Truck accidents often cause devastating injuries and damages. If you were injured in a collision involving a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle, the value of your Aurora truck accident lawsuit will depend on several key factors.
These include:
- The severity of your injuries
- The total cost of your medical care
- How long you were unable to work and whether your ability to earn income is reduced
- The physical pain and emotional suffering you endured
- Whether you share any responsibility for the crash
- The amount of insurance coverage available
- The strength of your evidence
There is no automatic settlement that applies to every truck accident claim in Aurora. Minor injuries that heal quickly may result in lower compensation, while serious injuries such as traumatic brain damage and spinal cord injuries often lead to substantial financial recoveries.
The Types of Compensation You Can Recover After a Truck Accident
Victims of truck accidents in Illinois may seek both economic and non-economic damages to cover their monetary and nonmonetary losses related to an accident. Together, these are designed to make you whole by putting you as close as possible to the position you occupied before the accident.
Economic damages cover measurable financial losses, including:
- Current medical costs
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages during recovery
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Transportation and other out-of-pocket costs
Non-economic damages address the personal impact of the accident, such as:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and anxiety
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disruption to daily activities
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
Fortunately, Illinois generally does not place caps on non-economic damages in personal injury cases, meaning injured victims can pursue full compensation for their losses.
Your Compensation May Be Reduced if You Shared Fault
Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule. Under this rule, you may still recover damages if you were partially responsible for the accident, so long as you were not more than 50% at fault for the collision.
However, your total compensation will be reduced by your percentage of responsibility.
For example, if your damages equal $500,000 and you are found 20% at fault, your recovery would be reduced to $400,000. If you are found more than 50% responsible, you may be barred from recovering damages.
An Aurora Truck Accident Attorney Can Help You Calculate and Pursue Full Damages
Truck accident lawsuits are complex. They often involve multiple liable parties, including trucking companies, cargo loaders, vehicle manufacturers, and maintenance contractors. Likewise, they may involve multiple insurance policies. To calculate your damages, you need careful documentation of current losses and realistic projections of future costs.
An experienced Aurora auto accident lawyer who specializes in truck collisions can:
- Collect medical records and employment documentation
- Work with doctors and life-care planners to estimate long-term needs
- Consult economic experts to calculate lost earning capacity
- Identify all responsible parties and available insurance coverage
- Challenge low settlement offers from trucking insurers
If you were injured in a truck accident, our experienced attorney at Feagans Law Group can help you understand your case’s worth. We offer free consultations to help accident victims in Aurora understand their legal options and pursue the full compensation they deserve.