When a truck accident occurs, your priority must be to seek medical care and document what occurred to you. Once you get that care, you may be unsure what rights you have to recover damages you suffered. Your attorney can offer guidance on what compensation you may be able to get from a truck accident in San Diego specifically. The following are some of the most common types of losses that our San Diego truck accident lawyer at Kashou Law has seen.
Immediate Losses Recoverable in Most Truck Accidents
A truck accident can send you to the hospital with numerous injuries. You have the right to seek losses for losses suffered immediately. This may include:
- Immediate medical losses for emergency care
- Long-term medical costs for continued medical care
- Support during your recovery at home
- Medical supplies and equipment
- Loss for missed wages and benefits from being unable to work
- Property damages suffered
Additional Damages You May Be Owed
As you heal and work towards rebuilding your life, you may see other losses become evidence. Your claim should include, then, all long-term costs, including:
- Loss of earning capacity if you cannot go back to your job
- Loss of quality of life if you cannot do the things you enjoy doing any longer
- Ongoing medical needs and supportive services within your home
- Updates to your home to accommodate your new limitations or injuries
- Pain and suffering claims, including for pain and suffering that occurred at the accident and on an ongoing basis
- Loss of consortium and damage to relationships
Disability is a very big factor in some truck accidents. If you suffer catastrophic injuries, such as the loss of ability to community, paralysis, loss of hearing or sight, or other profundo injuries that will not improve over time, it is critical that you seek legal support from an attorney who can help you calculate these losses. It may impact both the quality and the length of your life.
Punitive Damages in Your Accident
In addition to these losses, there are some situations in which the court may award punitive damages in your case. Punitive damages are not common. They are a type of punishment awarded to the victim for the wrongdoing of the at-fault party. In cases in which a person suffered significant injury and loss due to the recklessness of another person, this can apply. This may include, for example, a truck driver operating their vehicle in an aggressive manner or being intoxicated at the time of the accident.
Truck drivers and owners of trucking companies could be held accountable for these losses based on both federal and state laws. In the case of trucking companies, a lack of adhering to laws related to truck driver compliance, for example, could warrant such action.
The best way to know what your truck accident case is worth is to seek out a consultation with a local, skilled attorney. A San Diego truck accident attorney will work to maximize your claim in every way possible.