Someone who experiences a personal injury accident, especially a serious injury, may experience loss of wages, and even their job. This loss of livelihood through no fault of your own is very serious. The loss of your wages – even temporarily – is a hardship on you and if you a family, the whole family.
You may need to get a personal injury lawyer to fight to get your loss of wages or job compensated right along with any medical bills you may incur. Compensation can include medical expenses now and in the future, property damage, loss of companionship, apin and suffering, and other damages that stemmed from your accident.
Some injuries may leave a victim unable to work again. In these cases, there are options.
Lost Wages
Many personal injuries involve a period of recovery, which, in most cases, means time off work. “Lost wages” is the amount of money a person would have earned if they had not been injured.
Many employees have different forms of paid time off (PTO), including sick leave, vacation time, and so-called “floating holidays.” Once those are used up, and there are no more “income replacements,” the family’s income ends. Contract workers and independent contractors generally don’t have paid time off, so they may lose their income suddenly and immediately with no backup.
The exception is if the accident is work-related and qualifies for Worker’s Compensation, which includes payment of a portion of the worker’s wages.
“Lost wages” can include additional payments such as:
• Benefits, such as insurance, profit-sharing, transportation, etc.
• Bonuses
• Overtime
• Earned additional PTO
• Retirement contributions
• Raises with promotions
A personal injury attorney can determine your losses based on your age, education, skill level, and years of experience. For more severe and disabling injuries, the lost wages of the remaining years you would have worked may be included.
Job Retraining
What if your injuries prevent you from going back to your job because your injuries prevent you from working in the same occupation? You may be able to re-train for a different career that fits your abilities.
Also called “lost earning capacity,” it’s the loss of your ability to earn at your previous income level and the loss of years that you would have had if you continued working.
It is possible to get additional education or training for another career or occupation, depending on your prior occupation and your current abilities after your recovery.
For someone whose prior occupation relied on physical ability, such as a construction worker, they may be able to retrain for an occupation that doesn’t require the same abilities. For the worker with a well-paying job and a family to support, the idea of taking a lesser-paying job doesn’t sit well. Once recovered, the person must figure out where to find a job with comparable pay or work a job that makes paying bills difficult.
Once you’ve met Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), you may be able to pursue vocational career training. This will also depend on your abilities and limitations following your recovery. Consulting with a vocational evaluation expert can be helpful in determining the best training for a new and future career post-accident.
Charleston, West Virginia Personal Injury Attorney
An accident of any kind can happen anytime, anywhere. Once the initial shock is over, and you move into recovery mode, you have more details to handle. At the Love Law Firm, we cover personal injury accidents including:
Nursing Home Cases, Slip & Fall Accidents, Medical Malpractice, Mining Accidents, Auto Accidents, Commercial Truck Wrecks, Bicycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents and Premises Liability.
The Love Law Firm is ready to help. Call us today at 304-344-5683 or use our online contact form to message us or request we schedule a free consultation. Attorney Chad Love will discuss your case with you, explain your options, and what to expect in an accident settlement. Our contingency fee arrangement means that if we don’t win your case, you won’t owe us a fee.
