Examples Of Truck Accident Paralysis Victims Obtaining Multi Million Dollar Recoveries

By Joseph A Hernandez
Accidents involving commercial trucks often end in tragedies. In large part it is due to the sheer weight of commercial trucks which can come in at several tons. When traveling at a high speed the resulting impact from a collision can do extensive damage to anyone in the truck's way.One type of injury that all too often occurs is a spinal cord fracture that can lead to paralysis. Attorneys who handle such cases should be experienced in the medical and psychological aspects of these types of injuries as well as the complex liability and insurance issues that often arise in these cases. For example, consider the following two cases:

Case 1:

In this documented truck accident the victim sustained cervical fractures resulting in quadriplegia. The victim was in a stopped van on a street in a commercial area in front of a facilities driveway. He had turned on his right turn signal and was waiting for another vehicle to leave the driveway so that he could go in and make a delivery for his employer. As he was waiting a tractor-trailer hit the other vehicle. The driver of the tractor-trailer was going at least 45 mph. As such the impact threw part of the exiting vehicle into oncoming traffic and catapulted the victim's vehicle so that it hit a pole and rolled over. As a result of the injuries from the accident, the victim needs assisted care around the clock.

The total cost of the victim's treatment and care were anticipated to be approximately $6 million. In addition, since his injuries left him with a lifelong impairment he also suffered a loss of earning capacity. The law firm that handled this case on behalf of the victim and his wife filed a claim against not only the driver and his employer but also against the company that hired the driver's employer to transport their product. As a result the law firm was able to report that the case was settled without going to trial for the sum of $3.0 million of which only $1.0 million came from the driver's employer and the remaining $2.0 million, the larger portion of the settlement, came from the company that hired the driver's employer to transport their product.

Case 2:

In this case a mail delivery person was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer after having stopped her vehicle when she reached the next delivery spot on her route. The impact was so severe that the woman was left paralyzed and blind in one eye. The law firm that handled this case on behalf of the victim and her husband named several defendants in the lawsuit. The defendants included not only in the driver of the tractor-trailer and its owner, but also the company that had contracted for its services. The law firm discovered that he driver of the tractor-trailer had a long criminal record.

The victim's medical expenses at the time of settlement amounted to approximately $500,000. She had up to that time lost approximately $50,000 in wages. Given that she was only 53 years old at the time of the accident her lifetime expected future loss and earning capacity came to over $300,000. The law firm reported that the case settled on behalf of the woman and her husband in the sum of $5.5 million.

These cases illustrate the importance of retaining an attorney with sufficient experience to be able to recognize the value of the claims as well as identifying all those who may be liable and have the insurance or the assets necessary for an appropriate recovery.