Helping Accident Victims Recover Lost Earnings in Gwinnett County
Following a car crash, fall, or another type of unexpected accident, you will likely focus on treating your injuries and repairing any property damage. As medical and repair bills pile up, you should always discuss your options for compensation with a skilled personal injury law firm. However, another major financial loss commonly results from accidental injuries—lost income. Losing income can create serious problems for your household budget, and you may be able to recover for all of your past and future lost income in addition to your medical bills and other losses.
At Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC, we represent injured accident victims in and around Gwinnett County, Georgia. We work to obtain compensation for every relevant loss, including any lost earnings. Claims can be more complicated than you may imagine, so please do not hesitate to call for assistance with your situation today.
Injuries Can Cause You to Miss Work
Many accidental injuries can disrupt your job, including:
- Soft tissue injuries
- Concussions and severe brain injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Dislocations
- Burns
A sudden injury can cause you to miss work for several reasons. First, if your injury requires hospitalization, you obviously cannot attend work while staying in the hospital. The same goes for victims who need surgery, as surgical recovery requires rest for days, weeks, or months.
Even if you do not need surgery or hospitalization, your treatment plan may prevent you from working. Your doctor may order you to stay home and refrain from your job duties for some time. This is especially true for individuals who perform any type of physical labor as part of their job, as such labor can impede recovery or worsen an injury. Certain medications—such as painkillers—can cloud your judgment to a degree that prevents you from working.
The nature of your injury may also keep you from returning to work right away. For instance, any type of traumatic brain injury can cause cognitive or physical impairments that make it impossible to follow instructions, engage in complex communications or reasoning, or perform physical tasks that require balance and coordination. A broken leg will make it impossible for you to perform any tasks requiring you to bear weight on that leg. A back injury can prevent you from heavy lifting or also from simply sitting in an office chair all day.
Even if you can still perform your job duties, you may have to miss work to attend doctor’s appointments, physical therapy sessions, and other obligations as part of your treatment. Even a few hours missed from work can affect your paycheck, especially since many people do not have paid sick leave.
Whether you lost pay for a few hours, days, weeks, or months, you deserve to recoup all lost wages from any party that caused your injury. Liable parties will vary depending on the type of accident that happened and can include:
- Negligent drivers and truck drivers
- Companies that employ negligent workers
- Third parties that create dangerous hazards at your workplace
In order to receive full compensation for your lost income, you need the right law firm on your side. Call Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC to discuss how we can help you recover for all of your losses—including lost wages.
Future Lost Income
Sometimes, as your insurance claim is in process, you still may not know when you will return to work. You may still experience complications from your injuries or may have weeks or months left of the recovery process. If this is the case, you need a lawyer who understands how to seek damages for future lost income.
While you should be able to recover for future losses as well as past losses, proving future losses can prove significantly more challenging. First, you will need to demonstrate the amount of work you will likely miss in the future. Often, this requires the opinion of a medical expert familiar with your type of injury and the typical recovery period. Insurance companies will often challenge future losses, so you need a law firm handling your claim with the resources to sufficiently prove the amount of income you expect to lose.
Know that insurance companies will not simply take your word when you claim estimated future lost income. Instead, Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC knows how to provide sufficient evidence of your claimed losses, so you receive the financial recovery you deserve.
Future Lost Earning Potential
Some people eventually recover from their injuries and return to work. Unfortunately, some accident victims are not nearly so lucky. Serious accidents can result in lasting and life-changing injuries, and this includes changing your job path and opportunities. Suffering a permanent and disabling injury can keep you from ever going back to your previous job, whether it is due to physical or cognitive impairments.
After a disabling injury, you may have to seek a different job that pays less and that is outside your chosen industry. Some people may never work again after a permanent injury. If these situations, you deserve full compensation for the income you likely would earn if you continue on your chosen career path until retirement age.
These calculations are complex and involve many factors, including:
- Your age and work-life expectancy
- The disparity in income from your previous career and new job path or disability benefits
- The pay increases likely offered to you over the course of your career
- Inflation and other economic factors
Such calculations often require the help of occupational experts, medical experts, economic experts, and more. You need a law firm with the necessary resources if you believe you cannot return to your job.
