If you have been injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler, you could qualify for compensation from a truck accident settlement.

Every semi-truck is mandated to have a commercial insurance policy, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Minimum coverage for a semi-truck and its driver is much more than is required for passenger vehicles.

Did you know that 500,000 accidents occur in the U.S. every year that involve an 18-wheeler? Nearly 5,000 include a fatality and in more than 100,000 of these accidents, someone is seriously injured.

Like most insurance companies, the company that holds the semi-truck’s policy is often in a hurry to settle with the victims of an accident. Because the 18-wheelers are so large and heavy, the injuries they cause are usually much more severe than seen in accidents involving two passenger vehicles.

A lawyer negotiating a truck accident settlement may advise the victim not to settle too quickly for several reasons. The accident victim may need time to fully realize the true extent of his or her injuries. Those injuries may not heal as forecasted, meaning that subsequent surgeries, physical therapy or other unexpected ways to treat complications develop.

The victim also may not realize how the future extent of their injuries could affect their lives. Often, the injured victim’s sense of loss and the impact the accident has on personal relationships can’t be fully measured in the accident’s immediate aftermath.

Truck Accident Settlement Factors

Anyone involved in an accident with a semi-truck is apt to have mitigating factors that affect the amount of the truck accident settlement. Among the questions that will need to be answered in order to determine a truck accident settlement:

• How much damage did my vehicle incur?
• How much were my medical bills?
• How much have I lost in wages I have been unable to earn?
• How severe are my injuries? Will I need follow-up assistance or perhaps even lifetime assistance?
• Have I lost the companionship of another?
• What is the true extent of the pain and suffering I have endured, am currently enduring, and will continue to endure for the remainder of my life?

Reasons for Increase of Truck Accidents

The number of accidents involving semi-trucks has increased by 20 percent over the past 20 years. The drivers of these trucks are better-protected from injuries because of the tremendous size of the trucks and the cabs housing the drivers. Nearly 98 percent of the fatalities are the people who are in the passenger vehicles.

Some of the reasons for truck accidents are the same as those involving drivers of passenger vehicles: driver fatigue, alcohol or drug use, high speeds, brake problems, cell phone use or other distractions.

Semi-truck drivers have additional issues that can become complications that lead to accidents. If a driver is inexperienced with the type of truck he or she is driving, that lack of training can increase the risk of unsafe maneuvers.

If equipment is unsafe, lacks maintenance, includes load imbalances, or violations of federal or state trucking laws and regulations, the risks increase. And as large as semi-trucks are, they can be more sensitive to weather conditions, especially high winds.