If you were hit by an 18-wheeler, you are probably wondering what an average lawsuit settlement is worth.
You may be saddled with mounting medical expenses, an inability to work, and a bleak prognosis for recovery from your injuries.
Unfortunately, there is no average value for an eighteen-wheeler accident lawsuit because no two cases are the same.
However, there are a few common factors that may affect the value of your case.
Factors Affecting 18-Wheeler Lawsuit Settlements
Despite the variability of facts from case to case, an attorney can explain common factors that influence settlement values and how they apply to your particular case.
For example, 18-wheeler lawsuits involving severe or catastrophic injuries typically result in larger settlements.
That is because catastrophic injuries require extensive medical treatment and greatly impact an injured victim’s life.
Other common factors affecting potential settlement values include:
- A precise determination of liability,
- Whether the injuries prevent the victim from working or earning an income,
- Medical bills,
- Pain and suffering,
- Property damage,
- Whether the truck driver violated any laws at the time of the accident, and
- Insurance coverage and policy limits.
Without understanding your case’s worth, it’s impossible to know what settlement offers to accept or reject.
Understanding how these factors can increase or decrease the value of your case can help guide settlement negotiations to a more successful conclusion.
How Is Fault Determined?
When it comes to personal injury cases, Texas is a comparative negligence state.
Comparative negligence means an injured victim can still recover some compensation even if they were partially at fault for their accident.
In Texas, you must be 50% or less at fault for the accident to be able to recover compensation. If you are partially at fault for the accident, your damages will be reduced by your share of the fault.
For example, if your damages total $100,000 and you were 30% at fault, you can recover up to $70,000.
What’s Included in 18-Wheeler Lawsuit Settlements?
Those hit by a truck may wonder what’s included in 18-wheeler lawsuit settlements.
Injured victims are entitled to the value of their compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages are divided into economic and noneconomic damages and represent different types of losses commonly suffered in personal injury lawsuits.
Economic Damages
Economic damages in Texas represent direct financial losses related to your injury and include the following:
- Medical expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Loss of future earnings, and
- Property damage.
Your attorney calculates economic damages using bills, receipts, pay stubs, invoices, and other tangible evidence.
Retain all evidence of your financial losses to help support your claim for economic damages.
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages are often more difficult to prove. Noneconomic damages compensate you for the emotional and psychological harm your injury has caused you.
Common noneconomic losses include:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional distress,
- Disfigurement,
- Permanent disability,
- Loss of consortium, and
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
Due to their subjective nature, noneconomic damages do not find support through tangible evidence like receipts and can be difficult to calculate.
For example, putting a value on a scar that has permanently changed your appearance is very difficult to do.
Similarly, how do you assign a value to an injury that makes it impossible for you to participate in any activities with your children?
Despite the abstract nature of these losses, they should never be overlooked. In some cases, noneconomic damage awards may be substantially larger than economic damage awards.
Are Settlement Calculators Reliable?
Many injured victims desperate for compensation turn to settlement calculators to determine a value for their 18-wheeler lawsuit settlements in Texas.
Unfortunately, these calculators only take economic losses into account. In an eighteen-wheeler accident lawsuit, an injured victim is entitled to both economic and noneconomic damages.
While economic damages are important, noneconomic damages are equally crucial to help fully compensate a victim for their injuries.
Contact Us
The Law Office of Aaron Herbert has a long history of successful cases and grateful clients.
Over the years, the Law Office of Aaron Herbert has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for personal injury clients throughout Texas in settlements and jury verdicts.
With more than fifty personal injury trials under our belt, our experience gives you an edge at every stage of your case.
We take care of everything, so you can focus on your recovery. The sooner you contact us after an accident, the sooner we can help you achieve financial stability.
Contact us by phone or online today to schedule a free consultation.