If you’ve been the victim of an accident, you’re likely feeling the stress of physical injuries, emotional trauma, medical expenses, and even lost income because you can’t go to work. But did you know that lost wages are one of the many types of compensation you can claim as a victim of a personal injury accident? Keep reading to understand how!

Claiming Past and Future Lost Earnings 

There are two types of lost wages you can claim in your personal injury case:

1. Past Lost Income – income lost because of your injuries up until the point of your case being finalized
2. Future Lost Earnings – income that you may lose in the future as a result of your injuries.

According to HG.org, past lost income is relatively easy to prove. You will typically need your employer to confirm your absences from work due to the accident and the earnings that you would have received if you had been able to come to work.

HG.org goes on to say that future lost earnings are the most complicated to claim because your future ability to earn wages is usually quite ambiguous. Most personal injury accident victims will experience some form of recovery over time and will be able to return to work either full-time or part-time. But in many cases, victims experience a “loss of earning capacity.” Because this aspect of the law is very nuanced, assistance from an experienced personal injury lawyer is essential.

Reasons You Might Not Be Able to Earn Income After An Accident

Many possible scenarios could entitle you to a compensation claim for lost wages.

• You might not be able to work at all (or in the same capacity) for a time during your recovery. While you might eventually be able to return to your previous job, you can still claim the wages lost during your recovery time.
• Your physical injuries might not prevent you from going to work, but your emotional injuries do. It’s quite common for accidents to leave victims with psychological damage or PTSD. Emotional damage can prevent you from performing your normal work tasks, which is also ground for claiming lost wages.
• Your injuries might impact your future so that you can’t go back to your previous job, but you can perform some kind of work. You might be able to claim lost wages if the only work you can perform after the accident doesn’t pay as much as your previous job.

Have you been in an accident that has caused or will cause you to lose income in Pittsburgh, PA? Let’s get the justice you’re legally entitled to. At Scanlon & Wajton, we can help you calculate your lost income and successfully claim what’s yours! Get started by contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer today!

Contact our Pittsburgh office at (412) 918-1241 or online.

Scanlon & Wojton, Attorneys at Law

The Mitchell Building

304 Ross Street, Suite 510

Pittsburgh, PA, 15219

Phone: (412) 918-1241