits
Types of damages that may be claimed in truck accident lawsuits include compensation for the following:
- Medical expenses, including hospital costs, doctor bills, rehabilitation, pharmaceutical drugs, and more
- Lost wages and benefits for time missed at work due to the truck crash
- Loss of future earning capacity when you can’t work at the same level anymore, or cannot work at all
- Payment for household assistance or help with the basic tasks of daily life
- Pain and suffering for chronic pain caused by your injuries and mental trauma and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life if you can no longer take part in hobbies and recreations that you once enjoyed
- Punitive damages meant to punish at-fault parties for reckless disregard for the safety of other people and deter future similar behavior.
Damages can be claimed for losses you have already experienced due to the wreck, as well as losses you sustain in the future.
Average Truck Accident Settlement Amounts
These is no average truck accident settlement amount, because so many factors that are individual to each case determine how much an injury victim recovers. The settlement amount depends on all the criteria already touched on above, but the following cases resolved by The Stoddard Firm can give you an idea of what these claims are worth:
- $2,500,000.00 recovery for a man who was sideswiped by a dump truck and suffered a rotator cuff tear and significant back pain. The truck driver was in violation of the hours of service rules.
- $1,000,000.00 recovery for a man who crashed into a tractor-trailer that had previously negligently merged from the right shoulder. The police believed that the injured party caused the wreck, but facts uncovered by our truck accident attorneys strongly suggested that the police got it wrong.
- $950,000.00 recovery for a young mother who was sideswiped by a large commercial vehicle. The at-fault driver denied leaving his lane of travel and blamed the young mother for the wreck. Under a well-prepared cross examination, the other driver admitted that his story was not feasible and that the woman did nothing wrong.
These are just a couple of examples of compensation in truck accident cases. Your potential recovery could be less or more based on the evidence and circumstances.
How a Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
Taking on a trucking company and their big insurer by yourself is a difficult task. An attorney can help you by:
- Assessing damages. Your truck accident lawyer will help you determine your current damages and what your future losses may look like to help establish your claim’s value.
- Investigating the evidence to establish fault and negligence. Evidence includes police reports, eyewitness statements, black box data from the truck, photographs and video of the accident scene and vehicles, and testimony from truck accident expert witnesses.
- Identifying liable parties. It may not be only the truck driver who is liable. In truck accident cases, multiple parties may be named in a claim. Truck drivers, trucking companies, truck parts’ manufacturers, fleet maintenance servicers, drivers of other vehicles, and agencies tasked with road design and maintenance may also be liable, depending on the specific circumstances and evidence.
- Handling all communications with insurance companies of liable parties. Big insurance companies have teams of lawyers working for them to help them reduce their risk. These companies want to pay out as little money as possible to protect their bottom lines. Experienced truck accident attorneys who safeguard the rights of injured parties know how to stand up to insurers and their lawyers. Your attorney will negotiate for the best possible settlement or fight for you in court if necessary.
When you are recuperating from injuries, fighting insurance companies is the last thing you should have to do. Your attorney will go to battle for you while you focus on recovery.
Reach Out to The Stoddard Firm for a Free Consultation
If you have been in an accident involving a large commercial truck and are wondering about compensation you could receive, contact the experienced lawyers at The Stoddard Firm in Atlanta. We can examine the details of your case and advise you about the possible value of your claims and options for getting payment for your injuries. You should not wait if you are considering a legal claim. You generally have two years from the date of the accident (or date you discovered you were injured) to file a personal injury lawsuit under the Georgia statute of limitations.
We provide free, no-obligation consultations in truck accident cases. To schedule a time to speak with an attorney, call 470-467-2200.
Attorney Matt Stoddard
Matt Stoddard is a professional, hardworking, ethical advocate. He routinely faces some of the nation’s largest companies and some of the world’s largest insurers – opponents who have virtually unlimited resources. In these circumstances, Mr. Stoddard is comfortable. Mr. Stoddard provides his strongest efforts to his clients, and he devotes the firm’s significant financial resources to presenting the strongest case possible on their behalf. Matt understands that his clients must put their trust in him. That trust creates an obligation for Matt to work tirelessly on their behalf, and Matt Stoddard does not take that obligation lightly. [ Attorney Bio ]