Car accidents often lead to life-altering injuries and expensive vehicle damage. As medical bills pile up, you can quickly find yourself in a bind if you miss work.
The good news is, an Atlanta car accident lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve. If your car wreck made you miss work, you may be able to recover money to fix or replace your vehicle.
At Rafi Law Firm, our lawyers have years of experience helping Georgia residents get the full compensation they deserve after they’ve been injured in a collision. We know what it takes to recover money for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages you suffered.
Give us a call at 404-800-1156 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation with an Atlanta car accident lawyer today.
Recovering Base Pay After a Wreck
Recovering base pay – the final number you see on your paycheck – is relatively straightforward.
- You will first need to present your pay stubs to prove how much you typically make in a pay period.
- Then, you’ll need to do some simple math. Your lawyer can do this on your behalf.
For example, let’s say you make $40,000 a year. That’s just a little less than $20 an hour. Because of your wreck, you missed eight days of work. At eight hours a day, that’s a total of 64 hours of work missed. So, you take those missed hours and multiply it by your hourly wage. This comes out to approximately $1,200.
If you’re a contractor or are self-employed, you should also include invoices and other documentation in your figures.
Your Atlanta car accident lawyer can help you calculate the base pay you’re owed after a wreck, whether you’re employed by someone else or yourself. Note that any unreported income likely can’t be recovered after a wreck.
Paid Time Off, Commissions, and Other Benefits
There are quite a few other benefits you may lose if you have to miss work because of your car wreck. These include sick days, vacation days, and other paid time off.
You will probably use your paid time off to make sure you still get the income you need when you can’t work. In many cases, your lawyer can recover compensation on your behalf for this paid time off. While they can’t get those days back for you to use later, the compensation will be equal to the income you would have received for using those days when you wanted.
These forms of income can be more difficult to prove you make consistently. For commissions and tips, you will need to show records of all forms of income to prove you make a certain amount regularly. For bonuses, you may need a letter from your employer showing this additional income was going to be paid or, in some cases, proof of regular bonuses in the past might be enough.
Essentially, if you have benefits at your job that can be given a dollar amount, your Atlanta car accident lawyer can petition for compensation for those benefits on your behalf.
Proving Your Lost Income
In order to prove your lost income, you will need notes and perhaps testimony from a few different parties.
- Doctor’s note. First and foremost, you will need a letter or note from your doctor that shows your diagnosis, and the need to miss work because of the injuries. The letter should also note when you are expected to be able to return to work, and what restrictions may be placed upon you when you do return to work.
If your employer can’t make the accommodations necessary for you to return to work, you can be compensated for all of the days you missed because of your injury. In addition, if your recovery process is slower than initially thought, your doctor can provide written or oral testimony that you aren’t well enough to return to work yet.
- Note from your employer. You may also need a note from your employer regarding the responsibilities of your job, and how your injuries interfere with these responsibilities. It will also be extremely helpful if your boss or HR department provides documentation about your pay and benefits. This proof should be on a written and signed document, not an email.
Compensation for Lost Earning Capacity
If you can’t return to the same or similar job you once had, or you are no longer able to get a promotion or a better job because of your injuries, you can be compensated for those lost opportunities.
The amount of money you can receive for lost earning capacity largely depends on your employment history and opportunities you had before you were injured. This may include:
- Income history
- How much longer you would have worked if you hadn’t been injured
- The ability to learn a new trade or get into another line of work
- Your training and education before the injury
Lost earning capacity can be difficult to calculate. Your attorney will evaluate all of the details of your case, including your relevant professional and personal history, to determine how much you may be owed. We at Rafi Law have done these calculations hundreds of times for other happy clients.
Get the Help You Deserve from an Atlanta Car Accident Attorney
If you’re unable to work after a wreck, you may have bills for medical treatment, your car, rent/mortgage, and other common expenses piling up. If you’re one of the nearly 30 percent of Americans who have no emergency fund, missing out on even a few days of income can be devastating.
The good news is, Rafi Law Firm may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve for your lost income. We have helped clients recover tens of millions of dollars in compensation. Give us a call at 404-800-1156 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation with an Atlanta car accident lawyer today.