Were you injured in a serious semi-truck crash in Iowa? You’re probably worried about paying your medical bills and taking care of your family – all while you do your best to recover.
Quickly settling your claim might seem like the best option, but how do you know what amount is fair for all your harms and losses?
Determining How Much Your Truck Crash Case is Worth
How much your semi-truck accident claim is worth depends on many factors. To find out what your case is worth, you need to consider the following:
1. Who has legal responsibility for your truck crash injuries?
It takes more than just being injured in an accident to be entitled to compensation. After a serious Iowa semi-truck crash, you must be able to prove that one or more parties were negligent. Proving the truck driver or the trucking company was negligent is one of the steps to proving your case to a jury. If you are unable to do this, it’s unlikely you will get compensation for your injuries.
Truck accidents are different than “regular” car accidents because there may be more than one party who can be held liable for your injuries. Every crash is different, but some of the parties that could be liable for your crash-related injuries include:
• The truck driver
• The company who hired the truck driver
• The company who owns the truck
• The company who owns the trailer
• The company who loaded the trailer
• The company who performed maintenance on the truck or trailer
Determining who is liable for your injuries is complex and is best left to an experienced Iowa truck accident attorney.
2. How bad were your semi-truck accident injuries?
The extent of your injuries matters in how much your truck accident claim may be worth. Injuries that are more severe or permanent generally mean you can get more compensation.
Permanent injuries in particular can mean more compensation, as those types of injuries will affect you for the rest of your life. They may keep you from helping out around the house as much as you used to. You may also have trouble with hobbies you used to enjoy or struggle working at the same job you had before the crash.
If that happens, you may be entitled to types of damages known as “non-economic” damages. This can include loss of consortium – which is the loss of love and affection between a spouse or children – and loss of future earning capacity – if you are forced to take a lower-paying job due to your injuries, you may be able to recover damages for the difference in wages.
If you have permanent injuries, you may also need to visit the doctor or have other ongoing or future medical care. Settling your claim without figuring these future bills into the settlement can mean those costs may come out of your pocket.
This can get complicated fast, and your best bet is to seek out a skilled Iowa semi-truck crash lawyer to get you the compensation you deserve.
RSH Legal offers free, no-obligation case evaluations for semi-truck accident victims. To schedule yours, call 1-800-433-0283 today.
