In comparison to other types of vehicle collisions, commercial truck accidents are relatively rare. According to data from various sources, while there are roughly six million auto accidents annually in the United States, the annual total of commercial truck accidents is around 500,000. Yet, despite the fact that there are 12 “ordinary” vehicle collisions for everyone commercial truck accident, accidents involving commercial trucks account for more than 10 percent of traffic fatalities, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The non-fatal injury figures are similarly disproportionate.
In short, commercial truck accidents have a far greater likelihood of resulting in serious and fatal injuries. There are a number of factors that contribute to this disparity, and at Berkowitz Hanna, our Connecticut truck accident lawyers are intimately familiar with these issues. We have decades of experience helping truck accident victims recover just compensation. And if you have been injured or a member of your family has been killed in a commercial truck accident, we can utilize this experience to effectively assert your legal rights.
In truck accident cases, there are two general theories of liability: strict liability and negligence. Strict liability applies to product defects – faulty brakes, faulty tires, defective cargo straps, and other truck-related issues that cause and contribute to dangerous collisions. Negligence applies to all human-related factors, including:
Depending on the specific factor (or, as is often the case, factors) involved in a truck collision, here are some of the parties that may be responsible for the victims’ losses:
A skilled Connecticut truck accident attorney could help an injured party determine who is at fault for their wreck and take legal action accordingly.
Recovering from the physical and emotional trauma sustained in a truck accident can be a lifelong endeavor. If you have been physically disabled, if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI), if you have been severely burned or scarred, or if you are suffering from post-traumatic stress, you are most likely facing a long and difficult road to recovery.
While coping with the effects of a traumatic accident means different things for different people, one thing that virtually all serious accident victims have in common is that they need help. They need help to get better. They need help to find closure, and they need help to move on.
At Berkowitz Hanna, we are committed to helping our clients recover in every way that we possibly can. This means helping them find trustworthy doctors, it means helping them manage the out-of-pocket costs of their injuries, and it means helping them recover just compensation. We fight for maximum compensation in every case we handle, and in appropriate cases, we seek punitive damages to enhance our clients’ financial recoveries as well.
If the truck driver, trucking company, shipping company, or any other entity was at fault in the crash, you are entitled full compensation for the financial losses you endure as a result of the crash. These are known as “economic damages.” Economic damages that can be recovered in non-fatal truck accident cases include:
In addition to economic damages, truck accident victims can also recover “non-economic damages” in Connecticut. Non-economic damages provide compensation for intangible losses such as:
In certain cases, commercial truck accident victims in Connecticut can also recover “punitive damages.” Unlike the damages discussed above, these are not intended to provide compensation but instead are awarded as additional payment in order to punish the defendant for particularly egregious conduct. Punitive damages are capped by statute in Connecticut, but in appropriate cases, seeking punitive damages can provide important additional financial resources to aid in victims’ long-term recoveries.
For obvious reasons, recovering financial compensation for the loss of a loved one is a very different proposition from recovering your own personal losses after being injured in a trucking collision. If you have lost a close family member in a truck accident in Connecticut, we offer our sincere condolences.
Our Connecticut truck accident attorneys represent families throughout Connecticut in claims for wrongful death. We have significant experience handling these difficult claims, and we are committed to securing justice for the families we represent. If you have questions and would like to speak with one of our attorneys in confidence, we encourage you to schedule a complimentary consultation.
To speak with a Connecticut truck accident lawyer about seeking just compensation for a serious or fatal truck accident in Connecticut, please call us or contact us online. Your initial consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
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