On the surface, many personal injury cases seem like an open and shut situation. An injured party will sue an offending party for compensation for injuries sustained. But an often overlooked, if not completely ignored facet of a personal injury claim, is compensation for lost wages. If a person has been injured and has missed work, even if they’ve used vacation days, compensation for injuries may simply not be enough.
Lost Wages
Lost wages is a term that is used for money that is lost due to missing work. If an injury causes a person to miss work and lose money in the process, they can be entitled to compensation. It should be noted that it does not matter if the person is a full-time, part-time, or seasonal employee. Moreover, it does not matter whether the person is paid on a salary, hourly, or weekly wage. Lost wages are often overlooked in a claim for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons is vacation and sick time. Most employers have some form of sick days that can be taken advantage of by an employee. However, those sick and vacation days would not have been used without the injury to begin with.
Keeping Track
The most important factor in claiming lost wages is proper documentation. For most conventional forms of employment, one would simply ask HR, a manager, or other superior for a document on company letterhead. The document would contain basic information, such as the name of the injured employee, their position in the company, the amount of time missed and of course, the rate of pay. It also helps to state the amount of time that is normally worked per pay period to contest with the time missed.
In cases of self-employment or contract work, proving lost wages can be more challenging, but not impossible. A good, detailed record of how much is normally made and how much was actually made, as well as evidence of canceled work due to the injury, can suffice.
Injuries can be a massive inconvenience for a person. Even in cases where all medical expenses are compensated, it simply isn’t always enough. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury that has caused missed work, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who can help. Contact the law offices of Andres, Berger & Tran today to schedule your consultation. Call 856.437.4080 today or contact online.
