If you have been injured in a truck accident, one of the more important questions you need to have answered is, “How much can I recover for my injury?” For most truck accident victims, the costs of their injuries are far more than they can afford to pay, and even a good health insurance policy will only cover a fraction of their losses.
An experienced truck accident injury lawyer can assess the damages in your case and pursue fair compensation on your behalf. Contact The Law Offices of Mickey Fine today for a free consultation.
Why It Is Critical to Accurately Calculate Your Losses After a Truck Accident
Calculating your losses after a truck accident is not easy, and it is not something that can be done right away. This is because determining what compensation you can recover requires a clear understanding of the current and future impacts of your injury. Your future expenses will almost certainly account for the largest portion of your recovery, and your lawyer will need to work with your doctor and other experts to ensure that your claim truly reflects just compensation for the costs you will incur.
Given the effort required to calculate your losses – and given that you only get one chance to recover compensation – it is important that you contact a lawyer about your claim as soon as possible.
Your lawyer will investigate the truck accident and your injuries, gather evidence, calculate your losses, and pursue a claim for just compensation. You, meanwhile, can focus on recovering from your injuries.
What Types of Compensation Are Recoverable for Truck Accident Injuries?
As a truck accident victim, it is important to have a clear understanding of the types of compensation you are eligible to recover. While you will need to rely on your lawyer to calculate the amount of compensation you are owed, knowing what you can recover (even if you don’t know how much you can recover) will allow you to make smart decisions and take the steps you need to take so that your lawyer can seek maximum compensation on your behalf.
The types of compensation that are available to truck accident victims in California can be broken down into two broad categories. These are: (i) compensation for economic losses and (ii) compensation for non-economic losses.
Compensation for Economic Losses from Truck Accident Injuries
Your financial losses after a truck accident consist of your out-of-pocket costs and your loss of income. As noted above, this includes both current and future losses. This is important to understand, as your future medical expenses and lost earnings could far exceed your medical expenses and lost earnings to date.
1. Out-of-Pocket Costs
The out-of-pocket costs you can recover after a truck accident in California include any and all expenses you incur as a result of the accident. While your medical bills are the main consideration here, there are various other types of expenses truck accident victims can seek to recover as well.
In a typical case, recoverable out-of-pocket costs after a truck accident include:
- Medical bills
- Therapy and rehabilitation bills
- Prescription costs
- Medical supply costs
- Transportation costs
- Costs for home and/or vehicle modifications
- Costs for childcare, cleaning, landscaping, and other services
Your lawyer can advise you what evidence is required to support a claim for out-of-pocket expenses. Be sure to keep any medical bills, receipts, and other paperwork.
2. Loss of Income
Loss of income encompasses income from all sources, including wages or salary, tips, commissions, and benefits. If you have used paid time off following your truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation for this as well.
While calculating your loss of income to date should be relatively straightforward (involving review of your recent pay stubs and other employment records), calculating your loss of future income is a more complicated process. Your lawyer may hire one or more experts to provide testimony on how your truck accident injuries could affect your ability to do your job long-term.
Compensation for Non-Economic Losses from Truck Accident Injuries
Your non-financial losses after a truck accident comprise the physical, emotional, and practical impacts of your injuries. The categories of non-economic damages that may be recovered after a truck accident in California include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of companionship, consortium, services, and society
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Unlike your financial losses, there is no way to directly calculate the non-financial impacts of your injury. Serious traumatic injuries impact everyone differently, and everyone’s personal circumstances are unique.
Instead, calculating compensation for non-financial losses involves understanding how your injury impacts your life, and then using one of two methods (either the “per diem” method or the “multiplier” method) to place a dollar value on the losses that you will never truly be able to recover. In many cases, truck accident victims’ non-financial losses may account for the greatest portion of their financial compensation.
Contact a Truck Accident Injury Lawyer Today
For more than 30 years, The Law Offices of Mickey Fine has been representing clients in a wide range of accident claims. Our experienced attorney and his team understand the impact of truck accidents, and we are dedicated to pursuing the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, please call (661) 333-3333 today for a free consultation. The Law Offices of Mickey Fine serves clients in Bakersfield, and other areas of California.