If you were injured in an 18-wheeler or other commercial truck accident in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you could suffer catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, paralysis, spinal and back injuries, or burns, that can severely limit your ability to work and take care of your day-to-day needs. Getting the full amount of compensation you deserve is essential so that you receive the medical care you need and can get back on your feet financially. Waiting until you reach your maximum medical improvement (MMI) to settle your claim is crucial to achieving this goal.
What Is Maximum Medical Improvement?
When a negligent truck driver causes your truck accident, you are entitled to be compensated for both your past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If the trucker’s actions were especially egregious, you might also be entitled to punitive damages.
One important factor that affects the amount of future damages you receive is your maximum medical improvement. Here is what MMI means under Texas law:
- Maximum medical improvement is the stage at which there will be no further recovery or improvement of an injury caused in your truck crash even if you continue to receive medical treatment.
- The determination that you have reached MMI is based on the reasonable medical probability that no further recovery or improvement can be anticipated.
- If you suffer multiple serious injuries—common in a commercial truck accident—you may reach your MMI for each injury at different times. This can increase the time you must wait to reach this stage in your medical treatment and to resolve your case.
Why MMI Is Important to Your Settlement
When you settle your truck accident claim with the insurance company for the trucker and trucking company, it is a final settlement. You cannot reopen it and ask for more money if you discover that you need new medical treatments, must take more time off work than you expected, or that you are permanently disabled.
Once you reach your MMI, your physician can advise you and your experienced truck accident attorney on your final prognosis, future medical treatments you will need throughout your life, and how your injuries will impact your ability to work. Your lawyer will use this information to calculate the amount of compensation you should receive in your settlement. By waiting until you reach MMI, you are more likely to receive all the future compensation you deserved from the insurance company.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Truck Accident?
If you've been injured in a truck accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident injury attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.485.8888 to schedule your free consultation.
Were you injured in an 18-wheeler or other commercial truck accident in the Dallas, Fort Worth, or Mid-Cities areas? We have decades of experience fighting for the rights of victims of these tragic wrecks.
|
Related Links: |
