Claiming Wage Loss in a Personal Injury Claim
Claiming your wage loss as a part of your bodily injury claim against an at-fault party is crucial if you have missed any time from your job as a result of the ordeal. Showing your wage loss and its relationship to the event does two things: (1) More fully compensates you for all damages you incurred related to the accident, and (2) It helps to illustrate the picture of how the incident has impacted your life.
Here are some tips on how to claim your wage loss (and watch the video for more detail):
- Make sure your doctor recommends the time you take off;
- Get a note from your supervisor speaking to how much time you missed related to the accident and how much your time is worth; and
- Provide documentation like paystubs or W2s to show how much you usually earn.
Also, the value of PTO or sick time you had to use is fair to include too. The idea is that if you wouldn’t have incurred the loss but for the event, you have the right to reimbursement for it. So you can include the hourly value of your PTO if you used those benefits to miss work related to the incident.
Working without interference is an essential human function. It’s required for people to support themselves and, simply, live. If you were injured to the point of missing work, this tells a different story than someone who didn’t need to miss any time. If you missed work but don’t claim it, an insurer can argue there hasn’t really been a significant impact to your life; therefore, the injuries involved weren’t or shouldn’t have been a big deal—the less the inconvenience and stress caused to a person, the smaller the claim. If you did miss work, it can impact your financial stability, security of a position within a company, or trajectory toward a promotion. It can cause strain in a marriage or a family. It speaks to a more significant ripple effect in your life and can thus represent more of a value of your claim as a whole.
Lauren Dayani is the lead personal injury attorney at Dayani Law Firm. She offers free consultations and speaks clearly and honestly about your options after an injury. Send her a message below or call directly for a consult at (206) 777-5627