District Heights, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

When pursuing compensation for truck accident injuries, victims can turn to our lawyers for help holding negligent drivers and their employers accountable.

The main damages from truck accidents are medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We can track medical damages and lost wages as you incur them by collecting bills from treatments and referring to wage documentation. Though non-economic damages are limited in Maryland, victims can recover substantial amounts for their intangible losses. We can help victims understand the value of their claims before filing so that they know what to expect from a potential settlement or jury award. We can also help victims recover those amounts by gathering evidence that meets the standard of proof, handling contributory fault defenses if necessary, and identifying whether punitive damages might be available.

Call the truck accident lawyers of Rice, Murtha & Psoras for a free case assessment at (410) 694-7291.

Damages Associated with Truck Accident Injuries in District Heights, MD

The primary economic damages associated with truck accident injuries are from medical expenses and lost wages. Regarding intangible damages, our lawyers can quantify victims’ pain and suffering and argue for full compensation during settlement negotiations.

Medical Expenses

The medical costs associated with truck accident injuries are often highly expensive. One emergency room could cause financial distress for victims, not to mention the additional treatments, surgeries, or prescriptions they might need as they continue to recover physically. We help victims keep track of their medical damages, which is necessary to calculate their deserved financial recoveries. Truck crashes could cause any number of injuries, including permanent traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries. Victims might need life-long pain management medications or years-long physical therapy, and our truck accident lawyers can consider these potential future losses when calculating your total medical damages. To support our calculations, we may get doctors who have treated you and other medical experts to testify during your case.

Lost Income

After auto accidents, victims may need to take time away from work to recover from their injuries. Because the risk of catastrophic injuries is so high in truck accidents, incurring lost wages is common for victims. Documenting the fact that you can no longer work because of your injuries is important, and we may need to support that claim with statements from medical experts and physicians who have personally treated you.

We can estimate lost wages using employment records, tax returns, and paychecks. When victims sustain permanent injuries, their ability to earn an income might be substantially affected. If your earning capacity is permanently reduced or eliminated because of injuries sustained in the accident, we factor that into our calculations for lost wages.

Pain and Suffering

Disfiguring or permanent injuries also affect victims emotionally. They might experience a loss of enjoyment or ability to engage in normal daily activities because of their new physical limitations. Victims might develop anxiety or depression while undergoing arduous medical treatment or otherwise struggle mentally while adjusting to their new normal after an accident.

Pain and suffering are compensable up to a degree in Maryland. According to Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 11-108(b)(2), the limit on non-economic damages for truck accidents is $935,000. This limit increases each October by $15,000.

Proving pain and suffering requires somewhat different tactics than proving economic damages, as victims may need to give statements or confide in mental health professionals who can then testify.

Keys to Recovering Damages from Truck Accidents in District Heights, MD

There are several keys to recovering damages from truck accidents, namely filing cases on time, preparing claims capable of meeting the standard of proof, knowing the value of a case, anticipating contributory fault defenses, and identifying gross negligence when present.

Filing Your Case on Time

The statute of limitations for truck accident lawsuits is three years under § 5-101, and missing the deadline would bar you from getting compensation. Though there are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, these rarely apply to truck accident claims, and victims should no longer anticipate having just three years to sue.

Meeting the Standard of Proof

Plaintiffs must also be prepared to meet the standard of proof necessary to win a trial in Maryland. Even if your case settles out of court, we must be prepared with evidence to leverage against the defendant, exhibiting the strength of our case and convincing them to increase their offers without needing a trial. Such evidence often includes expert witness statements, eyewitness testimony, victims’ medical records, photos from the scene, and surveillance footage.

Knowing Your Claim’s Value

Another vital aspect of recovery is knowing the value of your claim. Plaintiffs unaware of their actual damages might accept lowball settlements right out of the gate, making them miss out on damages available only after staunch negotiations. By calculating your damages ahead of time and identifying all recoverable losses, we can quickly identify poor settlement offers so that you do not accept less than what you deserve.

Thwarting Contributory Fault Defenses

In auto accident cases, defendants might use contributory fault defenses to evade financial liability. Since Maryland is a pure contributory fault state, victims who are even minimally negligent are totally barred from compensation. While accident reconstruction may show the defendant is solely liable, another approach to contributory fault defenses is to prove that the defendant had the last clear chance to avoid injuring the victim but failed to.

Identifying Gross Negligence

Distinguishing ordinary negligence from gross negligence is important, as doing so could open the door to punitive damages. Defendants are grossly negligent when they act with reckless disregard for the safety of others. Common examples of gross negligence in truck accident lawsuits include drivers operating commercial trucks under the influence or trucking companies hiring drivers they knew were unqualified. Punitive damages are only recoverable when claims go to trial, as juries award them.

Call Our Accident Attorneys in District Heights, MD Today

Call the truck accident lawyers of Rice, Murtha & Psoras for a confidential and free case review at (410) 694-7291.