Personal Injury
When you’re injured because of someone else’s recklessness, carelessness, negligence, or wrongdoing, the physical and financial harm can interrupt your life. Whether a distracted driver caused your car crash or a negligent property owner failed to maintain a hazard-free property, the after-effects are similar. You may have serious injuries, an overwhelming financial burden, and must be absent from work without pay.
Personal injury law entitles you to claim financial compensation for harm and losses caused by your injuries, including lost wages and lost earning potential.
Lost wages
In a personal injury claim, ‘lost wages’ are the monies you typically would have earned from the date of your accident and when your personal injury case is settled or is handed a court ruling.
Lost wages are economic damages, which are one of several types of damages you may be entitled to receive. If your injury happened at work or involved a motor vehicle accident while working, you may also be entitled to Workers’ Compensation. If your damage diminishes your ability to work and earn income in the future, you can also claim compensation for loss of future earnings.
Loss of income
Damages for lost wages include
- Inability to work at all, temporarily or permanently
- Working only reduced hours
- Leaving your employment to take a job with less pay because your injuries keep you from doing that job
Payment for lost wages
Who pays for your lost wages depends on the specifics of your claim, but in most of them, an insurance company covers lost pay and other accident-related damages. If another motor vehicle operator is at fault (or mostly so) for your injuries, it’s usually that driver’s insurer who pays.
If an uninsured driver caused your injuries, you might be claim lost wages through your insurance policy’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. A personal injury attorney can help you sort this out.
Calculating lost wages
Loss of income calculations depend on the specific circumstances. No matter your employment or the specifics of your situation, a personal injury attorney can guide you through the necessary steps to calculate how much you’re owed. This includes these work situations:
- Hourly
- Salaried
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Independent contractors (freelancers)
- Self-employed
- Working multiple jobs
No matter the kind of job you do or where you work, you have the legal right to file a claim for an accident- and personal injury-related lost wages.
Get maximum compensation for your total loss of earnings and wages
Don’t assume you can pull out some old paystubs and get a full, fair payout for your lost income. The wage reimbursement process for accident victims involves a lot of paperwork and other requirements to be met.
Calculating a specific dollar amount for an accident victim’s wage-related losses isn’t often as straightforward as you might think. Your personal injury attorney will rely on multiple types of financial documentation, your medical diagnosis, education, work history and skills, current and projected market rates, expert testimony, and many other significant factors to calculate the final sum.
Your personal injury attorney will build the best case possible to get you the compensation you deserve for lost wages. To find out more, contact a personal injury lawyer in your local area today. Call the law office of Wade Suthard, P.C.
