What is the average value of a semi-truck settlement?
Semi-truck Accident Settlement
Regarding big rigs, Texas tops the list of states with the highest number of trucking accidents. A 2020 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration report shows Texas having 14,456 trucking accidents, 7,728 injuries, and 513 fatalities. Five hundred thousand truck-related accidents occur yearly in the United States.
This is just over 1,369 accidents per day, 57 every hour, and almost one accident every minute nationally.
For over 35 years, Baumgartner Law Firm has been fighting for maximum compensation for victims involved in semi-truck accidents in Houston and throughout Texas. We don’t want you to settle for average; our truck accident lawyers in Houston, Texas, want to maximize your compensation!
How Can
We Help You?
Common Questions After Being Hurt in a Big Rig Accident
What is the Average Truck Accident Settlement?
There is no “average” settlement from an accident with a commercial vehicle. The value of a personal injury from a crash with a semi-truck largely depends on who was at fault, if negligence can be substantiated or enhanced, the severity of the injury, the amount of insurance available, and who your truck accident attorney is.
We have been obtaining record compensation for over three decades- put our award-winning truck accident lawyers in Houston on your team.
What Laws in Texas May Apply to a Truck Accident?
Statute of Limitations: The clock is always ticking regarding the timely filing of a claim for a personal injury. In most cases, Texas’ statute of limitations is two years from the day of the incident. One exception to this rule applies to those claims involving an injury to a minor.
The 2-year window does not begin on the child’s injury claim until the child turns 18. Additionally, claims against a government entity (or employee), like the city of Houston, must be initiated much sooner.
Comparative Negligence: in a situation where the plaintiff’s actions contributed to the incident, compensation is reduced in proportion to the percentage of fault. The 51% Bar Rule prohibits the plaintiff from collecting any financial compensation if found to be more than 50% at fault.
You can expect the defense to try to shift the blame in your case. Our trucking attorneys are skilled at countering the tactics of the defense. We have been helping truck crash victims for over three decades and have not lost a case.
FMCSR, or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, provides comprehensive regulation of truck drivers and trucking companies. Texas also has laws regulating truck drivers and trucking companies. Violations of these rules provide powerful evidence for a personal injury trial lawyer.
What are the Causes of Semi Crashes?
Truck accident statistics show big rig accidents occur in Texas more often than in any other state. Often it is not until after a truck accident investigation that all the facts are known about the cause of the crash. Common causes of tractor-trailer accidents usually involve driver error.
Documenting Your Accident
If you have the chance, take photos of the accident scene. You may want to document the other driver’s license plate number or even snap a photo of the driver if you can do so safely. This simple step can help you prove the presence of the other driver at the scene of the accident and make it easier for you to establish who caused the accident.
You may also want to take pictures of the damage to the two vehicles and any features of the scene that may have contributed to the accident: a blind curve that prevented the other driver from seeing you. Other causes of big rig accidents include:
- Lack of sufficient training
- Impaired drivers
- Overloaded cargo
- Unbalanced cargo
- Equipment failure
- Novice drivers
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Fatigued drivers
- Road rage
- Over the hours of driving
- Driver error
- Wide turns
- Failure to yield
- Blindspot accidents
- Drunk Drivers
Establishing Fault in a Trucking Accident
To prove fault, you must demonstrate that the defendant’s negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct caused your accident.
Our personal injury lawyers in Houston take only injury cases. We know how to prove fault and liability in all actions, specifically in collisions with 18-wheelers or semi-trucks. Call the best car accident lawyer in Houston if you have been injured in an auto accident with another car. If you have been hit by a big truck, find the best truck accident lawyer near me.
We handle all types of commercial vehicle accident cases. Hit by an Amazon van? We can help!
Calculating Potential Settlement
We do the math. People ask, “How much is an average semi-truck settlement”?
In theory, financial recovery from damage and injury sustained in a big rig truck accident should be calculated as follows:
- The sum of the replacement cost of personal property lost in the accident + actual medical expenses incurred to date + projected future medical expenses + compensation for pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and impairment + wages lost due to accident + verifiable loss of future salary.
- Minus the percentage of comparative fault assigned to the plaintiff.
If you would like a free case evaluation by a leading truck accident lawyer with over 35 years of experience, call us at (281) 587-1111 or click here to request a consultation.
How the Severity of Injury Impacts Truck Crash Lawsuits
Physical damage and emotional trauma
Severe and often catastrophic injuries occur in an altercation between a large truck and a passenger car. Some of the more common physical injuries are:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Neck and spinal cord damage
- Damage to internal organs
- Compound fractures
- Post-traumatic stress
Medical expenses
As it should be, seeking medical care following a trucking accident is a major part of the recovery process. It can often take months, and even legal intervention, for the responsible driver’s insurance carrier to cover the costs. And that occurs with a truck accident settlement. How long it takes to settle an 18-wheeler case depends on the attorney you choose and the facts of your case.
In the interim, victims can use personal health insurance and automobile insurance benefits to help with immediate costs. If you are injured in a Texas truck accident and do not have health insurance to cover necessary medical care, call us to see if we can help!
Healthcare is expensive. For example, a broken bone in the leg can cost a significant amount of money when one figures in:
- E R treatment
- Orthopedic physician fees
- Radiology costs
- Casts and slings
- Follow-up visits
The Texas Department of Insurance established this healthcare costs consumer information guide for consumers to view the average costs of medical procedures for different regions in Texas based on Zipcode.
The cost of severe injuries can be staggering. A traumatic brain injury is often suffered when a passenger car is involved in a collision with a semi-truck. This type of injury carries a huge economic toll on the victim as well as the entire family. The lifetime cost can reach $4 million.
Spinal cord injuries are frequently the result of serious motor vehicle accidents. According to information released by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the estimated lifetime cost of care ranges from $1,113,990 to $4,472,181.
We often use life care planners after a severe injury trucking accident. Life care planners calculate the cost of future medical needs for the victim.
Non-economic damage
The Texas legal system does recognize the validity of non-economic damages following a catastrophic accident, these are highly subjective, and the potential compensation is not easily calculated. The value is often proportional to expert testimony, friends, and family impact statements. Examples of non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Disability
- Changes in the family dynamic
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
Lost wages and loss of future income
Determining the monetary value of lost salary can be as simple as multiplying the plaintiff’s current hourly wage by the number of hours missed or breaking down an annual salary into an hourly rate. The process becomes more complicated when factoring in:
- Possible overtime
- Anticipated bonuses or raises
- Loss of sick leave hours
- Loss of accrued vacation pay
- Reduction of 401(k) contributions
- Impact on pension
- Self-employed
Severe injuries may be likely to impact future earning capacity. Projecting the loss of future income is often based on:
- Salary before the injury
- Occupation
- The age, health, and educational background of the injured party
- Anticipated potential advancement
How We Can Help With Your Injury Accident?
The legal process following a semi-truck accident can be confusing and complicated for injured parties, and the idea of pursuing litigation may be intimidating. When your family member is involved in the aftermath of a big rig accident, you need a law firm with experience and proven results. We have been winning multi-million-dollar settlements from truck accident injuries for over three decades. We have never lost a truck accident injury or wrongful death case!
And have recovered punitive damage settlements for many families in Houston and across Texas.
Don’t delay. Choose to protect your rights and the future of your family. Call our exceptional truck accident lawyers at (281) 587-1111.
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Why are Settlements Larger for Truck Crashes?
What are the Most Common Mechanical Failure for Big Rigs?
Accidents With Stalled or Parked Big Rigs
How On-Board Computer Data Can Help Your Texas Car Accident Case
Do you make house calls or hospital visits?
What kind of cases do you accept?
We are very selective in the cases that we agree to handle to provide the best possible service to our clients. By limiting the number of cases that we accept, we can provide the time attention, and resources required to maximize compensation for our clients.
Accordingly, our practice is limited to cases involving substantial injury or a family who has lost a loved one. We have gained a reputation for handling 18-wheeler truck accidents, car and drunk driving crashes, daycare injury cases, and other serious injury and wrongful death matters. To learn more about the cases we cover, visit our practice areas page.
Do I have to pay money out of my pocket to hire you?
Do you handle all types of personal injury cases?
No, we are very selective in the cases that we agree to accept. We intentionally limit the number of cases that we handle and the practice areas for the cases we take to provide the best possible personal service for our clients. To learn more about the cases we cover, visit our practice areas page or you can contact us for individual consultation about your case. (281) 587-1111.
What is the best way to contact you?
We prefer to be contacted by telephone and also respond to our online consultation requests. You can call us 24/7 at (281) 587-1111. We offer Zoom consultations as well.
How successful have you been with your cases?
We are a personal injury law firm with over three decades of experience and are extremely proud of our winning track record of success. Our founder is nationally recognized as among the best personal injury lawyers in the USA. We are undefeated in truck accident cases, wrongful death cases, and daycare negligence and invite you to check out our results page for recent results in cases we won.
For the last 35 years, we have concentrated on maximizing our client’s compensation in serious injury and wrongful death cases. If you are looking for the best personal injury lawyers in Houston – Call us! (281) 587-1111.
Thank you
for a job well done!
"I can never express how grateful me and my family are to Greg Baumgartner and his team of truck accident lawyers in Houston. He took care of our injury case and got us a great settlement. Thank you for a job well done!"
- R. G. Client
Houston Personal Injury Victim
Highly
Recommended!
"I was hit in the rear by an 18 wheeler and was lucky enough to have found Greg – I was overjoyed with the results and highly recommend him."
- Raymond
Houston Personal Injury Victim