Car Accidents & Damages
Car accidents are never pleasant to deal with; even less so if you’ve been injured and suffer lost wages as a result. Missing or not being able to return to work after an accident can seem like the proverbial insult on top of your very real injuries. You can’t work because you’re hurt, which lowers your income and can send you into your savings. Having less money means you don’t get the medicine or care that you need, which means that you hurt longer, and the cycle continues.
Depending on your insurance coverage, line of work, and circumstances of your accident, recovering your lost wages can be a relatively hassle-free process; other times, however, it can be another pain in your already aching neck. To many folks, recovering the income they lost after an automobile crash is a huge step on the road to recovery.
If you have been injured and have lost wages due to an auto accident, call the Missouri car and truck accident attorneys at The S.E. Farris Law Firm today. Call 314-A-LAWYER (314-252-9937) for a free consultation and to speak to a personal injury attorney who is experienced in handling auto accident cases.
Insurance Coverage for Lost Wages
Depending on the type of insurance coverage you have, the process for collecting lost wages can vary in both method and level of difficulty.
Some states, including Missouri, are comparative negligence states, which means that the amount of compensation available to you can be affected based on your role in causing the accident. When comparative negligence is involved, it is advisable to hire a personal injury attorney since the negligent party may claim no responsibility for the accident to avoid paying your lost wages or medical bills.
Bodily injury liability insurance can cover your lost wages, provided that you were not at fault for the accident. In this case, you would file a lost wages claim with the negligent driver’s auto insurance company.
Proving and Collecting Lost Wages
If you lose time from work and use your sick time or vacation pay, you are still entitled to make a claim for lost wages under Missouri law. This isn’t cheating – you have lost time from your “bank” of reimbursable days, and have a right to get those days back.
Without a doubt, self-employed folks have the hardest time collecting for lost wages. The nature of self-employment means that much of the money you lost would have gone to paying expenses and other non-taxable items. Because self-employed people usually structure their business accounting to avoid taxes, they have a real difficulty proving the full amount of lost income. Tax returns help, but it is more important to document the additional costs to your business when you get injured – temporary employees or lost jobs and contracts, for example.
When to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney
Insurance companies aren’t eager to part with their money, and you will be dealing with a claims adjuster who will try to limit the amount paid out to you.
If your claim was denied, you feel pressured to accept a fast settlement, or you don’t understand the terms you’ve been asked to accept, call a personal injury attorney. Hiring an attorney experienced in accident claims can help even the playing field against claims adjusters who will use their experience to the insurance company’s advantage. Your attorney will use his or her own experience to get you the just compensation you deserve.
Hiring an attorney sooner, rather than later can help you avoid costly mistakes and recover all of your damages. In addition to lost wages, Missouri law states that you can be compensated for past and future medical bills related to the accident, receive damages for pain and suffering caused by the accident, and recover money for expenses related to your injuries, such as medical supplies or gas used travelling to and from doctor appointments.
Contact the St. Louis Car Accident Lawyers at The S.E. Farris Law Firm
Call The S.E. Farris Law Firm if you have been injured in an auto accident and need help recovering your lost wages. Our attorneys are experienced in handling insurance companies and will work to get the lost wages and full compensation that you’re entitled to. Call 314-A-LAWYER (314-252-9937) today for a free consultation, or visit https://www.farrislaw.flywheelsites.com/contact-us/case-submissions/ to fill out a confidential case submission form.