Car crashes can negatively impact people’s careers. People who get into collisions on their way to work or an important meeting might have to take time off to deal with the crash. In some cases, collisions leave professionals without their vehicles, which can affect their ability to perform their jobs.
Other times, injuries caused by a crash can affect a professional’s career. A blue-collar worker with a broken bone might require eight weeks of time off to heal, if not more. In more severe cases, car crash injuries could cause permanent functional limitations that force people to change professions or cease working altogether.
Those already feeling stressed about the cost of a collision and their medical treatment may worry about how the loss of their income might complicate their circumstances. What can people do to recoup lost income when car crash injuries affect their work?
File an insurance claim
Mandatory insurance requirements impose an obligation to carry bodily injury liability coverage. That coverage is often the first line of defense in cases where people have medical expenses. Bodily injury liability coverage can also help replace lost wages.
In cases where workers miss work during their recovery, insurance compensation may be sufficient to cover their losses. However, if the driver at fault has only the lowest amount of coverage required, the people affected by the crash may only have $30,000 to cover treatment and lost wages.
Consider a lawsuit
In scenarios involving high-earning professionals or catastrophic injuries, insurance coverage alone may not be enough to offset lost wages. The bodily injury protection provided by the party at fault for the crash may only be enough to cover medical expenses, not years of lost income and benefits.
In some cases, the driver at fault for a collision doesn’t have insurance at all. When insurance is insufficient, litigation may be the best option available. Injured people can request compensation for their lost wages and lost earning potential.
They can hold the driver who caused the crash accountable for a lifetime of reduced or lost income. There could also be a third party, such as an employer or vehicle manufacturer, with a degree of liability for the wreck.
Generally speaking, those facing long-term career setbacks because of crash injuries may need help. It can be difficult to estimate the full economic impact of lost income. People may also struggle to know what options are available to them after a wreck.
Pursuing an insurance claim or a civil lawsuit could help people limit the economic harm triggered by a recent motor vehicle collision. People can potentially recoup lost wages and lost earning potential in this way after a car crash caused by another party causes significant injuries.