According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas saw 39,193 commercial vehicle crashes in 2019. Commercial trucking accidents are among the most common vehicle accident in Texas. Texas leads the United States with the largest number of fatal trucking accidents in the U.S.
Unfortunately, truck accidents are extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury. Due to the large size of commercial trucks, trucking accidents can result in substantial damages, which may be economic and non-economic.
Putting a price tag on your health and wellbeing lost in a trucking accident can be challenging. A Texas personal injury attorney will do their best to recover what you have lost in your accident.
Economic Damages in a Texas Trucking Accident
In 2019, the top verdict for a truck accident in Texas awarded the plaintiff $80,005,006. The next highest award came to $40,145,909. As you can see, Texas truck accidents can cause severe damage and have high case settlements or payouts.
Because Semi-trucks are so large, often weighing up to 80,000 pounds, an accident’s impact can severely injure you or loved ones. The severe damage to you and your vehicle can cause you to accumulate high costs, medical bills, and vehicle repair or replacement. The most common economic damages after a Texas trucking accident include:
- Medical expenses – Hospital visits, doctor visits, physical therapy, surgery, medication, etc.
- Loss of income – loss of your job, or forced to take several days to weeks off due to injury
Economic damages are calculated if you have the proper records available. You should always keep records after an accident to ensure that you can recover for all the damages you are owed. The personal injury attorneys at Patterson Law Group can help you get a hold of all the medical and police records vital to your trucking accident case.
Non-Economic Damages in a Texas Trucking Accident
Non-economic damages are damages that do not have a direct monetary value attached to them or better known as pain and suffering. This include things such as:
- Physical pain
- Humiliation
- Reputational damage
- Worsening of prior injuries
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
There is a cap to non-economic damages, according to Texas law. In general, they cannot exceed $750,000. Of course, economic damages are measured separately from non-economic damages.
If you’re unclear about what non-economic damages are and how the process works, talk to a personal injury attorney at Patterson Law Group to determine what can be recovered in your truck accident case.
Punitive Damages in Truck Accident Cases
Punitive damages are specifically designed to punish the negligent party who caused the accident and your injuries. Punitive damages cannot be awarded in every case. In general, you must prove the other party was careless and negligent to receive punitive damages.
For punitive damages to be awarded, the driver must have shown blatant disregard of his duty to protect others on the road, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, asleep, distracted, or intentionally breaking the law.
Suppose the accident was caused by equipment failure, and that failure could have foreseeably been stopped. You may have a claim against the truck and/or trailer owner, manufacturer, or leasing company. The trucking company can be liable if they failed to properly train their drivers, or forced their employees to work too many shifts, leading to the driver falling asleep.
How a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Will Help You?
If you’ve been in a truck accident, you’re going to need help. You have to take several steps to ensure that you are able to recover the damages you deserve from your truck accident.
It can be challenging to gather the requisite information from the hospital, police department, and insurance companies. An expert truck accident lawyer will deal with collecting the information for you so you can focus on your recovery.
Texas truck accident attorneys will also determine who was at fault in your accident and how to prove this in court. They will also deal with the insurance companies, so you don’t have to settle for less than you deserve.
If you have suffered in Texas due to a trucking accident, contact a Texas truck accident lawyer at Patterson Law Group today. We will fight to ensure you collect the compensation for the damages you suffered from your accident.
