Wrecks involving 18-wheelers are much different than run-of-the-mill car accidents. This fact should come as no surprise, considering a typical 18-wheeler weighs 80,000 pounds, which is behemoth when considering the average car only weighs about 5,000 pounds.
Because of the sheer force of the weight behind these trucks, damage can be catastrophic and prosecuting the legal cases is much more complicated. Hiring an experienced attorney will give you the best chance of receiving adequate financial compensation for your pain and suffering, lost wages, and most importantly, injuries. Fatalities are not uncommon, and families are left behind in financial ruin, having to prosecute for wrongful death. The whole experience can be overwhelming.
Greater Devastation Leads to Bigger Settlements
Accidents involving cars and small trucks happen more often, but 18-wheeler wrecks are much more lethal. If there is a silver lining, payouts are usually commensurate with the damage done. While money is a very small consolation when you are seriously hurt or you are grieving the loss of a loved one, knowing that the at-fault party will substantially pay for their negligence can be heartening and protect the next innocent driver from the careless trucker.
Often your lawyer will be suing a company instead of an individual driver, and those payouts can be substantial. Consider that in May 2019, a jury in Texas awarded $80 million in damages to a truck driver who proved that the company that employed him forced him to change his logbook and work overtime, exceeding the federal limit for hours of service rules.
Lauro Lozano wound up falling asleep while driving and crashed into another big rig, crushing his pelvis and suffering trauma to his abdomen. Excessive medical expenses for such catastrophic injuries are just one reason settlements can balloon into the millions of dollars. Unfortunately, there are many other reasons as well.
Inability to Work and Loss of Income
Eighteen-wheeler accidents may result in permanent disability or a prolonged time away from the workplace. It is possible that the victim is completely unable to return to their previous profession. The inability to carry on with a chosen career often results in a larger settlement, including not only financial loss, but also mental anguish and sorrow at the loss of a beloved career.
More Property Damage
When colliding with these super-sized 18-wheelers, a regular car or truck is usually a total loss. That means the driver is often entitled to the entire Blue Book value of the vehicle.
Pain and Suffering
The insurmountable fear of being run off the road or getting into a collision with a huge truck can lead to unspeakable physical as well as emotional distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder. The judge will take into account the impact on daily life activities when calculating the amount to be paid.
Extensive injuries are almost always the outcome of large vehicle wrecks:
Traumatic brain injury
Wrongful death
Internal bleeding
Loss of limbs or amputation
Paralysis
Herniated disc
Whiplash
Severe lacerations
Blunt force trauma
If 18-wheeler accidents sound like your worst nightmare, you're not alone. Every day, we see victims that feel hopeless and helpless when confronting the large insurance companies hired by trucking companies. But don't be bullied.
Understanding and applying the law to these complex cases is what a truck accident law firm specializes in. In many cases, with time and patience and the right legal counsel, complete resolution and satisfactory financial recoveries are achieved. Tragic 18-wheeler accidents can, and often do, result in positive outcomes.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
