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Truck Accident Settlements

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In 2008 there was a total of 123,918 large trucks and 13,263 buses that were involved in non-fatal crashes in the United States. 49,084 large trucks and 7,123 buses were involved in injury crashes. 73,047 injuries resulted in large truck crashes, and 16,760 injuries due to bus crashes. There were also 74,834 large trucks and 6,140 buses that were involved in tow away crashes, and 2,609 large trucks and 11 buses that were involved in Hazmat Placard (carrying potentially dangerous substances) crashes. Most of the fatal truck accidents occurred 68% of the time in rural areas, 66% during the day time, and 78% of the time on weekdays. Passenger vehicles are less likely than large trucks to be involved in a fatal multi-vehicle accident.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, or if a truck accident has caused the injury or death of a loved one, you may be eligible to receive a substantial truck accident settlement.

According to statistics, the majority of truck accident cases are usually settled out of court, and such cases do not see a jury trial very often. When the fault in the truck accident case is very obvious, and the negligent party accepts their fault in the accident, such cases are able to settle out of court, as long as both the parties agree to the settlement terms.

But what constitutes a good settlement?

Each and every truck accident case is different and thus settlement values will also differ on a case-to-case basis. There are many factors that will be weighed in any individual truck accident settlement, including the extent of your injuries, the length of time it will take for your injuries to heal, the amount of time you will be absent from work, the strength of your case, the amount of insurance held by the negligent party, and the nature of the accident itself. More than one person can have the same type of injury, though one may suffer much more than the other. The amount one may receive in damages can also vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

One may be able to receive economic damages, which are easy to estimate because they are quantifiable. There is also no cap to the amount of economic damages one may receive. A number that may be included in this is the amount of income one makes and how much they lose because of an accident. Age can also play a factor, as a younger person who suffers from a life long injury may spend more in medical expenses than a person who is older.

Then there are non-economic damages, which include damages for suffering and pain. These can have a limit in some states. Punitive damages which are meant to punish the defendant are included in this.

Only a competent truck accident lawyer will be in a position to tell you whether or not you are being offered a fair settlement and whether you should accept the settlement or not. By taking into account the strengths of your truck accident case, determining how much money is available, and seeing previous settlements in similar cases, your attorney will be able to gauge the damages you may be awarded in a jury trial and can thus figure out if the settlement offered to you is fair or not.

It's also important to consider is the driver is responsible for the accident. If jackknifing, fuel fires, rollovers and braking were elements of the crash, then the liability of the driver can be questioned. His or her negligence can greatly effect the outcomes of these types of cases.