What Factors Determine The Settlement You Get After A Truck Accident?
Thousands of preventable truck accidents happen every year. Many of them result from the truck drivers' negligence, lack of rest—which leads to sleeping on the wheel—poorly maintained trucks, overloading, and defying speed limits and other traffic rules. Trucks are typically heavy, and due to their momentum when in motion, they could lead to devastating outcomes.
If you have been injured or you have had your vehicle and other property damaged in a truck accident, you can make a claim and get compensated for it. The amount of money you get as a settlement depends on the following factors.
How Well Can You Prove Liability?
Car accident settlement cases are not as strict as criminal cases. However, there are minimum thresholds of evidence where you have to prove that the other party was at fault. Most of the time, all you have to do is provide more reliable evidence that the other party to were at fault.
In most states, they also offer the settlement depending on how much liability you hold for the accident. If they find that you were responsible for the accident after cross-examining the facts, they might deny you a settlement altogether.
What Is the Extent Of Your Injuries and Damages?
The amount of money you may be awarded as settlement also depends on the extent of your injuries and damages. Serious injuries mean that you use more money for medical treatment. It also means that you might be incapacitated and will have to stay out of work for a while. Your lawyer should factor in all these medical costs, lost earnings, and other related expenses when deciding how much to ask for in the settlement.
They will also have the physical damages you have incurred in the accident factored into the settlement. If you can prove emotional anguish and psychological pain from the accident, you might also be compensated for it.
How Capable Is Your Lawyer?
The type and amount of settlement you get also depends on the capability of your lawyer. A good lawyer will know how to gather evidence properly and present it in a way that gets you an appropriate settlement.
Truck accidents can result in total devastation. You need to hire a competent truck accident lawyer after the accident to help you gather evidence and get a settlement. With a skilled lawyer, you are unlikely to encounter significant problems as you pursue a compensation claim. Contact a truck accident lawyer for more information.