When someone is involved in a truck accident, they could sue the responsible party to try and recover compensation for damages. A person can look to recover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Additionally, under certain exceptions, you could also recover punitive damages. It would be best if you spoke with a seasoned attorney to learn about the various recoverable damages in a DC truck accident case.
There is no formula to calculate damages. The jury would decide the damages the injured claimant may be eligible to recover. The jury may award every dollar being claimed, or they could reduce the amount asked. The jury may reduce medical bills and all of the lost wages. They may reduce some of the wages that were lost as a result of the accident.
Pain and suffering are often calculated by:
For example, if the plaintiff had neck and back complaints that were relatively minor but had pain later, the courts would have to determine how much the plaintiff should be awarded. The courts would look at how often they went to the doctor, how much time they missed from work, and the amount of property damage.
The attorney would ensure that the insurance company is willing to compensate the claimant for the medical bills, the lost wages, and the pain and suffering based on what the plaintiff’s attorney believes would happen at trial. There may be a slight reduction the case would settle for as opposed to litigating the case, which would, of course, potentially take up to two years or longer and cost more money than settling the claim pre-litigation.
An experienced plaintiff’s attorney in Washington, DC, handling a truck accident case, would want to ensure that the claimant was immediately referred to a treating physician and that all medical treatment was available.
The claimant’s insurance company may cover medical bills and lost wages under first-party coverage. However, they may be precluded from claiming the other party if they are in a DC accident and claim personal injury protection (PIP) or no-fault under their policy. If the injuries are significant enough or if the medical bills rise beyond a certain threshold, then the injured person can claim under their policy and the claim against the other side.
A dedicated attorney could help following a car accident in many other ways. Seeking compensation for the total value of the claimant’s injuries is essential. Call the legal team at Gelb & Gelb P.C. to learn about the various types of recoverable damages in a DC truck accident case.