You were driving your car safely and responsibly when suddenly and without warning you heard a deafening roar. As the force of the impact of a massive commercial truck rocked your car, you heard metal crunching, glass breaking and the screams of your passengers before you blacked out from blinding pain.
Commercial trucks are so much bigger and heavier than cars that the effects of impact at any speed can be devastating. Fatalities are far more common in truck crashes than car crashes, but many victims of truck crashes do survive.
Common severe injuries from truck accidents
The victims of commercial truck collisions often require emergency surgeries for survival. The injuries sustained in truck collisions can often be life-altering for their permanence and difficult recoveries.
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal injuries
- Burns
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Emotional trauma
While recovery is possible for many injuries, paralysis and loss or amputation of limbs are also common.
Losses from truck accidents
When injured in a collision, you suffer many losses. After a collision, victims have to deal with not only the monetary costs of medical treatment and vehicle repairs but lasting physical and emotional costs to their bodies and psyches. Medical bills pile up thanks to emergency surgeries, emergency room treatment, recovery room charges, physical therapy, psychological therapy and reconstructive surgeries. The necessity for prosthetics, medical equipment and supplies for the home create ongoing monetary costs. Wages are often lost during recovery, and in some cases, permanent injury may prevent a crash victim from returning to their previous employment.
After a truck collision, a skilled personal injury attorney can help you sort out what losses you could receive compensation for and who you are able to seek recovery from. Depending on the circumstances of the collision, you may also have a case for punitive damages.