Recovering Lost Wages Resulting From a Car Accident

If you have been injured in a car accident, you may have missed work, or perhaps you are still unable to return to work. Without your income, you and your family could suffer serious financial strain. When a car accident injury prevents you from earning a living, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages and income.

Insurance Coverage for Lost Wages

A car accident injury can keep you from going to work and earning the money that you normally would have received had you not been injured in the car accident. “Lost wages” refers to the income you cannot earn because of your injury and may include:

• Lost wages for the period of time you did not work as a result of the injury
• Lost earning capacity if you sustain a long-term or permanent disability that prevents you from making as much money as you did before the accident
• Lost opportunities, such as missing a job interview during your recovery period

If your insurance policy covers lost wages, you must document the income you have lost in order to file a claim. Your paperwork should include a letter from your physician describing your injuries and how long they kept you from working (or continue to keep you from working), a letter from your employer verifying that you missed work due to injuries, and a copy of the police report from your accident. You will also need a recent paycheck, or if you are self-employed documentation of your prior year’s earnings, such as your tax returns. In many cases, establishing the amount of your lost wages can be a matter of comparing your paychecks from before and after the accident. However, some cases, such as when future earning capacity may not be as clear, may require a financial or economic expert to determine the amount of your lost wages. This is where retaining a lawyer to represent your claim can be beneficial.

Recovering Lost Income Damages From an At-fault Party

If your insurance policy does not include income loss benefits, but you were not at fault in the accident, you may still be able to receive compensation for your income loss by making a claim against the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage.

(If you were hit by a driver without car insurance or without adequate coverage, you may be able to collect lost wages under your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which you may have even if you don’t have lost wages coverage.)

Call KWF for Help with Lost Wages Claims

The legal team at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers can help guide you through the process of a lost wages claim, and help you receive as much as possible in compensation. Please call our experienced Georgia accident lawyers today at (404) 460-0101 if you were injured in an auto wreck, and you have missed work as a result. Your first consultation is free, and you owe no legal fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.