Unable to Work After a Car Accident
If injuries from a car accident prevent you from working, obtain appropriate medical care and make sure your work restrictions are documented. A connection between the accident, your injuries and your inability to work is important when lost income forms part of a claim.
Keep records showing the time you missed and the income you would normally have earned. Useful evidence can include wage statements, payslips, tax records, employer letters and schedules. Self-employed people may need business records, invoices, accounts or other evidence to establish income that was lost because of the injury.
Documenting Lost Wages
A serious injury can affect more than wages already missed. If you cannot return to the same job, must reduce your hours or are likely to earn less in the future, a claim may involve diminished earning capacity. Medical, vocational or economic expert evidence may be needed in larger cases.
Pennsylvania automobile insurance policies can include first-party benefits, and the coverages actually purchased should be reviewed to determine whether any income-loss benefits are available. A separate liability claim against an at-fault party may involve additional losses, subject to the law and available coverage.
Future Loss of Earning Capacity
Do not rely on estimates alone. Build a clear paper trail showing dates, restrictions and financial impact.
If the inability to work is substantial or continuing, a Pennsylvania car accident lawyer can review your policy, employment evidence and medical records and determine how wage loss should be presented. Accurate documentation is particularly important when future employment or earning capacity has been affected.