Each year in Tennessee and across the nation, there are more truck crashes than ever. Victims of car accidents involving semis may be eligible for three types of compensation.
Economic compensation
Economic compensation is the easiest for court officials to calculate because officials can look at receipts for hospital bills, durable equipment, extended nursing care and other necessities. The court may also award compensation for lost wages. If someone has wrongly died in an accident, they can also look at funeral and burial bills. Furthermore, if a truck accident destroys physical property, they can determine the cost of those items.
Non-economic damages in a truck accident
Victims can also receive compensation for non-economic damages. For example, they may receive money for pain and suffering. Victims can also receive compensation if the accident impacts their mental health, such as causing them nightmares or depression. Furthermore, the family of someone who died in a truck accident can receive compensation for their loss.
Punitive damages
It is rare for a truck accident victim to receive punitive damages. A judge awards this type of compensation to a victim after a driver or trucking company has broken laws. Also called exemplary compensation, judges award this type of compensation when they want to send a message to other truck drivers and companies not to participate in the same kind of activity, such as driving while intoxicated or faking driving logs, so they are driving while drowsy. Judges can require truck drivers and trucking companies to pay this compensation.
The judge can award three types of compensation after a trucking accident, but usually, they only award economic and non-economic damages.