What Damages Can You Recover After a Truck Accident in Los Angeles?
Truck accidents are one of the most destructive types of motor vehicle collisions reported in Los Angeles each year. When a large truck crashes into a smaller passenger car, the latter always sustains the worst of the damage. Knowing what damages, or types of financial compensation, are available to you as a truck accident victim can help you seek fair case results.
Damage Categories in Personal Injury Law
Personal injury damages are categorized into two basic types: compensatory and punitive. Compensatory damages are the most common. They serve to compensate a victim for his or her losses by providing a monetary settlement or judgment award.
The goal of compensatory damages is to make the victim whole again. Punitive damages, on the other hand, are awarded in rare cases where it is determined that the at-fault party acted with extreme negligence or recklessness. They serve to penalize the defendant.
Economic Damages
Both economic and noneconomic compensatory damages are available in a truck accident case. Economic damages reimburse a truck accident victim for monetary or financial losses associated with the collision.
They may include:
- Medical costs: existing and future foreseeable health care required for the truck accident victim, including hospital stays, surgeries, medications, medical devices and therapies.
- Lost wages: income and earnings lost due to the victim having to stay home to heal, as well as lost future capacity to earn if the victim suffers a temporary or permanent disability.
- Property damage: the costs to restore a damaged motor vehicle to its pre-crash state or, if the vehicle is a “total loss,” the full pre-crash value of the car. Totaled vehicles (meaning the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the vehicle) are more common in truck accident cases.
Economic damages may also include various out-of-pocket costs, such as the price of a temporary rental car, travel or transportation, and legal fees. In the case of a fatal truck accident, surviving family members may also be eligible for wrongful death damages, such as funeral and burial costs.
Noneconomic Damages
The other type of compensatory damages, noneconomic damages, can pay a victim for the invisible and intangible losses suffered because of the truck accident. Accidents involving large and heavy 18-wheelers are often extremely traumatic.
According to injury lawyers in Los Angeles, a survivor may be eligible for compensation for:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Depression or anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Inconvenience
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
Proving noneconomic damages may take a mental health disorder diagnosis from a medical professional and evidence such as an injury journal. Documenting how a truck accident has impacted your quality of life can help you qualify for this category of damages.
Punitive Damages (In Some Cases)
Punitive damages can be awarded in a truck accident case if the victim can prove that the defendant acted with fraud, oppression or malice. If a truck driver was operating the vehicle with an extremely high blood alcohol level, for example, this could qualify the victim for a punitive damage award to punish the defendant.
Maximize Your Financial Recovery by Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney in LA
Optimize your truck accident case outcome in Los Angeles by hiring an experienced Los Angeles truck accident attorney to represent you during settlement negotiations or a personal injury trial. An attorney can help you collect evidence proving your losses and demonstrating negligence. If necessary, your attorney can take your truck accident case to trial in pursuit of maximum compensation.