What Is the Average Semi-Truck Accident Settlement Amount?

Though you may wonder, “What is the average semi-truck accident settlement amount?” this question is not especially useful. You should instead ask, “What is the amount of my semi-truck accident settlement?”

Every victim of a semi-truck accident has different losses, injuries, and prognoses. Rather than worrying about the value of other settlements, your lawyer will focus on your own losses.

Semi-Truck Accidents May Cause Significant Losses

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) explains that semi-trucks can weigh up to 30 times as much as smaller vehicles. A collision involving a semi-truck may cause:

• Injuries
• Death
• Total loss of a vehicle 

These outcomes may cause great pain and expense to the victim, and they may be entitled to a financial recovery.

What Losses Can Occur from a Semi-Truck Accident?

Specific losses from a semi-truck accident may include:

• Medical care: You may need ambulance transportation, emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, medications, and other medical care.
• Professional losses: Semi-truck accident victims may lose income, earning power, productivity, bonuses, and opportunities for promotions.
• Pain and suffering: Injury-related pain, traumatic memories, sleep problems, and lost quality of life are forms of pain and suffering.
• Property damage: You may require extensive repairs for your vehicle. The force of a semi-truck’s impact may cause a total loss. Liable parties may cover repairs or replacement of your vehicle and other damaged property.

Truck accidents can claim lives. If you’ve lost a loved one in a semi-truck accident, then financial matters may be far from your mind. We will seek justice for your loved one through the legal system. Your family may receive coverage for funeral expenses, lost companionship, lost parental guidance, and other losses.

Does the Cause of a Truck Accident Matter?

Absolutely. The cause of your truck accident may determine who bears fault. The at-fault party may cover a victim’s losses. 

Potential Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identifies causes of semi-truck accidents, including:

• Truck driver fatigue
• Dangerous road conditions
• Vehicle defects
• Drug use by the truck driver
• Inattention by the truck driver
• Speeding
• Alcohol impairment
• Unsecured cargo

Dangerous lane changes and tailgating can also cause collisions. Your lawyer will identify the cause of your semi-truck accident.

How does Negligence Factor Into Semi-Truck Accident Cases?

Negligence is generally the standard for liability in civil cases. In a semi-truck accident case, your lawyer will determine:

• Whether the at-fault party (including a truck driver) was negligent
• What specific acts or failures were negligent
• Whether the negligent acts caused the accident
• Whether another party is liable for the negligent person’s acts

A truck driver’s negligence may have caused your collision. A trucking company is generally liable for their driver, even if the trucking company was not negligent.

What Should You do After a Semi-Truck Accident?

Hiring a lawyer is a wise first step. Your lawyer can guide you through the remainder of the legal process. They will handle as much of your case as possible. Your lawyer may advise you to:

• Seek medical treatment if you have not already
• Avoid giving statements to insurers or attorneys
• Allow them to handle your case

Semi-truck accident victims are generally not lawyers. You may be unfamiliar with the legal process and unaware of threats to your rights. A lawyer will protect you and seek a fair recovery.

How Can a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Help?

Your lawyer will handle your case. From the moment that you hire us, our mission is to win for you. Our responsibilities include:

• Helping you with case-related appointments: We will help you arrange doctor’s visits and secure temporary transportation.
• Investigating the semi-truck accident: Time permitting, we will visit your accident scene. We may photograph damage to vehicles, consult witnesses, and seek video footage of the collision.
• Working with your doctors: Your doctors may provide medical records, bills, and images of your injuries. Their testimony about your injuries may also be worthwhile.
• Filing your case: Whether you seek coverage through insurance or a lawsuit, we will create and file your case.
• Day-to-day case responsibilities: Our firm handles the little details, from making phone calls to submitting documents and everything in between.
• Negotiating a settlement: A settlement may provide fair compensation in the shortest possible time.
• Completing a trial: A trial may be necessary if we do not secure a fair settlement.

A lawyer may not tell you the average settlement for a semi-truck accident. What they will tell you, however, is the amount that you deserve.

Call the Kryder Law Group, LLC About Your Semi-Truck Accident

Our team of attorneys fights for victims of negligence. We may recover the settlement that you deserve. Do not wait to call the Kryder Law Group, LLC. Some semi-truck accident cases have statutes of limitations. The window to file your case may be closing with each passing day.

Reach out to the Kryder Law Group, LLC today at (312) 598-0982 for your FREE consultation.