Can I Recover Lost Wages After a Car Accident

Often overlooked by victims of car accidents, and not accidentally insurance adjusters, are damages resulting from time missed from work.  The most important aspect of post-accident recovery is an individual’s health.  Therefore, a victims primary objective should be receiving the proper medical attention necessary to fully recover after the car accident, or at least getting as close to pre-accident form as possible. However, often lost in the shuffle is that people involved in a car accident are entitled to salary, wages, commissions or any other work related income lost as a result of the crash. Although insurance adjusters and companies would have you believe otherwise, you are entitled to every last penny you would have earned had you not had to miss time off of work because of the car accident.  Furthermore, even if you were able to return to work, you are also entitled to future loss of earning, or loss of earning potential.  In other words, if your car accident renders you unable to perform certain types of work, thus reducing the amount of earnings you would have received in the future, any settlement amount should account for the amount of money you will lose. Remember, if you were not at fault for the car accident, the at fault driver’s insurance company is responsible to making sure you recover to the exact same state had the accident never occurred.  Consequently, are should receive not only special damages such as past and future medical bills, but also lost wages and loss of earning potential as well.

How To Prove Lost Wages After a Car Accident

It is not uncommon for insurance companies to make car accident victims believe that lost wages are not part of the compensation.  Even when they do admit that they should pay for these damages, they often force these individuals to jump through hoops just to prove that they lost income.  However, the process should not be so hard. You might have to show past tax returns, or a letter from your company or boss to show that you lost wages as a result of the accident.  However, this process can become quite more complicated in a work environment where:

• You work on commission
• You are self-employed
• You work as an independent contractor
• You lost an important bonus as a result of time missed from work

Most insurance companies strategically place roadblocks in place in order to make it very difficult to prove lost wages.  The fact is that there no law that requires you to follow their guidelines.  Ultimately, they hope that you will simply give up on your right to receive compensation for lost wages. Our attorneys fight vigorously to make sure you receive the maximum amount of compensation for your car accident, including:

• Past medical expenses
• Future medical care
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning potential
• Pain and suffering

Getting Compensation for Future Loss of Work Income After a Car Accident

Although past loss of earnings can be straightforward, it is far more difficult to demonstrate future loss of earnings.  Even more difficult is loss of earnings potential as a result of the accident.  Unlike showing past tax returns, pay stubs, commission checks or other proof of earnings, there is no definitive way of proving future loss of earning potential. Adjuster play into this by telling car accident victims that they are not entitled to future work earnings, or that these damages are too speculative for them to be paid out on.  Our attorneys know better.  We employ experts such as vocational experts to testify to the fact that an individual will lose income for an indefinite period of time.  Furthermore, we analyze the amount of earning for a similarly situated individual to predict the amount of future losses, taking every factor into consideration. Many attorneys sidestep this source of compensation because they don’t have the knowledge to demonstrate these damages, or because it is simply too much work.  However, once medical care has been accounted for, car accident victims are often faced with the reality that they might not make as much from work as they did in the past.  Furthermore, an injury may limit prospective job prospects in the future.  Once an injured has signed off on a settlement, they are not longer able to procure this money.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney to Recover Lost Wages After a Car Accident

Dealing with life after a car accident can be daunting.  Not only do you have to get the proper medical attention, but you still have to pay for everyday bills associated with life.  If you are unable to go to work as a result of the car crash, paying these bills can be impossible.  Allow one of our attorneys to fight for your rights and recover your lost work income, future lost earning and loss of earning potential.