You’ve been injured in a severe accident that has required hospitalization, surgeries, and many other treatments that have had a huge toll on your life. It is only right to assume that, if you have been involved in a serious West Virginia car accident and have sustained damages, you will also miss out on time that should have been spent at work until you discovered that your injury would stop you from doing so. Whether these were doctor’s orders or you have been stuck in a hospital ensuring that you heal properly, lost income can have a huge impact on your life. You have a right to recovery.
Lost income is more than just saying that you missed out on your daily bills for a short amount of time. It also encompasses many other aspects, no matter if you have been deemed unable to work for a short period of time or permanently. You have the right to be compensated in many positions, ranging from those that are jobs that give you several hours a week to those that are considered full-time. Today, we would like to take a closer look at the many aspects that make up lost income damages.
Considerations to Be Made in Lost Income Damages
Inability to Work: Perhaps the medical treatments continue to pile up as you spend time in the hospital or require ongoing therapy. Maybe your doctor has told you that you are not able to return to work because you would be putting a strain on your body and you want to make sure that you listen and follow their advice. If you have sustained damages relating to your inability to work and make income, this will reflect in the compensation that could be owed to you. These damages can be easily calculated based on how much you make on a weekly basis.
Sick Leave and Vacation Pay: You are entitled to sick leave at your job and, as such, the courts see these days as the equivalent of losing a day of pay. However, you will have to show that you missed time at your job directly because of the accident and know the amount of money that you lost out on while you missed time at work.
Lost Promotion Opportunities: On top of that, it is not unusual for an individual to miss out on future opportunities for a promotion because of the impact that an injury left on their life. If you believe that you have missed out on these opportunities, you might be given benefits for such.
Demonstrating That You Qualify for Lost Income Damages
You will need to provide various sources of evidence that you actually missed out on the income that you claim you did. Proving these damages can sometimes be more complex than it sounds, especially if your employer is not regular or you are self-employed. You will have to show various documents under any occasion, such as a letter from your supervisor stating how much time you missed and what income you missed out on, billing for appointments you needed to make that took you away from work, and invoices that prove how much you would have earned.
How A West Virginia Car Accident Attorney Can Help After an Accident
If you believe that you qualify for lost income damages after an accident, you should always take your case to an experienced West Virginia car accident who understands the legalities of what you are facing. Car crashes can happen for many reasons, causing financial turmoil in your life, especially when you are forced to miss time at work. You have the right to bring a personal injury claim on behalf of your losses with the help of our attorneys at Katz, Kantor, Stonestreet & Buckner. Contact us to find out how we can assist you at (304) 713-2014.