Truck accidents can cause significant property damage and debilitating personal injury. When the truck driver causes the accident, the injured person can seek legal damages for the associated costs.
Review these guidelines to estimate the available damages in a Kentucky truck accident.
Monetary damages
This category represents the person’s actual damages. To estimate the monetary damages available, the injured party should total:
- All medical bills associated with the accident
- The cost of transportation to and from medical appointments, including ambulance transport
- Lost wages, including projected future wages from now until retirement age if he or she became permanently disabled
- The cost of repairing or replacing the person’s vehicle with a comparable vehicle
Nonmonetary damages
This category includes costs that are more difficult to quantify. An injured person can also seek compensation for permanent disability, physical suffering, pain and emotional damages.
Most insurance companies calculate non-monetary damages with the so-called multiplier method. They use a mathematical model, or algorithm, to determine this multiplier based on the severity of the incident. Most companies use a multiplier between 1 and 5.
To look at an example, an injured person has $30,000 in medical bills, $10,000 in auto repairs and $3,000 in lost wages after an accident. He or she may experience chronic pain and resulting depression but will be able to return to work and other activities. Based on the average multiplier of 3, the person’s damage award would be about $43,000 times three or $129,000.
While every situation varies, this guide allows plaintiffs in an injury case to determine possible damages in a truck accident.
