After an accident, you may have many unexpected expenses. The stress caused by those expenses is only magnified if you’re unable to work. That’s why it is essential to seek compensation for lost income after an accident. Our Alabama personal injury lawyers at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. can help you recover for your losses caused by the reckless or negligent behavior of another person or company. Contact us today at (205) 933-1500 to find out how we can help you.
Recovering Your Lost Wages
While you are hospitalized or recovering from your accident at home, you clearly are not able to work. Even a moderate injury can be painful and affect your ability to travel, sit or stand, or otherwise function for a regular work day. If your job requires physical labor, any kind of injury may prevent you from working for weeks or months.
If you have been hurt and are unable to work, you may be able to recover your lost wages through a personal injury claim. Lost wages are part of compensatory damages that are standard in personal injury cases. You can ask for lost earnings from the day the accident occurred until the settlement or jury award is reached.
Your attorney will provide evidence to the court regarding the wages you would have earned during this time. If you have a regular rate of pay, you may provide past check stubs or evidence of your salary. If you work on a contract basis or are self-employed, your lawyer may look at your average earnings for a week, month, or that season. If you were unemployed at the time of the accident, your attorney may still be able to document the income you would have earned during the period if you had been able to find work.
Recoup Your Lost Earning Potential
Injuries from an accident can cause disability, disfigurement, a change in physical and mental capabilities, and reduce a person’s life expectancy – all of which affect potential earnings. Your future earning potential is your likelihood of making a certain rate as you move up in your career and receive raises, from now until retirement. It can be viewed as a calculation of how much money you would have made over the course of your lifetime. However, if your abilities changed, you may have to work jobs that pay less, you might be less likely to advance in your career, or a shorter life expectancy would reduce your expected lifetime earnings.
This is all known as a loss of earning potential. It can be difficult to prove the specific percentage or amount that you lost because of the accident, but if your attorney can show there is a difference in what you would have likely earned before the accident compared to now, you can recover this financial loss in your personal injury suit. Your attorney may obtain the services of a qualified financial adviser to evaluate your claim for lost earning potential.
Call Our Alabama Personal Injury Lawyers Today
You don’t have to tolerate the financial consequences of an accident you didn’t cause. You deserve to have your wages and lost earning potential restored. The injury attorneys of Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. are experienced in taking personal injury cases to trial, and have won more than $200 million in settlements and jury verdicts. To find out more about how we can best represent you, learn how our personal injury lawyers in Montgomery, personal injury lawyers in Mobile, personal injury lawyers in Huntsville, and personal injury lawyers in Birmingham can help you.
If you have lost a significant amount of money from being off work and you are afraid you will not be able to earn as much money in the future because of an accident, call the attorneys of Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. right away at (205) 933-1500 for a free consultation.
