Truck accidents cause significant injury, often those with long-lasting repercussions requiring a significant amount of medical care. Many people have vehicle damage, cannot work for a period of time, and suffer pain and suffering as a result of the incident. If you did not cause the accident, and it was due to the negligence or recklessness of another party, they may owe you compensation, and a North Charleston truck accident lawyer at Shelly Leeke Law Firm can help.
3 Types of Damages After a Truck Accident
Truck accidents impact people in multiple ways, but it is up to you to prove to the court what losses you have. To do that, most damages are aligned within three specific categories, all of which may apply in your case, depending on the specific incident details. The three types of damages after a truck accident include:
- Economic damages: Economic damages are tangible losses you have had as a result of the accident. This often includes medical bills and damage to your vehicle.
- Non-economic damages: These damages relate to less tangible but impactful losses, such as pain and suffering and emotional trauma.
- Punitive damages: Though rarely awarded, judges issue these damages as a way to punish someone who has engaged in intentional or reckless behavior leading to the incident.
At the Shelly Leeke Law Firm, our truck accident attorneys guide clients in determining which types of damages they can collect after a truck accident, as well as how much that accident is worth. The value is dependent, in most cases, on evidence. With the help of our highly experienced legal team, we can help you navigate all of your legal options to maximize your claim.
Economic Damages After a Truck Accident
A significant portion of your damages will relate to economic damages or those that are more tangible, often with documented proof of loss. You must prove that you suffered these damages based on the actual monetary value you spent on them. Some examples of these damages include:
- Medical expenses: This could include all of the medical care you received, hospital stays, medical procedures, and rehabilitation costs.
- Property damage: This is any type of property loss from the accident, such as damage to your vehicle or something within your vehicle.
- Lost time at work: If you were unable to work for a period of time due to your injury, you may be able to collect damages for your wages as well as any benefits lost.
- Legal fees: In some situations, you may be able to collect the cost of hiring an attorney to represent you in this legal matter.
Our truck accident attorney will help you navigate and explore all possible economic damages you have by looking at all of the evidence in your case. Our goal is always to be exhaustive and thorough, ensuring we can document those losses and prove them in a court of law, if necessary. Discuss your case with our legal team today.
Non-Economic Damages After a Truck Accident
Non-economic truck accident damages are less tangible and harder to calculate since they do not typically have a specific bill associated with them or a simple way to determine the losses. These losses are to compensate for the physical and emotional suffering you experienced as a result of the accident. The following are some examples of non-economic damages common in truck accidents:
- Mental anguish or emotional turmoil
- Physical pain
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Fear and anxiety
- Scarring or disfigurement
Many times, non-economic damages are highly valued and difficult to calculate. Our truck accident attorney uses cases like your own that have been awarded damages like these in the past, as well as documented losses in your life, to prove your right to this type of compensation. Expect us to be aggressive in seeking evidence for any type of financial losses you have in this area.
Punitive Damages After a Truck Accident
Though they are rare to recover, punitive damages are a third type. These are awarded to you, the victim, if the judge orders them to be paid. These losses are meant to operate as a type of punishment for the party that caused the accident.
Punitive damage value is determined by the judge in your truck accident case. They are typically available only in situations where we can prove the truck driver’s actions were intentional or specifically grievous. They may also apply in situations of fraud or malice in other forms.
If you believe you should be paid punitive damages, our truck accident attorneys will help you to determine this. Meet with us to discuss your case fully and allow our legal team to help you secure the compensation owed to you. You have a lot of potential money to claim after a serious truck accident, and we can help you.
Did Your Loved One Die in a Truck Accident?
Another type of compensation that you may be owed is for wrongful death, which is a claim close family members can make in situations where their loved one dies as a result of the negligence or recklessness of the truck driver or associated party. If this happens, you may be able to claim lost wages and benefits, funeral and burial costs, medical costs for those injuries, and pain and suffering for the person who died with the help of a wrongful death lawyer in South Carolina. Our exhaustive efforts will work hard to prove all of the losses that you and your family members suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of the wrongful death caused by the truck accident.
Set Up a Free Consultation with Us Now – If We Do Not Win, You Do Not Pay
Schedule a free consultation to speak to our South Carolina truck accident attorney at Shelly Leeke Law Firm to learn more about the damages you can collect after a truck accident. There is no risk in working with us because, if for any reason you do not collect damages, you do not pay us anything for our legal services. Discuss this difficult situation with us now by calling our office today so we can fight for you.
