Traffic accidents involving large trucks or 18-wheelers can cause a severe level of damage. If you get into an accident with a tractor-trailer, you may suffer from expensive and painful injuries, as well as lost wages and property damage. Determining the potential value of your truck accident settlement in San Antonio can help you plan for the future.
Settlement vs. Jury Trial for an 18-Wheeler Accident Case
It is important to understand the difference between a settlement and a jury verdict in a truck accident case. Most personal injury claims in San Antonio reach settlements, which are private agreements between an insurance company and a claimant to resolve a legal dispute for a certain sum of money.
Insurance settlements are generally preferred to court trials as they are faster and cheaper than going to court. However, if a trucking company’s insurance provider rejects a valid claim, denies liability for the crash or refuses to offer a fair settlement, the case may have to go to court.
Filing a lawsuit will lead to a trial, where the plaintiff and defendant will have the opportunity to present evidence to argue their side of the case. At the end of the trial, a judge or jury will determine liability and may award the plaintiff a jury verdict for his or her losses.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Large Truck Accident in San Antonio?
There is no true “average settlement” for an 18-wheeler accident in San Antonio or anywhere else. This is due to the variability of factors involved in each unique case. Settlement amounts can vary significantly based on a multitude of case factors, such as:
- Injury severity
- Cost of medical expenses
- Amount of pain and suffering
- Extent of property damage
- Number of liable parties
- Comparative negligence
- Available insurance coverage
As you can see by perusing examples of real case results, settlement values can vary from insurance policy limits to millions of dollars. Some claimants receive around $10,000 or less for minor injuries while others recover seven-figure results for catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.
What Is Included in the Average 18-Wheeler Accident Settlement?
While settlement values for 18-wheeler accidents in Texas can vary, most contain compensation for the same types of economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are the victim’s financial or monetary losses associated with a truck accident, such as medical bills, lost wages, motor vehicle damage and rental car costs.
Noneconomic damages reimburse a victim for the intangible ways the truck accident impacted his or her life, such as physical pain, emotional distress, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress disorder, loss of consortium and loss of enjoyment of life. Economic damages are typically calculated using numbers from the victim’s financial losses, while noneconomic damages can depend on the amount of the victim’s pain and suffering.
How to Seek a Fair Settlement for an 18-Wheeler Accident in San Antonio
If you are curious about the potential value of your 18-wheeler accident claim in San Antonio, discuss your case with a personal injury attorney. A lawyer with experience handling truck accident cases can carefully review your case to determine how much it might be worth. Then, your lawyer can aggressively negotiate with an insurance company on your behalf to fight for maximum compensation. Contact a San Antonio truck accident attorney near you for more information about the value of your specific case.