Eldersburg, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

Truck accidents are some of the most devastating motor vehicle accidents. The amount of destruction that a crashed 18-wheeler, semi truck, or big rig vehicle can cause means that severe injuries are almost a certainty in a truck crash. If not fatal, a truck accident can result in lengthy medical treatment, including surgeries, physical therapy, and cognitive treatment, gigantic hospital bills, and mental trauma from the experience. All of this can seem extremely scary and intimidating after you have been in a truck collision.

Our lawyers are ready to help you after a truck accident. We will be able to interview witnesses, gather evidence like medical records and details from the trucking company, and go after the right parties in court to give you the best chance at financial compensation and justice for your injuries.

Do not hesitate to call Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s truck accident lawyers at (410) 694-7291 for a free analysis of your case.

Injuries From Eldersburg, MD Truck Accidents

Truck accidents can result in a variety of injuries because they are so devastating. Your injuries and the treatments for them will factor into the damages you ask for in your truck accident lawsuit.

Broken Bones

Broken bones are common in motor vehicle accidents of all kinds. Broken femurs and crushed pelvises are particularly common in truck accidents because those are some of the areas more likely to be hit.

Severe fractures, like a compound fracture where the bone pierces the skin, can require multiple surgeries to heal, and you will likely need to re-train a broken limb after it heals to regain strength.

Burns

Burns do not just include burns from fire or other heat sources. You can also get friction burns or abrasions from skidding across the road or another coarse surface. All burns are extremely painful and will likely require skin grafts or other surgical procedures to heal fully. Additionally, burns can result in permanent disfigurement – including the loss of appendages like fingers and toes – if not properly treated.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are caused by very hard hits to the head that damages the brain. Minor traumatic brain injuries can still produce serious side effects. For example, a concussion can lead to memory loss, fatigue, and sensitivity to loud noises. More serious TBIs

Damages in an Eldersburg, MD Truck Accident Lawsuit

If your lawsuit is successful, you will be awarded damages for your injuries. In personal injury lawsuits, damages are there to “make the plaintiff whole” again. In other words, they exist to try and put the plaintiff in the position they would be in had they not been injured. Often, and especially so with truck accidents, this cannot literally happen, so financial compensation is used as the next best option to make the plaintiff whole again.

Damages are split into three categories: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are generally the simplest to understand and calculate. Economic damages are based on things with ascertainable monetary value. Hospital bills, costs of physical therapy, and damage to your vehicle are all examples of items that could factor into economic damages in a trucking injury lawsuit.

You could also be awarded economic damages for lost wages or future income. For example, if you took time off work to recover from your injuries in a truck accident, you could be awarded damages for the income you could have earned had you not been injured. Similarly, you can be awarded damages if you can no longer work or need to take a less well-paying job because of the injuries you faced. Generally, these kinds of damages will be based on your projected income for your career had you not been injured or the difference between your income at your new job and your old job before you were injured, respectively.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are more abstract than economic damages. While economic damages are based on things with receipts or bills, non-economic damages do not have those types of physical evidence to support their worth. Non-economic damages are based on things like pain and suffering, mental anguish, and disfigurement.

Since there is no set way to put a value on the pain from a broken bone, sadness from the loss of range of motion, or mental distress from being in a truck accident, you and our lawyers will have to come up with a value for your non-economic damages and convince in the court of their worth.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are a special kind of damages that are different from economic and non-economic damages. While other damages are based on the plaintiff’s condition, punitive damages are based on the defendant’s conduct. Courts are wary of awarding punitive damages, as they are reserved for only the most egregious defendants. If you seek punitive damages in your truck accident lawsuit, you should have a compelling argument as to why you should be awarded them.

Calculating Damages in an Eldersburg, MD Truck Accident Lawsuit

When you ask for damages in a truck crash case, you must come up with an amount you are asking for.

Economic damages are the most straightforward to calculate. You can simply add up your hospital bills and other medical expenses plus your expected lost income and request that the court award you those damages. If you are arguing for lost future income, you might need to present evidence in support of the amount you are asking for.

There are various ways to calculate non-economic damages since they are based on abstract things. One common way to calculate non-economic damage is to use a multiple of economic damage. The idea is that the non-economic damages are worse and longer lasting, so they are worth more. Another way to calculate non-economic damages is to come up with a “daily pain amount” with our lawyers, where you ask for damages based on the pain, suffering, and other discomfort you experienced each day you were injured or recovering.

Call Our Eldersburg, MD Truck Accidents Lawyers to Talk About Your Case

Call the truck accident attorneys with Rice, Murtha & Psoras by dialing (410) 694-7291 for a free evaluation of your case.