An accident with a big rig truck devastates both victims and their families due to the catastrophic injuries that frequently follow these kinds of accidents. These trucking accidents are challenging and legally complex, and some victims need a long period of time to recover from their injuries. With substantial damages, large insurance companies, large trucking companies, multiple parties, and complicated investigations needed, a trucking accident takes a great deal of time and effort to develop and navigate. If you suffered injuries due to a commercial trucking accident, contact a Tinley Park big rig truck accident lawyer. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to help you determine your next legal steps.
Causes of Big Rig Truck Accidents
In its annual Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts report, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration determined that some of the reasons and causes for big rig truck accidents include the following:
- Distracted driving (texting while driving, adjusting the radio, looking at a GPS device, eating, etc.)
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Negligent or reckless driving
- Speeding or failing to obey the rules of the road (unsafe turns, failure to yield, failure to obey traffic signals)
- Tailgating
- Overloaded or overweight loaded trucks
- Improperly loaded trucks
- Unreasonable schedules
- Failure to ensure proper maintenance on trucks
- Failure to hire experienced and properly trained drivers with correct certifications and licenses
- Hazardous weather conditions
Injuries in Big Rig Truck Accidents
While every truck accident differs, the injuries suffered in a large commercial trucking accident may prove more severe than those in passenger accidents, due to the exceptional weight and force of a big rig truck. Some injuries that occur in big rig truck accidents may include:
- Broken, crushed, or fractured bones
- Deep lacerations and bruising
- Burns leading to scarring from fires or explosions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries, including whiplash
- Spinal cord injuries, which may lead to temporary or permanent paralysis
- Back injuries
- Nerve damage
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Loss of limbs or the need for amputations
- Psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder
For a free legal consultation with a Big Rig Truck Accidents Lawyer serving Tinley Park, call (800) 794-0444
Compensation in Big Rig Truck Accidents
If you suffered injuries from a big rig truck accident, you may have the legal right to receive compensation for your losses related to the trucking accident. While every case depends on the nature of the accident and the severity of the injuries, settlements and awards from courts may include both economic and noneconomic losses. Some of the types of compensation that an accident victim of a trucking accident may receive include the following:
Medical Costs
These awards represent the costs associated with the injuries suffered from the trucking accident and may include ambulance rides and care, emergency room treatments, diagnostic testing, hospitalization, surgery, radiology, medical treatments, medications, transportation to medical appointments, medical assistance devices such as wheelchairs and walkers, and mental health therapy.
Future Medical Costs
A doctor will need to testify that future medical costs associated with the medical condition resulting from the trucking accident will occur in order to obtain future medical costs. These awards may include long-term rehabilitation, continued mental health treatments, continued medications, future surgeries, medal treatments, and additional medical assistance devices.
Lost Wages
During the time that a victim must stay home from work due to their injuries suffered in a trucking accident, they will likely remain unable to return to work. A victim may receive compensation for all of the normal wages missed, along with possible overtime, bonuses, retirement benefits, expected additional employee benefits, and other wages typically awarded by an employer.
Lost Earning Capacity
In many cases, the trucking accident proves so severe that a victim cannot return to their employment and perform their previous job due to their injuries. If this happens, a victim may request compensation for any permanent disability or total disability that prohibits them from returning to the job to earn the wage that they would have earned had they not suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence.
Pain and Suffering
Injuries, both physical and emotional, often cause pain and suffering. Scarring, disfigurement, post-traumatic stress disorder, continued pain from an injury, disability, loss of a limb, loss of consortium, and more are all possible outcomes following a serious big rig truck accident. Victims may include pain and suffering in their claims as long as they can produce documentation from medical and mental health experts as well as provide a journal describing their daily suffering and inability to perform daily tasks.
Tinley Park Big Rig Truck Accidents Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Consider a Tinley Park Big Rig Truck Accident Lawyer
If you suffered injuries in a big rig trucking accident, you may face a challenging time physically, emotionally, and financially. Focus on healing after a trucking accident and contact a Tinley Park big rig truck accident lawyer to take on your case. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444 to help you understand your legal rights and potentially help you with your next steps. Learn how we handle these types of truck accident cases and how our legal team may help you obtain compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering following your trucking accident.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form