What Happens If a Truck Accident Causes Permanent Disability?

Large commercial trucks are necessary for bringing goods and services into and out of Illinois as key links in the supply chain. Unfortunately, a fully loaded truck may legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, dwarfing average 4,000-pound cars and leaving motorists in smaller cars vulnerable to severe or catastrophic injuries in a crash. Unfortunately, one of the worst outcomes of a truck accident in Chicago or elsewhere is permanent disability.

Understanding a Catastrophic Injury Claim After an Illinois Truck Accident

A permanent disability is a devastating consequence of an accident and is particularly common in car vs. commercial truck accidents. When an accident causes permanent harm, like disability, the injury victim may be entitled to additional compensation for their permanent losses. Common catastrophic injuries that cause disability include the following:

• Spinal cord injuries with paralysis
• Brain injuries leaving permanent impairment
• Severe burns
• Traumatic amputations
• Vision or hearing loss
• Multiple fractures
• Serious back or neck injuries causing damage to compressed nerves, resulting in numbness, muscle weakness, or lack of bladder/bowel control or chronic pain

When an injury causes permanent disability, a catastrophic injury attorney seeks the maximum compensation available to the injury victim from one or more liable parties under Illinois modified comparative negligence system.

Understanding Liability for Disabling Truck Accident Injuries In Illinois

To meet the exceptional costs of a permanent injury leaving the injury victim disabled, an assertive personal injury lawyer investigates the cause of the accident and pinpoints one or more negligent parties that caused or contributed to the accident through negligence or violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. Common liable parties in Illinois truck accident claims include the following:

• The truck driver, if they are an independent contractor
• A trucking company
• A negligent truck maintenance company
• A negligent freight loading service
• The manufacturer of a defective truck tire or part
• A third-party driver
• A negligent road maintenance agency, road construction contractor, or road-planning agency

Before making a claim against one or more liable parties, a truck accident lawyer makes a carefully calculated list of the injury victim’s damages, including typical damages and the extraordinary damages associated with permanent disability.

What Damages Are Recoverable After a Truck Accident Causes Permanent Disability?

With clear and concise evidence of liability, an injury victim may recover compensation for the economic and non-economic losses caused by permanent disability through a catastrophic injury claim. A successful claim recovers compensation such as the following:

• Total past and future medical expenses and related out-of-pocket costs
• Total past and future income loss or reduced future earning ability due to disability
• Compensation for catastrophic injury costs for life-care planning
• Compensation for non-economic damages like pain, suffering, emotional trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, loss of enjoyment of life, or diminished quality of life

An auto accident attorney in Chicago consults with medical experts, occupational therapists, and other specialists to determine the total cost of a particular disability as well as the pain and suffering involved before submitting their findings to the at-fault party’s insurance company. Then, they seek the highest possible settlement for their client.