Recovering Lost Wages in a Texas Personal Injury Action
If you were injured in a car wreck, truck crash, or any other type of accident, you might have been left unable to work. Your inability to do your job might only last for a few days or weeks, or you could be unable to work permanently. Or maybe, you can do some work, but not the same job you did before your accident, and you might not be making as much money as you once did. If any one of these scenarios applies to you, it might be possible for you to get your lost wages back as part of your compensation package in a personal injury claim. The party who caused your injuries would likely be responsible for making up your lost income.
Even if you were only left unable to work for a couple of days, your best bet is to speak with a skilled personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. A qualified attorney can help maximize the compensation you could collect for your time away from work.
Types of Available Compensation
Generally speaking, compensation for lost wages is calculated in one of three ways in a personal injury action. These include:
“Standard” Lost Wages: In a situation where your injuries kept you out of work for a time, but you were eventually able to return, you and your lawyer could likely demand compensation for the pay you would have received if you had been going to work every day as normal. The amount of compensation would likely be based on your income at the time of your injuries and the total number of days missed.
Permanent Disability: Not to be confused with government disability benefits or workers’ compensation disability payments, this type of compensation might be available if your injuries were serious enough to prevent you from working for the foreseeable future. The compensation calculation is a little more complicated than that for standard lost wages, as you would need to take into account your projected career trajectory. You deserve to be compensated for not only your missed work but also your missed promotions, bonuses, and other career opportunities. In Texas, this is also known as lost earning capacity.
Change of Career: In between standard lost wages and permanent disability is a third scenario—and one in which you can still work but not at the level you did before. If this describes your situation, you may be entitled to compensation for any time you missed, as well as vocational training for a new job, and the difference between what your new job pays compared to what you were making prior to your injuries.
Call a New Braunfels Personal Injury Lawyer
In any situation, figuring out how much to ask for in lost wages is a complicated endeavor. With this in mind, it is important to work with an experienced Comal County injury compensation attorney so that your rights and best interests are fully protected. Call 830-443-9193for a free consultation at The Bettersworth Law Firm today to get started.
Source:
https://casetext.com/case/bonney-v-san-antonio-transit-co
