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Lost Wages Overview
Most people who are hurt in a serious accident have to miss at least a few days of work. More serious injuries may require weeks or more away from work.
A Tennessee personal injury victim may be able to recover a variety of different types of compensation, including lost wages.
What Are Lost Wages?
Plaintiffs in eligible Tennessee personal injury cases may be able to recover their missing wages for the time period that they were unable to work because of the severity of their injuries. Lost wages are awarded in these cases in an effort to make the victim whole again.
General Damages in Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury victims may also be entitled to payments for mental anguish, past and future medical bills, pain and suffering, and out of pocket expenses, in addition to lost wages.
Submitting evidence of these damages can be one of the most complex elements of a personal injury case in Tennessee, whereas, calculating financial or economic damages, such as missing wages, is often easier to document.
When Is an Individual Able to Recover Lost Wages?
Anyone who misses several days of work because of an accident is eligible to recover lost wage compensation. These must be reasonably quantified, which means that the plaintiff cannot speculate about a wage loss claim. The injured party must be able to demonstrate that they missed work as a direct result of the injuries suffered in the accident.
Lost Wage Evidence
One of the most common forms of missing wages evidence is a work excuse from a clinic or hospital to document an absence. Furthermore, documentation from the employer explaining how many days the plaintiff missed time at work can help to support these arguments.
Accident Cases Likely to Lead to Damages
Damages can be awarded in many different types of personal injury cases, including those caused by distracted driving, drowsy driving, drunk driving, aggressive driving or careless behavior.
What Are Economic Damages?
A plaintiff who is suing for negligence must demonstrate that the defendant owed a duty to the plaintiff and that in breaching this duty, the defendant caused the plaintiff severe injuries.
Compensatory damages paid out to victims can be non-economic or economic. Economic damages can be easier to calculate because they are tangible.
Is Lost Earning Capacity the Same Thing as Lost Wages?
Lost earning capacity may be calculated separately from lost wages. These capacity payments are made in catastrophic injury cases in which the plaintiff is able to successfully show that his or her ability to earn money in the future has been diminished or impaired by the injuries.
Many victims struggle after a serious personal injury accident in Tennessee because of the volume of information that must be collected to support an injury claim.
Indeed, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, accident victims often struggle to remember the facts or specifics of the incident and gathering evidence beyond lost wages and medical bills could require the use of an experienced personal injury lawyer, an accident reconstruction team, and expert witnesses.
