Career Damage: Personal Injury Compensation and Your Job
Car accidents have a tendency to cause widespread problems. For example, you may experience physical injuries, have to deal with a wrecked vehicle, and suffer from the financial ramifications of lost time at work. When it comes to your ability to work at your job, you may suffer from far more than just a few lost paychecks. When you end up hurt and feeling the negative effects of a wreck because of a careless driver, you can take action and seek compensation. Read on to learn more about dealing with the long-term effects of lost earning capacity.
Lost Wages and Lost Earning Capacity
Among several other categories of damages that you might be compensated for are these two work-related issues. When you miss work, you should not need to use up your valuable paid time-off perks due to an accident that was not your fault. All time missed from work that can be directly linked to the accident are know as lost wages. This category includes:
- Time spent in the emergency room and hospital.
- All doctor's visits, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, and mental health counseling sessions.
And more. If you had to take time off of work to do it, it can be filed under lost wages.
Lost Earning Capacity
Lost earning capacity goes beyond that of just losing time from work. Some people are employed in jobs that require not just their physical presence but their expertise and full input at all times. In some instances, a victim's ability to excel at their career is permanently degraded by an accident and the injuries sustained. For example:
- Business owners who are unable to oversee the business in the same manner as before the accident
- Models, actors, and artists who suffer from physical or psychological damage because of the wreck
- Professional musicians who may suffer physical injuries that negatively affect the way they play instruments
- Truckers who are unable to drive anymore due to feet or leg injuries
Evaluating Lost Earning Capacity
You may need to consult with vocational experts to help you calculate the money you are due in this category. The chances of being compensated for this area of money damages depends on:
- Whether or not the injury is permanent
- How the injury affects the job
- Your age, education level, salary, and predicted salary in the future
No matter how much damage an accident has caused you, understand more about personal injury law by speaking to a personal injury attorney to have your case evaluated as soon as possible.
Share