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If you were injured in an accident caused by a negligent truck driver in Conway, you could be entitled to recover compensation for your property damage, lost income, and pain and suffering, as well as all medical expenses resulting from the accident. Not only past and present but also future medical care is the responsibility of the liable party or parties who injured you. If you’ve sustained permanent injuries in the crash, your claim could be a very expensive one for the insurance companies involved. Any one of them is likely to make you a fast, low-ball offer for your damages long before you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) and know what your future medical needs will be.
You should never accept the insurer’s initial offer. Once you do, you cannot ask for any more money, regardless of what medical expenses you incur in the future as a result of your accident. In fact, you should not accept any offer from any insurance company until you’ve consulted a truck crash lawyer. If you’re permanently disabled, you’re entitled to compensation for all the future medical and personal care you will need because of your disability. Your attorney can help you seek a fair settlement or file a lawsuit to get the award you need and deserve.
Permanent Truck Accident Injuries
When a fully loaded commercial truck and a passenger car or SUV collide, the differences in size and weight between the two make catastrophic injuries likely for the occupants of the smaller vehicle. More than two million accident victims per year suffer permanent injuries in vehicle accidents, including the following:
- Neck injuries resulting from whiplash
- Burns and lacerations that cause scarring and disfigurement
- Internal organ damage
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Blindness
- Spinal cord injury
- Paralysis
- Severed limbs or surgical amputations
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Potential Current and Future Medical Expenses
Permanent injuries like these can prevent you from working, participating in normal daily activities, and caring for yourself for years to come. A permanent disability can also mean you’ll require medical care for life. In such a case, whoever caused your accident bears responsibility for all your related medical expenses, including:
- Surgery
- Hospitalization
- Emergency room visits
- Doctor’s office visits
- Travel to and from medical appointments
- Physical therapy
- Vehicle and home modification
- Assistive equipment
- Chiropractic care
- In-home nursing
- Referrals to specialists
- Prescription medication
Once you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), your attorney can consult with your doctors and other healthcare providers to estimate the cost of your future medical needs. Your lawyer can then demand fair compensation from the insurance companies involved, negotiate reasonable settlements, and may take your case to court if fair awards are not offered.
What If There Is More Than One Defendant?
Unlike a crash between two cars in which you generally file a claim against one at-fault party, a crash with a commercial semi-truck often involves more than one defendant. Not only the trucker who hit you but also the trucking company, truck owner, manufacturer, mechanic, or loading dock personnel could bear partial responsibility for your damages.
Your attorney can investigate your wreck to identify liable parties, determine their respective percentages of responsibility, demand reasonable settlements from all insurers involved, and negotiate fair awards. If adequate compensation is not forthcoming, your lawyer might file multiple lawsuits.
Additional Sources of Compensation
The insurance companies hope that you’ll panic and accept a low settlement when your medical bills start to pile up, but doing so is never a good idea. While you’re waiting to reach MMI and estimate your future medical expenses in order to demand fair compensation, your attorney can help you find other sources to cover mounting debts, which might include the following:
Your health insurance
You may submit medical bills to your health insurer and pay a co-payment or deductible amount. The insurer will then recoup its money through a subrogation lien once your damage claim is settled.
Your auto insurance
Your personal injury protection (PIP) or Med-Pay coverage should cover your medical bills up to your policy’s coverage limits. Your PIP might also cover a portion of your lost wages and charge you a co-payment or deductible amount. Med-Pay charges no co-payment and requires no reimbursement.
Workers’ compensation
If you happened to be injured in a truck crash while you were driving for work-related purposes, workers’ comp might cover your medical bills and a portion of your wages. Your lawyer can advise you on workers’ comp benefits and guide you through the claims process.
