After an accident, you could be facing many challenges; injuries, vehicle damage, and even lost wages due to your injuries.
If you are not at fault, your car insurance company may reimburse you for lost work wages. However, your eligibility depends on your car insurance and ability to file the claim with the correct information. If your policy covers lost wages, you will need to get your documentation together to file a claim.
Take Notes!
In the event of an accident, it is critical to document as much as possible. Take photos, keep track of medical appointments and treatments and record all lost work time.
Your lost wages and income are recoverable if your injuries stop you from working or if you need to miss work to get to medical appointments and treatments. Lost wages are usually not recoverable because your car is damaged, and you cannot use it to get to work.
If you cannot work due to injuries sustained in an accident, you will probably need a doctor’s note putting you in an “off status” from your job. In addition, your employer will need to verify and document the dates that you missed.
If you miss work time because of medical visits, the time you lose will need to be equal to the times of the appointments and dates of your treatment. In short, don’t take a whole day off work for a medical appointment. Instead, schedule them at the start or the end of a workday.
Lost wages can be documented with ease when you get paid on an hourly basis. However, if you work on commission or are self-employed, it will become harder to document your lost income.
It may be necessary to provide pay stubs or recent commission statements before the date of the accident, as well as some statements after you have returned to work. The statement amounts can be averaged to come up with a sample amount of an average monthly income.
Calculating your lost wages can be a challenging and lengthy process. However, an experienced personal injury attorney can help guide you through the process if you prefer not to go it alone against the insurance companies.
Resource: All About Car Accidents by Nolo.com
