Recovering Lost Wages After Your Auto Accident

by | Oct 5, 2015 | Firm News

You can repair your vehicle after an accident and your injuries will often heal, but lost income and job opportunities resulting from your crash can affect you forever. If you have incurred lost wages or professional opportunities as a result of your auto accident, you are likely entitled to compensation for your losses.

If you intend to recover damages for lost wages and/or work opportunities, you will need to have adequate documentation for the type of damages you are seeking. Here is a brief look at the types of claims you can bring and the evidence necessary to support them.

Existing Lost Wages

If you endured lengthy hospital stays to recover from your injuries, you likely lost wages and maybe even your job. If you were injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover damages for your lost wages during the time you were away from work.

In order to recover these damages, you will need to present evidence of your losses. Typically, this will mean a letter from your employer and in many cases, past income returns. If you own your own business, proving reduced income may be complicated. This is why it is so important to hire an attorney who will work with you to track your lost wages.

Future Lost Wages

In addition to compensation for past lost wages, you can also be awarded future lost wages if your injuries resulted in long-term disability affecting your future income. This is often the case for workers in the construction, retail and dining industries.

Critical to the recovery of future lost wages is proof of your long-term disability. Detailed medical records and doctor notes can help prove the nature and scope of your injuries, and how they impact your ability to perform various jobs. You may want to consider expert witness testimony from a medical professional if your case is litigated.

Lost Opportunities

It is not uncommon that the injuries you sustain in an accident may have such an emotional and physical toll that you are not able to live up to your full potential. This may mean the loss of numerous work opportunities, such as the inability to look for new work, develop skills, or network. Working closely with your personal injury attorney, you can gather evidence to illustrate the cost of lost opportunities resulting from your injuries.

In recovering for past/future lost wages or lost opportunities, it is important to remember that your own work history and skill set will play a role in recovering damages. Courts consider many factors in estimating and determining past and future lost wages, such as life expectancy and relative work experience.

The qualified personal injury attorneys at Murphy & Garner, LLC, offer free consultations to injured people and their families. If you have lost wages due to someone else’s negligence, we will evaluate your case and let you know what your legal options are – whether that means a negotiated settlement or a lawsuit.

Contact the experienced attorneys at Murphy & Garner today at 678-563-1584.

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