A traffic accident that involves a semi-truck can lead to significant personal injuries, expensive vehicle damage, and long-term expenses. If you have been hurt in a truck accident because of another party’s negligence, this party should pay for your damages. Before filing a claim or lawsuit, you should consult with a semi truck accident lawyer Ontario to know your legal options and rights.
Kinds of Damages You Can Recover
Before you take legal action against the party that caused your injuries, you must understand the kind of damages you can recover. The kinds of losses you sustained can determine which compensation categories you may be eligible to seek from the negligent party. In California, accident victims can pursue both economic and non-economic damages.
Compensatory damages will reimburse you for the losses you suffered after a truck accident. Also, you may be awarded punitive damages meant to punish the defendant for their negligence.
Assessing Your Truck Accident Claim
To calculate your possible award, your attorney will add up your economic damages that include your medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, vehicle repair cost, and lost wages. It may be necessary to collect your medical bills and employment information to make this calculation. The best way to get an estimate of your accident claim’s value is to consult with an attorney. Your lawyer will consider the extent of your damages and the facts of your case to come up with a realistic estimate of your total damages.
How Non-Economic Damages are Calculated
To get a good idea of the value of your claim, you must understand how juries will calculate noneconomic damages. These damages do not have a dollar value, so they are not easy to measure. To calculate these damages, the court will usually multiply your economic damage amount by 1-5. The resulting number will represent the seriousness of your injuries. For instance, a single broken bone may get a multiplier of 1 or 2 while a disabling brain injury may get 5.
Sometimes, juries may also use a per-day calculation method. They will look at the length of time a doctor expects your accident injuries to last. The jury will then assign a daily noneconomic pay every day of your recovery. Typically, such a daily rate is close to the amount you would of your daily salary in your job. To know the amount of compensation you could get for the costs of your financial, emotional, and physical damages, discuss your case with an experienced truck accident lawyer.
