Recovering Lost Wages

Being the victim of a personal injury case can affect your life in numerous ways. Not only can it affect your physical and mental health, but it can also create a serious financial strain. Sometimes victims are unable to work for periods of time due to their injuries and recovery process. This can result in lost wages, which causes further stress in their lives. The good news is that, in most cases, lost income can be recovered as part of a personal injury claim.

First and foremost, be sure to document any and all days you were unable to attend work. Whether it was due to hospitalizations, doctor appointments, therapy appointments, work restrictions given by your doctor, or anything else related to your injuries, all of this is important. Even if you had sick or vacation days to offset some of that time off, that should be included as well. Sick and vacation days are valuable assets and having to use them for someone else’s negligence should be compensated.

Other types of income that can potentially be reimbursed could include overtime pay, bonuses, commissions and future earning capacity. If you regularly work overtime, simply provide documentation showing your recent overtime earnings prior to your injuries and then the dates that you missed out on that overtime pay. If you have a sales job or other employment that pays bonuses or commissions, your inability to take advantage of those opportunities may be compensable as well. Finally, if you’ve had a severe or long-term injury, you may have lost your job or been transferred to a lower earning position. If your injury doesn’t allow for you to continue earning at the same capacity as you did before, your reduced earning capacity over time should be included in your claim.

Be sure to keep detailed records of all your appointments and time off work. Your employer should be kept informed of your injuries and the time you expect to need to recover. Keep a calendar or list of all the days or portions of days you took off due to your injuries and subsequent treatment. Providing documentation such as paystubs, doctors notes, employment contracts, and any other supporting evidence to your attorney will allow for these damages to be included in your claim. If the insurance company is unwilling to compensate these losses fairly in the settlement process, these can be included in a trial as well.

Negotiating your claim with an insurance company is not something you should take on by yourself. Having a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorney will greatly increase the value of your case and the chance that you will receive a fair settlement. Daniel Finder at Finder Law, LLC has over 10 years of experience in litigating personal injury cases. He understands how difficult these situations can be and has the knowledge of how to navigate the process to increase the value of your case. He will be there to walk you through each step while fighting passionately for a fair settlement. Call our office today to set up a consultation.