It is very important to have evidence and witnesses in any personal injury case. One of the benefits of a commercial vehicle accident case versus an accident involving a person’s sedan or family car is that there is a lot of evidence within the vehicle.
Sources of Information in Commercial Vehicle Accidents
An enormous amount of technology has been invested into these commercial vehicles, especially 18-wheelers. These vehicles have black boxes, which contain enormous amounts of information pertaining to the operations of the vehicle. This information can be downloaded from computers within the vehicle, but accomplishing this often requires the expertise of an accident reconstructionist.
Another function of an accident reconstructionist is to go to the scene of the accident and try to determine what actually occurred (and when it actually occurred). Since the insurance company for the commercial vehicle or its owners will send an accident reconstructionist to the scene, it’s important to have your own reconstructionist investigating on your behalf. These investigations include looking at skid marks, taking measurements, and trying to find evidence on the ground to support your theories of what happened. It may turn out that your side disagrees with the conclusions of the insurance company’s expert. With potentially millions of dollars on the line and the outcome of the case at stake, you definitely want an independent examination. It is important to have this investigation initiated as soon as possible after an accident, since much of the evidence will disappear over time, or else be destroyed.
What Types of Compensation Can I Expect To Recover In A Commercial Vehicle Accident Claim?
The types of compensation that you can expect to recover are numerous and will depend largely on the nature of your injuries. If you only need to see a doctor a few times for your injury, then your medical bills will not be that high, and therefore your damages will not be very high. However, if you were seriously or catastrophically injured, then you may very well end up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and suffer lifelong effects from the accident in the form of paralysis, a significant impairment, or a traumatic brain injury. For these types of claims, the value of damages is very often in the millions of dollars.
When someone dies in an accident that was not their fault, the surviving family members have a right to wrongful death benefits. These benefits will often flow to the surviving spouse or children of the decedent. The value of a wrongful death claim in Georgia is the value of the life of the decedent, so it is based on the amount of money they would have earned during the remainder of their life, combined with what’s known as the intangible value of their life. Obviously, the value of anyone’s life is in the millions of dollars. Unlike passenger vehicles which might have coverage in the amount of only $25,000, commercial vehicles are often insured with multimillion-dollar insurance policies. This is one of the positives when a tragedy like this occurs, although no amount of money is ever going to truly compensate someone fairly.
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If you have been injured or someone you know has been injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial vehicle in Georgia, complete this questionnaire for a free case evaluation by our attorneys. more information on Evidence & Witnesses In A Commercial Vehicle Claim, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (855) 909-3021 today.