Recover After A Truck Accident in Florida
If you have been injured in a truck accident, you are probably wondering how much your case is worth and what types of damages you can recover.
Although each case is unique, there are specific types of damages that usually occur in truck accident cases. A Boca Raton truck accident lawyer can help you determine what types of damages you can expect to receive in your case.
Types of Damages
Unfortunately, truck accidents usually cause severe injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), one in ten motor vehicle accident fatalities involve a large truck. Large trucks take 20 to 40 percent farther to stop than a regular car. Large trucks also weight 20 to 30 times more than a typical vehicle.
Damages caused by these accidents are divided into two types: economic damages and non-economic damages.
1. Economic Damages
Economic damages are losses that can be easily calculated. Some examples of economic damages include:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Vehicle repair costs
These are damages with definite values.
If your car is a total loss due to a truck accident, or you receive a bill for emergency rooms services, you can clearly see the cost on the repair invoice or medical bill.
Similarly, if your injuries force you to take time off work, you can easily determine how much income you have lost because of the accident.
2. Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages are not as straightforward. Because they are usually intangible, they are sometimes much more difficult to calculate. Non-economic damages can include:
- Stress
- Inconvenience
- Mental anguish
- Loss of a spouse’s services
- Loss of enjoyment of life
They can also include pain and suffering.
These types of damages do not generally come with an invoice or billing statement, which makes them harder to value.
How Pain and Suffering Is Calculated
Courts look at a number of considerations when determining an accident victim’s pain and suffering damages. Some of these considerations include:
1. The injured person’s life expectancy
If you are injured in a truck accident when you are quite young, your injury could affect your life for years or decades. A catastrophic injury, such as paralysis, could stop you from working for the rest of your life.
2. Pre-existing conditions
If you suffered from a pre-existing health condition before the accident, the defendant may attempt to prove that your pain and suffering is not due to the injuries you sustained in the truck accident, but is merely an aggravation of your pre-existing condition.
3. Occupation
Injuries caused by a truck accident can be life-altering in several ways. For example, a surgeon who suffers an amputation of one of his hands due to a truck accident is unlikely to resume his surgical career. This is a major factor in determining damages.
Getting Help after a Truck Accident Injury
If you have been injured in a truck accident in Florida or elsewhere, a Boca Raton truck accident lawyer can help you evaluate your case and determine what types of damages you may be eligible to receive.
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