What Are Truck Accident Settlements Worth in Nevada?
Truck accidents typically result in severe injuries and property damage due to the vehicles’ properties. Seeking compensation is expected after getting involved in one or if a loved one passes away in a trucking accident. A common question victims ask is how much they can expect to get in a settlement.
The Issue with Average Truck Accident Settlements
The problem with trying to determine the average commercial vehicle accident settlement Nevada is that every case is different. Several factors, including who is liable, whether punitive damages apply, the extent of the victim’s injuries, the role the victim played in the accident, and many others play a role in determining settlement amounts. Calculating an average becomes difficult because they are all different in different cases.
However, a truck accident injury lawyer can use a formula as a starting point for negotiations. This formula uses the damages associated with pain and suffering, medical bills, lost income, and property damage to compute a starting sum. The attorney can then include other costs and damages, such as the inability to become gainfully employed in the future.
It is important to find commercial truck accident lawyers Nevada who are willing to listen to understand your situation and then take into account all these expenses and damages. They should also be willing to fight for every dollar to ensure you get the best settlement that leads to a fulfilling life.
Factors That Impact Settlement Amounts
The damages that result from commercial truck accidents are usually more extensive than those associated with car accidents. Before negotiating any settlement, it is important to understand each of the factors a truck accident lawyer considers and how they affect the value of your claim.
Medical Bills
Medical bills are perhaps one of the most crucial determinants of settlement amounts. In accidents resulting in serious injuries, medical and rehabilitation bills are usually very high. Additional costs include emergency room, surgery, ambulatory transport, long-term care, prescription medicine, and medical equipment costs.
When talking to commercial truck accident attorneys Nevada to see if they can represent you, you should also ask them how they calculate future medical expenses. Each attorney calculates it differently, but it should be included in the final sum because you can reasonably expect to incur these costs in the future.
Property Damage
A trucking accident will likely result in damage to your vehicle. The cost of repairing it will vary depending on the extent of the damage and should be accounted for when calculating the finance compensation.
In some cases, the vehicle will be damaged beyond repair. In these instances, you can initiate a conversation with the at-fault party’s insurance company with the help of your truck accident lawyer.
You should hire a lawyer who is willing to persist with this. The reason is that insurance companies will do everything they can to not pay or to delay the payment as much as possible. Your attorney should be willing and able to apply as much pressure as necessary to get you a settlement offer or compensation as soon as possible. If not, they should be willing to go to court and seek the required amount for you.
Insurance companies typically send a settlement offer once they receive a summons or information that the attorney has filed a lawsuit. Ensure your attorney will negotiate the best settlement, even if that means getting a comparable car in exchange.
Loss of Income, Earning Capacity, or Business Opportunity
These three can occur in different ways. The injuries sustained during a truck accident can make it difficult or impossible to work again. If this happens, your attorney can demonstrate that injuries are very severe to push the at-fault party, their insurance company, or attorneys to adjust their settlement accordingly.
A loss of business opportunity can occur due to injury or because the accident causes you to miss a meeting with an important client. Regardless, your attorney should consider this when negotiating your settlement.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, some truck accidents result in fatalities. Families can seek compensation for the loss of their loved ones if this happens. The process starts with contacting Nevada commercial truck accident lawyers who also specialize in wrongful death suits. If not, these firms can direct families to the best wrongful death lawyers in Nevada so they can seek justice for their loved one.
Several factors can determine the settlement amount in these cases. If the loved one was the primary provider, the financial impact on the family is huge so the at-fault party has to adjust the sum accordingly. Families can also sue for burial expenses and emotional and mental suffering associated with losing a loved one.
In addition to suing for wrongful death and seeking compensation that way, families can also sue for loss of intimacy, affection, and protection. These are things they will no longer get after a loved one passes, and they have a right to sue for them.
However, these typically fall under civil suits outside truck accidents and wrongful death lawsuits. For this reason, the family must hire a lawyer specializing in this area.
Disability, Disfigurement, and Loss of Quality of Life
Permanent disability and disfigurement can cause a loss of income and opportunities as discussed above. However, they can also cause a loss of quality of life.
This happens when the victim is no longer able to do the things they used to do. For example, they may have been an avid marathon runner and benefited greatly from it. Their inability to no longer compete due to their injuries can be deemed to have caused a loss of quality of life and be grounds for a better settlement.
Truck accidents have far-reaching consequences, and their victims should be compensated by the at-fault party accordingly. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine the average settlement amount, but there are ways to ensure the victim or their family receives the compensation they deserve. This entails considering several factors and tying their effects directly to the accident. An experienced truck accident attorney is essential in helping them do this and get the compensation they deserve. Contact Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys today if you think you have a case.
