You just finished a hectic eight-hour day at work. As you leave for the parking lot, your spouse sends you a text to pick up a few things at the grocery store on the way home — no problem. You’re tired, but the day is done, and you’re looking forward to a routine supper with your family at home.
However, as you take a left turn instead of a right turn to go to the grocery store instead of home, you are t-boned by a driver talking on the phone who failed to yield to you at a four-way stop sign. Police arrive, and an ambulance takes you to a hospital.
Now, not only is tonight’s supper at-risk of going cold, but your ability to provide for your family is threatened by the injuries you suffered in the accident, and you are stuck with medical bills and insurance costs.
The costs of an accident can go both ways
Your spouse spends the night with you in the hospital, and you are released in a week with a diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury, whiplash and a back injury. You are home while you recover, but you wonder where your next paycheck will come from in the meantime.
You are right to be worried about money. Accident victims often find themselves fighting a two-front war in dealing with both the immediate and future costs of an accident. The average cost of a car accident in property damage and bodily injury alone is nearly $20,000 according to one insurance company, and it could affect you in the future financially too.
Compensation is available for lost wages
As the victim of a car accident, you have the right to pursue compensation for damages suffered in the crash. Not only can you ask to cover insurance costs, repair bills and medical expenses, but you can also gain compensation for lost wages at work. Further, you can recover the wages you lost in your time of recovery and any future wages as the result of your injury.
For example, you are a floor manager at a warehouse. Your job requires you to be on your feet for most of the day. You are at home for three weeks recovering from your injury and can’t go to work. You can recover these wages through litigation. After three weeks, you return to work but find that you are unable to stay on your feet as long for as you need to, and you worry that your injury could threaten the future of your career. This may be reason enough to recover additional, anticipated lost wages too.
No matter the costs of your accident, you have the right to pursue compensation so you can take care of your family.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from Sheehan, Barnett, Dean, Pennington, Dexter & Tucker, P.S.C. or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this Post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.
