If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck crash, it's imperative to act swiftly. The Denver truck accident lawyers at DCAL have a proven track record in seeking fair compensation for truck accident victims. Whether your wrongful death claim or personal injury lawsuit involves legal action against the trucking company, the truck driver, or even the manufacturer of defective equipment, our dedicated personal injury attorneys can help you recover the maximum compensation you need to cover all your present and future medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other financial losses.
Traffic crashes involving large, commercial vehicles such as tankers, tractor-trailers, and big rigs, which can cause severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, soft tissues injuries, and broken bones. The weight and size of these trucks, when coupled with significant speeds, can crush smaller passenger vehicles following a collision. Unfortunately, the occupants of passenger cars and SUVs have a much higher risk of bodily injury or death than truck drivers. In fact, it's common for truck crash victims to suffer catastrophic and permanent injuries.
To get review what damages you can collect for a truck accident claim in Colorado, call our Denver truck accident lawyer today at 720-770-5454 to schedule a free initial consultation.
What Expenses Can I Claim After a Car Accident
The truck accident settlement you can receive following a truck crash depends on your specific damages from the crash. If you weren't at fault for the truck wreck, you can file a truck crash claim with the liable party’s insurance company to recover your damages.
The financial damages you can recover after a truck crash fall into three major categories:
Economic Damages for a Truck Crash
To recover these damages in your insurance claim, you must prove that you incurred economic damages or special damages. Many of these economic damages have a set dollar amount.
Usually, medical expenses form the largest part of a truck crash claim. These damages might include:
- Emergency medical costs;
- Doctor visits;
- The cost of hospitalization;
- Medication costs;
- Physical therapy or other long-term medical treatment costs; and
- Future medical care expenses.
To recover economic damages, you must keep track of all medical records and receipts related to your medical costs. Also, you must follow all medical treatment orders from your physician and you shouldn't miss any medical appointments. If you don’t keep up with your medical care, insurance companies may use this as an excuse to offer you less money.
If you were working at the time of the truck collision, the crash injuries might cause you to miss work. Lost wages are monetary damages you can receive for missed work. However, to qualify for these financial damages, you must provide previous pay stubs and other paperwork from your employer to prove lost income in your personal injury claim. If you can't work in the same capacity as before because of your physical injuries, you could also recover “loss of earning capacity” monetary damages.
If your vehicle was totaled or requires repairs after the collision, include property damages in your truck collision claim. Also, you might recover financial compensation for other personal property that was damaged in the truck crash, such as jewelry or electronics.
Besides the cost of medical treatment, you can also recover monetary compensation for the cost of travel to and from medical appointments.
If you hire an experienced truck crash lawyer from DCAL, you won’t have to pay any attorney fees unless our personal injury attorneys win your case. Also, you can claim any legal fees as economic damages in your truck crash claim.
Non-Economic Damages for Tractor-Trailer Crashes
Non-economic damages, also called general damages, can’t be proved through medical bills, medical records, or receipts. These damages account for emotional distress, mental trauma, pain and suffering, fear, anxiety, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment, and physical suffering from the truck collision.
Since non-economic damages are difficult to calculate, you'll need the help of an experienced truck accident attorney to determine the value of your non-economic damages.
Punitive Damages for a Truck Crash
Punitive damages in an accident claim aim to punish the at-fault party. Normally, these damages are available to collect if the liable party exhibited extremely reckless behavior such as malice, wanton misconduct, or fraud.
Related: Colorado Car Accident Statistics
Who Is Liable in a Truck Crash Claim in Denver, Colorado?
Often, commercial truck crashes involve complicated questions regarding liability than motor vehicle collisions. In an auto crash, the at-fault driver is typically the person who is liable for the damages incurred by the truck accident victims.
In truck crashes, you normally don't sue the truck driver directly. In most truck crash cases, the truck driver's employer is liable for any injuries the driver causes while on the job. Also, you may hold a third-party driver or government agency liable, or even the manufacturer of defective equipment that caused the crash.
Truck accident cases require substantial investigation to establish the cause of the crash because truck drivers must adhere to strict state and federal regulations. If the driver violated these regulations, or his or her employer didn't uphold them, you could hold the driver’s employer responsible.
How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in Denver, Colorado?
In Colorado, the statute of limitations is three years for truck crashes. If you aren’t to blame for the accident, your physical injuries and other damages could be covered under the other driver’s insurance policy. However, every situation is unique, and that's where our experienced Denver personal injury attorneys can help.
There are a few essential steps you must take after a truck accident that will have a strong effect on whether your truck crash claim is accepted. These include:
- Take photos of the accident scene. Photograph everything from the damage to your car to the personal injuries you’ve suffered.
- The paperwork in a truck accident lawsuit is another complex but crucial piece of the puzzle. Thus, it's essential to file a police report in order to document the crash. Also, you must visit a doctor for a formal medical assessment of your injuries.
- Next, you must note the details of what happened and the details of your physical injury. Often, it's imperative to record every fact you can remember immediately after the truck crash to ensure that all details are as accurate as possible.
How Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help Me?
There are many steps that follow a trucking accident case before you can recover financial compensation. A seasoned Denver auto accident lawyer can help you navigate the legal system to ensure you get the financial settlement that you deserve.
One of the primary concerns for truck collision victims after an accident is their family. An experienced auto crash attorney can help you deal with the trucking company and insurance adjusters, ensuring your loved ones are taken care of. Your personal injury attorney can take the stress of handling the personal injury claim off of your hands, so you can recover from your injuries peacefully and get the medical attention you need. Our legal team of dedicated and experienced personal injury attorneys will fight aggressively for you and your family while you recover from your injuries.
A skilled personal injury lawyer can file your truck crash lawsuit and ensure your injury claim doesn’t leave out any crucial information. There are many accident details that a crash attorney must pay attention to, which can make or break your truck accident case.
Our truck collision attorneys will send out an experienced team of investigators and accident reconstructionists right away after your initial consultation to investigate the cause of your truck accident and who was liable for the crash. This is critical to the success of your case, and you should make sure your truck collision lawyer is out on the truck accident scene as soon as possible once they take you on as a client. The evidence that an experienced truck accident attorney can gather from the accident scene is crucial in proving that the trucking company and the truck driver were at fault.
Contact Our Experienced Denver Truck Accident Attorneys Today for Legal Advice!
Trucking companies and truck drivers are subject to both state and federal regulations and violating these safety regulations often contributes to catastrophic trucking crashes. You may need the help of accident reconstruction experts to review and reconstruct what happened, which is something that the legal team at DCAL can help you with during the legal process.
Not only do our experienced truck crash attorneys have the resources to handle your truck accident claim but have decades of experience helping truck crash victims in Denver and elsewhere in Colorado recover fair compensation and we can help you, too. To learn more about how our skilled Denver truck accident attorneys can help you, contact us today at 720-770-5454 to schedule a no-cost initial consultation.