How to Prove Wage Loss After an Accident Injury? Personal Injury Attorney Explains

More Many serious injuries keep accident victims out of work, preventing them from performing their job duties while they heal. In addition to medical expenses, you may be eligible for compensation for these lost wages. Proving wage loss can be tricky though. Here at The Mike Hostilo Law Firm, our personal injury attorneys offer trusted […]

Published: May 5, 2022

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Many serious injuries keep accident victims out of work,

preventing them from performing their job duties while they heal. In addition to medical expenses, you may be eligible for compensation for these lost wages.

Proving wage loss can be tricky though. Here at The Mike Hostilo Law Firm, our personal injury attorneys offer trusted legal advice throughout the claims process to help get you the damages you deserve.

3 Steps to Proving Lost Wages After an Accident Injury

Step 1: Get Medical Exam

It’s important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after your accident. Waiting to seek treatment can weaken your personal injury case, and give the insurance company the opportunity to say that you are not as injured as you claim. Retain all documents related to your care, such as medical records, bills, prescriptions, etc.

Step 2: Gather Documentation

In addition to a doctor’s note confirming your injuries, you will need to provide the following:

W-2(s) from the previous tax year(s)
Paystubs from before and after accident to show difference in income
Wage verification from your employer (including normal wages, typical hours worked per week, dates missed, etc.)
Other income proof if self-employed or a business owner (tax returns, accounts receivables, bank records, etc.)

Step 3: Hire A Skilled Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Our experienced personal injury attorneys will manage all interaction with the insurance company, always focused on maximizing your compensation. Because we know what you can and cannot claim, our team will help ensure you don’t accept a lower personal injury settlement than you deserve.

Types of Wages I Can Recover After an Injury

After your accident injury, our PI attorneys will fight to recover income that was lost during treatment and in the time that followed when you were unable to work. Depending on your job, you may be eligible for the following types of wages:

Hourly wages
Overtime
Tips
Bonuses
Vacation time
Sick days
Other job benefits (company car, company phone, etc.)

Understanding That Sick Leave and Vacation Time Are Included in Your Lost Wages Claim

Many accident victims assume that because they used sick leave or vacation days to recover – and their income was not directly affected – that they are not eligible for compensation. But this is not the case! Like any other lost wages, you are entitled to reimbursement for sick leave or vacation pay.

Types of Compensation You Can Claim After an Accident injury

Our personal injury attorneys will fight for the following:

Medical expenses
Lost wages
Lost future earnings (accident injury impacts your ability to earn the same income as before the accident happen)
Lost enjoyment of life
Pain and suffering
Punitive damages (when it’s proven that the at-fault party was highly reckless or negligent in causing your accident injury)

More Questions? Discover A Personal Injury Attorney Near Me

Trust our PI attorneys to provide top-tier legal representation each step of the way. If you have been hurt, our team is here to help – so contact our personal injury law firm today to schedule your free consultation!

You can find us serving car crash victims in the following areas:

GEORGIA LAWYERS

(Park of Commerce) Savannah, GA

(Abercorn) Savannah, GA

Statesboro, GA

SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYERS

Beaufort, SC

ALABAMA LAWYERS