Learn what types of proof are needed to get compensation when a personal injury keeps you out of work
Following a serious personal injury accident of any kind, you may be unable to work. Maybe you miss a few weeks of work because you’re unable to walk on a broken foot, maybe you miss a few months because you’re having surgery to correct serious internal injuries, or maybe you have to stop working altogether due to a permanent disability. In any case, it is important to include compensation for lost income in your personal injury damages.
How to Calculate Lost Income
Calculating lost income may take more than just totaling up the number of hours of work you have missed and multiplying by your hourly rate. In past cases, California courts have allowed personal injury victims to recover compensation for all types of earnings that they could have received had the accident not happened. This includes sick days, vacation days, bonus pay, and other perks.
How to Prove You Deserve Compensation for Lost Income
In order to secure compensation for lost income in negotiations with an insurance company or in litigation, you must be able to prove three things:
Proof of Liability: Before you can secure any kind of damages in a personal injury case, you have to be able to prove that someone else is liable for those damages. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, you might be able to point to the police report, eyewitness statements, or the testimony of an accident reconstructionist to prove who caused the accident and who is liable for your damages.
Proof of Income: You must show how much income you missed out on due to your injuries. This requires establishing what you were earning before the accident. In most cases, you can simply provide pay stubs. However, if you are self-employed you may need to provide tax records and/or bank statements to show what you would have earned had you not been injured.
Proof of Injuries: Finally, you need to have evidence establishing the nature and extent of your injuries. This will prevent the defense from arguing that you were not really hurt badly enough to miss work. For the purposes of securing compensation for lost income, you will want more evidence than just medical bills; you will want testimony from your doctor detailing your injuries and symptoms and explaining why you have been unable to work.
Need Help with a Personal Injury Case?
If you have been injured in any kind of personal injury accident, such as a car accident, bicycle accident, or defective product accident, you deserve compensation for all the ways your accident has affected your life. This includes lost income as well as medical bills, lost earning power, pain and suffering, and more.
You can trust The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker to help you secure full and fair compensation for all applicable damages. Contact us at 800-333-0000 for a free consultation.