If you were hurt in a truck accident, you may be able to sue for pain and suffering. You could claim those damages along with your medical bills, lost income, and property damage.
Still, the compensation you can recover is unique to your situation. A personal injury attorney can review your case and identify what you are eligible to recover.
Types of Compensation People Seek After a Truck Accident
The kinds of damages you can pursue after getting injured in a truck accident will depend on the unique facts of your situation. A personal injury attorney can talk to you and investigate the accident and your injuries to determine what you can include in your injury claim.
Here are some of the common types of compensation people seek after getting hurt in a truck accident:
- Pain and suffering. This category addresses the physical discomfort and the emotional distress of the collision and your injuries. You might have anxiety about whether your life will ever return to normal or whether you will lose your job before you are well enough to go back to work. Your lawyer can assess your medical bills and other economic damages to put a price on your pain and suffering damages.
- Lost wages. Your injury claim could include lost wages if you did not get paid your full regular income because you were recuperating. This category can include salary, bonuses, benefits, business opportunities, and other types of regular income.
- Diminished future wages. If you have to reduce your working hours or take a lower-paying position because of ongoing problems from your injuries, you could recover the difference in pay.
- Property repair expenses. Your vehicle may have been damaged or totaled in the truck accident.
- Medical bills. Your medical expenses from a truck accident could include the ambulance, emergency room, hospital stay, diagnostic procedures, doctors, operations, prescription drugs, physical therapy, and other related costs.
- Long-term care expenses. People who suffer catastrophic injuries like spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injury from a tractor-trailer collision might need daily assistance with medical treatments and personal care.
- Wrongful death. If your loved one passed away because of their truck accident injuries, you could seek a recovery for the costs of their medical care and funeral arrangements.
Your personal injury attorney might uncover additional types of money damages that you could pursue for your losses after you were injured in a truck accident.
Why the Trucking Company Could Be Liable for the Collision
If the truck driver caused the accident through carelessness, like speeding or being impaired by alcohol, you could file a lawsuit against the trucking company, seeking compensation for your injuries. Because of vicarious liability, employers take financial responsibility for their employees’ negligent actions.
Additionally, the trucking company could have been careless, too. If the trucking company caused or contributed to the accident, you might be able to sue it. For example, a trucking company that does not perform adequate background checks before hiring drivers could be liable if a driver with a history of DUI convictions causes a collision while under the influence of alcohol.
Also, some trucking companies break regulations that limit the number of hours drivers can operate big rigs without taking a break or getting adequate sleep. Your personal injury lawyer can check the records of the trucking company to see if the driver and the company violated these regulations.
How Much Time You Have to File a Lawsuit for Your Truck Accident Injuries
Generally speaking, Texas law only gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit to seek compensation from the negligent party that caused your injuries in a truck accident. The same statute, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, also limits the time for filing a wrongful death lawsuit to two years.
If you miss this deadline, called the statute of limitations, the law will bar you from going after the liable party for your losses. Being in negotiations with the defendant’s claims adjuster or insurance company does not satisfy the statute of limitations. If your case does not settle, you can take it to court.
Learn About Suing for Pain and Suffering After a Truck Accident Today
You do not have to keep track of the statute of limitations or deal with the other laws that govern truck accident cases if you work with our personal injury attorneys from the beginning.
We are happy to offer a free initial consultation to people who get hurt because of the carelessness of others. Call in the Strong Arm at Loncar Lyon Jenkins today by phone or through our online form to find out how we can help you. We offer our services on contingency, so your lawyer won’t ask for any fees unless and until they resolve your case.
