If you are involved in an accident and experience an injury, it’s likely that you will be unable to return to work right away. Because of this, you may lose multiple hours of work, and as a result money, because of the time you have to spend in the hospital, going to medical appointments, and recovering from your injuries.
When you are in this situation, it may be possible to receive compensation for your injuries and the lost wages you experienced because of the accident. It’s important to understand that lost wages come in many forms. The ability to prove these losses is often challenging and depends on how severe your injuries are.
There are a few different types of lost wages you may be able to recover. It’s smart to discuss these with an attorney when filing a claim. The types you may be entitled to include:
- Lost Earnings: This is the most basic type of lost wages you can recover and is the amount of money you would have earned if you had not been injured.
- Loss of paid leave, paid time off, or sick days: Some accident victims must use paid days off or paid leave to recover the total cost of medical treatment or to recover from their injuries.
- Loss of income due to wrongful death: Cases of wrongful death relate to personal injury. For example, if a spouse, parent, or another family member passes away in an accident or due to an injury, the surviving family members may receive compensation for the economic losses their death cause.
- Loss of earning capacity and loss of future wages: This applies to situations where the injuries you experience have a negative impact on your ability to earn money in the future at the same level of productivity. It may also limit your future job advancement potential.
Determining how much you deserve in compensation for lost wages can be tricky. Hiring a personal injury attorney to help with this is recommended. They can ensure you have the right type of evidence to support your claim and get the compensation you deserve. Some of the evidence that can be used to determine how much you deserve in lost wages includes:
- Records that show how much time you missed at work and how many hours of paid leave you had to take after the accident.
- Tax returns, bank statements, pay stubs, and other documentation that can prove the true monetary value of your lost time.
- Any miscellaneous statements from your employer, your family, or others who know what type of financial loss you experienced because of the accident.
Depending on the specific loss that you experience, it may be necessary to use the services of an expert to show how serious your future is impacted by the accident. There are many factors considered when determining a dollar amount that is reasonable for these damages so it is smart to consult with an attorney to decide what you should do.