Truck accidents are among the most catastrophic motor vehicle accidents that occur. If you suffer injuries in a semi-truck accident, you should understand the potential value of your injury claim or lawsuit.
Factors Affecting Your Truck Accident Settlement Value
When you suffer an injury in a truck accident, you might ask yourself – what is my truck accident case worth? The value of any truck accident settlement you receive will vary depending on many factors, including:
- Liability: The more robust your evidence proving the other party’s liability, the harder it will be for the at-fault party’s insurer to deny liability.
- Medical expenses: The severity of your injuries will dictate your medical expenses and affect the amount of a settlement you may seek. More severe injuries mean costlier medical bills.
- Lost wages and lost future earnings: If you had to miss work while recovering from your injuries and lost income, you could seek compensation for your wage losses. If your injuries limit your ability to do your job and pursue your career, you might have a right to compensation for the money you will no longer be able to earn in the future.
- Noneconomic damages: The more you suffer physical pain, emotional anguish, and other losses of a noneconomic nature, the more you can seek as compensation for pain and suffering and diminished quality of life.
- Insurance policy limits: The coverage limits for any insurance policies that apply to your claim will also affect how much you can expect to recoup for your losses.
Factors That Affect How Long It Takes to Settle a Truck Accident Claim
You can expect it to take a number of months to settle any truck accident claim. The factors that may influence the timeline for your truck accident injury claim include:
- The severity of injuries: You need to be able to accurately estimate the full extent of your medical expenses before agreeing to a settlement. If you settle too quickly and more medical expenses arise, you may be left to bear those costs. The type of injuries you have will affect the length of time needed to recover.
- Liability issues: Fault is one of the main factors that determine how long it takes to settle a truck accident injury claim. The process often moves along more quickly if it’s clear who is liable for the accident. A settlement could take much longer if disputes arise or multiple parties are liable.
- Case complexity: If the facts and circumstances of your truck accident case are challenging to prove, it will likely take longer to resolve your claim.
- Insurance company behavior: Insurance companies have varying protocols for handling claims. A slow-moving adjuster or investigation could easily delay your settlement.
- Negotiation progress: If negotiations are complex and drawn out, both sides might need to make multiple rounds of offers and counteroffers before reaching an agreement. Some insurers won’t respond to attempts to negotiate a settlement until a truck accident lawsuit is filed.
- Litigation: If settlement negotiations stall, your attorneys might need to take your case to court, which would lengthen the time needed to resolve the case.
Get Legal Help from Our Experienced Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyers
At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, our experienced Indianapolis truck accident lawyers understand the disruption that truck accident victims experience after a serious accident. We’re here to fight for your rights and work toward the best possible outcome for your case. Contact us today to learn how we can help you in a free initial consultation session.