What Damages Can I Recover in a Truck Accident Case?

When you think of compensation for an auto accident, you likely consider medical expenses and property damage. However, your recoverable damages after a crash—especially a severe collision with a commercial truck—go well beyond physical harm and the destruction of your motor vehicle. Truck accidents often lead to fatal or catastrophic injuries which permeate every area of your life. 

The experienced truck accident attorneys at Studinski Law, LLC have proven experience with these claims and lawsuits. Our skilled legal team understands how to pursue the compensation you and your loved ones deserve. We can help you through this challenging time and help you fight for the justice and compensation to which you may be entitled under Wisconsin law. 

Medical Expenses 

After a wreck with an 18-wheeler, it’s critical to seek medical attention right away for your health and safety. Medical records can also document the physical damages you suffered as a result of the truck accident. Some injuries may start with seemingly minor discomfort but lead to lifelong chronic pain. Catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries require prompt treatment to prevent further harm and limitations. 

In addition to the cost of your medical treatment, the medical expenses included in your truck accident settlement or lawsuit can also cover the costs for necessary in-home nursing care, home modifications, medical supplies, devices, and medications. 

Lost Wages 

A truck accident is likely to cause injuries that require weeks or months of rehabilitation and healing. You may have a diminished working capacity or be unable to return to the workforce altogether. Your claim against the truck driver or trucking company includes damages for lost wages while out of work, including long-term or permanent disability. Any vacation days or sick time you must take during your recovery is also added to this amount in economic damages.

Loss of Earning Capacity 

If and when you return to work, you may be unable to perform your job duties at the same level as you did before the truck crash. Some injured victims struggle to hold the same position and face a reduced earning capacity because of their injuries. Whether you have physical or mental restrictions, you may be forced to take a job that pays you much less than your last place of employment. You have a right to be reimbursed for your loss of earning capacity, including the difference in pay.

Pain and Suffering 

Physical pain and emotional suffering are part of the non-economic damages in a truck accident claim. It’s challenging to put a dollar amount on pain and suffering because the toll of the accident can seem subjective. Pain and suffering are often included in lawsuits for catastrophic injuries that cover the full extent of harm physically and psychologically. Your truck accident injuries may severely alter your quality of life for your remaining years.

Emotional Distress and Mental Anguish 

This area of compensation goes beyond the physical and chronic pain many injured victims face after a truck accident. Severe bodily harm also leaves a psychological mark. Your injury could be disabling and/or disfiguring, causing you embarrassment, anger, grief, anxiety, and a litany of emotions every time you look in the mirror or try to perform an activity you enjoyed before. Amputation, spinal cord injuries, and other catastrophic bodily damage can cause you to suffer greatly, both physically and mentally. A truck accident claim may pursue damages for emotional distress and mental anguish, particularly if you sought help for your mental health.

Disfigurement 

A truck accident can leave you with burns, scars, and other unsightly marks on your face and body that you must live with every day. The value of these disfigurements depends on the location, severity, and type of harm. However, permanent disfigurement can affect your overall well-being and cause irreparable damage to your quality of life.

Loss of Society and Companionship 

Certain injuries can impact your relationship with your spouse or significant other, making it difficult to show affection in ways you’re used to in your marriage. An inability to have sexual relations takes an immeasurable toll on a relationship, and it may even affect your ability to have future children. Truck accident claims may involve loss of society and companionship if you can no longer be intimate or enjoy your relationship with your partner.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life 

A severe injury such as partial or total disability or amputation affects how you interact with your friends and may make it impossible to participate in activities you once enjoyed. Athletic activities (such as running, biking, or playing team sports) or hobbies (playing the guitar, knitting, even reading) may no longer be an option, wrecking a long-time passion that brought you joy. This loss of enjoyment of life may be included in non-economic damage due to its immense toll on your personal life.

Punitive Damages 

Punitive damages are not necessarily awarded to you but are designed to punish the wrongdoer and stop them from putting people in danger in the future. Not all truck accident claims include punitive damages. Yet, terrible choices, such as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, texting and driving, or poor hiring practices that allowed an untrained driver behind the wheel, may constitute monetary punishment against the trucking company or truck driver to avoid harming future victims. 

Wrongful Death Damages 

Commercial trucks typically weigh 80,000 pounds, and a collision with one of these big rigs may easily end someone’s life. If you lost a loved one in a truck accident, you could pursue compensation for wrongful death. These damages include monies for loss of life, loss of companionship, loss of parental guidance for surviving children, lost wages for the deceased, medical expenses, funeral costs, and more.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Wisconsin Today

After a serious wreck with a large commercial vehicle, you may be facing high medical bills, pain, disability, and time away from work. You need to know your rights. The Wisconsin truck accident lawyers at Studinski Law, LLC understand the challenges you may be facing and we may be able to help. We want to hear your story.

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If you were injured or lost a loved one in a truck accident, contact Studinski Law, LLC online or at (715) 343-2850 to schedule a free case evaluation. We serve clients in Plover, Marshfield, and throughout the State of Wisconsin.