How Much Is a Truck Accident Lawsuit Worth?
How much is a truck accident lawsuit worth? That depends on the severity of the injuries, the distribution of fault, and other factors unique to the claim. Truck crash injuries almost always require medical care, time off from work, rehabilitation, and daily pain and suffering. This means a truck accident lawsuit needs to seek compensation for all of these things.
A seasoned Denver truck accident lawyer will carefully evaluate your medical expenses, bills, wage loss, and future care to help determine how much compensation you are entitled to pursue.
Talk to a Truck Accident Injury Attorney for FREE
If you have been injured in a truck accident in Colorado, Burg Simpson is here to help. Call us at 303-792-5595 to schedule your FREE case review today. We will listen to your story, discuss possible damages, and help you understand how much your truck accident lawsuit may be worth.
Potential Truck Accident Damages
Every case is unique. This makes the question “How much is a truck accident lawsuit worth?” different in each situation. However, some damages tend to be standard in these cases. These include:
Economic Damages
- Past and Future Medical Expenses: ER care, surgeries, therapy, rehabilitation, medications, assistive devices, and related services.
- Lost Income and Diminished Earning Capacity: Time off work now and long-term career impacts.
- Household and Life-Care Services: In-home support, transportation, childcare, lawn/snow services, and similar expenses.
- Home and Vehicle Modifications: Ramps, handrails, and adaptability modifications.
Economic damages represent the financial impact of serious injury. In Colorado, these damages are not capped, meaning your truck crash injury lawyer is not limited in how much they can pursue. A successful claim can result in dollar-for-dollar compensation for these types of damages.
Non-Economic Damages
- Physical Pain and Suffering: Daily discomfort and chronic pain.
- Emotional Distress: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and similar experiences.
- Loss of Enjoyment in Life: Lost ability, forced changes to lifestyle, and difficulties engaging in family and social activities.
Non-economic damages seek compensation for things that do not have a fixed price. These damages are capped in Colorado, meaning your award cannot exceed a certain amount. For claims filed after January 1, 2025, that amount is $1.5 million. For claims filed before this time, the cap is set at $613,760.
Punitive Damages
Unlike economic and non-economic damages, which are intended to benefit victims of serious injury, punitive damages are designed to punish particularly egregious behavior. These damages might be awarded in rare cases involving fraud, malice, or intentional conduct.
Similar to non-economic damages, punitive damages are capped in Colorado. They cannot exceed the total amount of economic and non-economic damages awarded.
How Are Truck Accident Damages Calculated?
The question “How much is a truck accident lawsuit worth?” can best be determined through a proper calculation of your damages. Insurers typically use a formula to calculate damages. This technique often produces a settlement offer that is well below what your claim is actually worth. A truck accident lawyer will evaluate your damages through more comprehensive methods, helping to maximize your settlement.
To accurately calculate your truck crash damages, your lawyer will need to carefully evaluate your financial losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. This can include working with medical specialists, vocational and life-planning experts, and other professionals who can help to ensure every possible issue is considered.
Calculating truck accident damages also requires careful evaluation of your experiences, forced changes to your lifestyle, and future opportunities. Your pain, new limitations, and emotional distress all need to be figured into the worth of your claim.
While a pat answer to “how much is a truck accident lawsuit worth?” is very difficult to give, an illustrative example would be:
- Past medical bills: $180,000
- Future medical/life care costs: $1,2000,000
- Past wage loss: $75,000
- Future earning capacity loss: $650,000
- Household services: $120,000
- Pain, suffering, and non-economic losses: $1.5 million
Gross value: $3,725,000.
Of course, every truck accident impacts victims in unique ways. The best way to learn the potential value of a truck accident lawsuit is through a FREE and confidential consultation with one of the experienced and dedicated attorneys at Burg Simpson.
The Role of Liability in Determining How Much a Truck Accident Lawsuit Is Worth
In Colorado, you can file a truck accident injury claim even if you played a role in your accident. Your compensation will, however, be reduced by the percentage of liability assigned to you. Using the above example, if you were awarded $3,725,000 in damages but found to be 25% liable for the accident, your compensation would be reduced to $2,812,500.
Liability drives the value of your truck accident lawsuit, but liability in truck crash claims is seldom black and white. The truck driver, the company they work for, and a handful of other parties, most of whom will not be on the scene of the accident, can share responsibility. Each must be identified for fair and full compensation to be awarded. In Colorado, defendants only pay for their specific percentage of fault.
When you hire a truck accident lawyer, they will investigate your accident to identify who can be held liable. Due to some new laws in Colorado, this may include an assessment of CDL driving violations, which can help to strengthen claims of negligence. These new laws include:
- Heightened speed enforcement zones in Glenwood Canyon
- Left-lane restrictions along key stretches of I-70
- Chain carry and chain up laws from September through May
In addition to these, your truck crash lawyer will work to determine if other state or federal trucking regulations have been violated to help bolster and strengthen your claim for compensation.
The Role of a Lawyer in Establishing the Worth of a Truck Accident Lawsuit
While it is never required to hire an attorney, having a lawyer on your side after a truck accident can help to ensure you are treated fairly and awarded the compensation you deserve. A lawyer can help:
- Obtain evidence before it disappears
- Identify and prove rule and law violations
- Establish who is responsible
- Accurately calculate damages
- Provide a shield against insurance company coercion
- Negotiate for the best settlement
- Take your case to trial if negotiations fail
Most truck accident lawsuits settle before they head to trial, but this is not always the case. Having an attorney on your side with proven courtroom abilities will help to make sure you are protected, no matter what is required of your case.
Burg Simpson has close to 50 years of experience helping victims of truck accident injuries get the compensation they deserve. Recognized by peers, clients, and multiple industry groups and organizations, we have secured billions in settlements and verdicts for our clients. Capable both in and out of the courtroom, we have the resources and capacity to take your case as far as needed to help you secure every penny you are due.
How Much Is a Truck Accident Lawsuit Worth? Ask a Lawyer for FREE
Curious what your truck crash claim may be worth? Contact Burg Simpson online or call our Denver office today to schedule an obligation- and cost-free consultation. We can talk through your claim, discuss your experiences, and help you understand the damages you may be entitled to seek.