When a negligent party causes a truck accident, they may be required to pay compensation for damages. The damages a person could look to recover after a truck accident case in Pascagoula include economic and non-economic damages. These damages could include medical expenses, lost wages, mental anguish, as well as pain and suffering. Loss of household use is also a common type of non-economic damage. This means that the person could not do regular chores around the house, such as cooking, cleaning, or making repairs to their residence as needed. The family members may seek loss of household use in severe injury or death cases.
Following a tractor-trailer collision, individuals should reach out to an experienced truck accident attorney. They could calculate your Pascagoula truck accident damages and help you seek compensation.
Truck accidents tend to be more severe than regular passenger accidents. Some common injuries that occur as a result of a truck accident include death, broken bones, head trauma, back problems, or internal injuries. Injuries can be minor or major and run the entire spectrum.
The immediate and long-term effects of these injuries vary. Some people recover fully, and they are able to live normal lives. However, when people are severely injured, they are limited in their ability to earn an income and may be unable to carry on with daily life as their life was pre-injury. Death changes the complete makeup of a family, and their pain and suffering could play a significant role in the type of Pascagoula truck accident damages that are available.
As defined by Pascagoula law, economic damages are specific damages that are tangible and could be easily calculated. Economic damages could include lost wages, medical bills, and property damage. The person at fault, their insurance company, is responsible for paying compensation for the injured claimant’s damages. The person’s insurance policy would fix the vehicle or replace the vehicle and seek reimbursement from the at-fault person’s insurance company.
Non-economic damages are damages that are non-pecuniary or non-tangible. It is usually the mental and physical pain and suffering associated with an injury as well as any kind of disfigurement or disability associated with that particular injury. Also, there are damages known as loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, and others.
A judge or jury will determine the amount of compensation for non-economic damages. An experienced personal injury attorney can estimate what types of Pascagoula truck accident damages a judge or jury would award for a particular case.
Punitive could be possible if it was shown that the truck driver acted with reckless disregard or intentionally caused an accident in the case of road rage. However, punitive damages are rare and only available in road rage-type incidents or where a vehicle is used as a weapon. Punitive Damages are completely discretionary if the judge allows the jury to consider, as to the amount of punitive damages.
Caps are in place mostly to prevent unlimited or runaway-type verdicts. There are no caps on economic damages in Pascagoula truck accident cases. There is a $1 million-non-economic damage cap in Pascagoula law on accidents, but usually, those cases are limited by the amount of insurance that is available. The insurance is $1 million for trucks because that is the minimum required before a tractor-trailer can be operated on the roadway. However, certain companies have other available coverages, and those may be available to the injured worker as well.
The role an attorney plays in helping recover damages is mostly to parse through the myriad of insurance policies that are available and make sure that they appropriately compensate the injured person. Gathering evidence is extremely important, and the earlier, the better to try to figure out what went wrong in the accident. It is tough work to try and maximize the amount of Pascagoula truck accident damages available without legal assistance. The trucking company is always working to minimize those damages, so you need a hard-working attorney that is working in your favor.
Call today to learn more about how a truck accident attorney could help your case.