How to Make a Successful Wage Loss Claim

After being in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and losing time at work, victims can often feel overwhelmed and anxious about their finances. If this has happened to you, it’s important to file a wage loss claim.  To do this successfully, there are some things you need to know.

For starters, what is considered lost wages? This is any income you lost because of the accident and includes the following scenarios:

• Lost wages for the time you were not able to go to work
• Lost earning capacity if the accident leaves you disabled and unable to work.
• Lost opportunities, such as having to turn down a promotion, contract job, or other means of income because of the injury or injuries sustained.

If any of the above apply to you, you can make a wage claim loss.  Here is how to to bring about a successful outcome.

Document lost wages

In order for the insurance company to pay out your lost wages claim, they need proof.  This means you must have documentation that proves you can not work because of your injuries.  Examples of this documentation includes:

• Medical records and/or a letter from your doctor that clearly proves you can not work due to your injuries.  This should include dates and a description of the injuries.  Your doctor would have also sent a letter to your employer explaining that you are unable to work.  You will need a copy of this letter.
• A letter from your employer that shows dates you missed work due to your injuries.
• If you are a contract worker, business owner, or self-employed, you will need your tax returns to prove your income.

Calculating lost wages

Depending on your work status, calculating lost wages differs.  If you are an employee who works for an hourly wage or a salary, it is simple to calculate lost wages. You multiply the number of days or weeks missed by your hourly rate or weekly salary.  When you work on commission, this is more difficult but can still be done with the help of an experienced attorney.  Something you should also note is that you can include lost vacation and sick days in your claim if you used them because of the injury.

What if you are disabled?

If you cannot return to work due to the injuries you sustained, there are many variables that go into determining your loss of income.  Typically, it will require experts to determine lost wage amounts and fair compensation.  These experts can include economists, life-care planners, future medical needs experts, and more.

If you were in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and lost money from being unable to work, you need an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you with your wage loss claim to get the financial compensation you deserve.  Call Hastings and Hastings at 800-975-0080 today.