Can I Seek Compensation for Lost Wages After a Car Accident?

If you or somebody you care about is involved in a vehicle accident caused by the actions of another driver in North Carolina, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. Not only does this include coverage of your medical bills, but this can also include compensation for lost wages. Here, we want to discuss the steps that you need to take after a vehicle accident occurs to recover lost wages if you cannot work while you are recovering.

Lost Wage Replacement

Even though the most immediate concern after a vehicle accident is seeking medical care and treating injuries, other financial issues quickly crop up, particularly if the injuries are anything more than minor.

If an individual cannot work while recovering from their car accident injuries in North Carolina, this will likely lead to significant financial issues in the form of lost wages. If the vehicle accident was caused by the negligent actions of another driver, crash victims should be able to recover compensation for their lost wages.

Typically, lost wages are measured by how much money you would have received from your employer had you not missed work due to the vehicle accident. Properly calculating these lost wages involves gathering pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, and possibly even a letter from your employer detailing the type of work that you do and describing how you cannot perform this work while recovering.

Loss of Future Earnings or Diminished Earning Capacity

In some cases, an individual may sustain injuries so severe that they lose future earnings or become unable to earn the same amount of compensation due to a disability. If a person needs to make a claim for lost earning capacity, this typically means that their injury is permanent or the injury affects their ability to perform work duties.

If an individual can no longer work as a result of a car accident injury, they should be able to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for lost future earnings. If an individual is still able to work in some capacity, but not at the same level they were able to before, they should still be able to claim lost earnings for the difference between what they were previously able to earn and what they are now able to earn.

Adequately calculating lost future earnings or a diminished earning capacity can be challenging. This involves making predictions about what a person would have earned in the future, and there are various aspects that must be examined, including:

• Expected future raises and bonuses that would have been earned
• The difference between new job wages and old job wages over time
• Promotions that may no longer be available as a result of the injury

Working With an Attorney for Proper Calculations

It is crucial to work with a skilled car accident injury attorney in North Carolina in these situations. When you are working to recover lost wages or loss of future earnings compensation, an attorney will work with trusted financial and economic experts who can adequately calculate these losses. Additionally, claims for lost or diminished earning capacity typically involve a qualified medical professional making a diagnosis related to the permanence of the injury. In some situations, an attorney may need to have medical and financial experts testify to a personal injury jury about the extent of the injuries and how these injuries affect a person’s earning capacity. Contact a Raleigh car accident attorney today.