Can I Recover Compensation if I Can’t Work Due to My Injuries?

Has an accident caused by someone else’s negligence left you unable to work? If so, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages. Please continue reading as we explore what you should know about these matters and how our determined Morris County Personal Injury Attorneys can help you fight for the justice you deserve. 

Can I Recover Lost Wages?

If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek financial compensation for your damages. This compensation can cover a wide range of expenses and losses that arise from such accidents. When filing a personal injury claim, you’ll find that you can seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages reflect compensable financial losses like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage which can be objectively calculated after an accident. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, represent intangible losses like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement which are more subjective and harder to quantify.

How Do You Calculate Lost Income?

Generally, if you are out of work for a definitive period, calculating the wages you would have earned is relatively straightforward. You’ll need to keep track of the work you missed and multiply those hours by your hourly rate. For example, if you lost 20 hours and earned $30 an hour, your loss of earnings would equal $600.

Salaried work is much more complex to figure out than hourly work. This is because you’ll need to convert your annual salary into a daily or hourly rate by dividing it by the number of working days or hours in a year. It’s important to note that you can receive compensation for overtime if you can demonstrate a pattern of consistently working overtime. This can be achieved by presenting previous pay stubs that show your frequent overtime work.

What Happens if You Can’t Work for a Long Time After the Accident?

If you are unable to work for an indefinite amount of time or permanently, calculating lost income becomes significantly more complicated. Several factors need to be considered, including the expected duration of the work absence, the potential for returning to work in a reduced capacity, your age, job market conditions, the availability of disability benefits, and whether a promotion or pay raise was anticipated before the accident. Given these complexities, it’s crucial to consult with an experienced attorney promptly to discuss these matters.

At Lutz Injury Law, our legal team is prepared to help you gather evidence of your income and time missed from work due to an injury to support your claim. We can assist you in calculating the total amount of lost wages to ensure you receive the maximum compensation to which you are entitled. Connect with our firm today to learn more about how we can fight for the compensation you deserve.