Economic damages are the losses that the victim can show were part of necessary medical treatment for their injuries, as well as time away from work.
Greenville, SC – Businesses that engage in activities such as trucking and shipping are considered high risk for several reasons. These are dangerous jobs where the drivers are on the roads for several hours each day, and the risk of an accident greatly increases with that much exposure on the roads. Special safety regulations exist for these reasons, but accidents are a regular cause of injuries and death on South Carolina’s highways. Attorneys in South Carolina who focus on truck accidents are able to help accident victims receive compensation through civil lawsuits.
High costs of commercial vehicle accidents
Companies that hire commercial drivers and provide vehicles will need to purchase special kinds of insurance. These policies can potentially cover very large amounts of liability, as semi truck or bus accidents tend to cost somewhere between several hundred thousand and a million dollars. If the company has multiple accidents involving their commercial drivers, they can experience increases in these large insurance costs, lose cargo, and damage to their safety record and reputation. This is why things like background checks and safety training is so important for truck drivers in Greenville.
Differences in vehicle size
Large commercial vehicles are constantly surrounded by smaller vehicles. When these smaller cars are hit by semi trucks, tankers, dump trucks, or other kinds of commercial vehicles, the damage to the people in the standard sized car can be devastating. This is especially true on highways where trucks tend to travel at high speeds in close proximity to other kinds of cars.
Truck accident lawsuits and paying damages
The driver or their employer will face various kinds of financial consequences if they are found to be liable for the truck accident. This includes payment of economic damages, non-economic damages, and possibly even punitive damages in some cases. Economic damages are the losses that the victim can show were part of necessary medical treatment for their injuries, as well as time away from work. These costs can even be projected into the future if the person has long term or permanent health problems. Non-economic damages allow the attorney to argue for things like quality of life problems, physical pain, and mental trauma caused by their injuries. In situations where there was some kind of reckless conduct, attempts to conceal wrongdoing, or intent to hurt the plaintiff, punitive damages can be awarded to punish the driver. There are limits on punitive damages in South Carolina. These cannot be more than $500,000 maximum, or three times economic damages.
Legal advice after a truck crash in South Carolina
Truck accident attorneys near me are available to help anyone who has been injured in a recent collision. There are lawyers in the Greenville area that focus on civil negligence cases brought against trucking companies.
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