How Long-Term Injuries Can Affect Your Career and Future Earnings
Many accidents result in long-term and permanent injuries that can affect every aspect of the victim’s life. For instance, they may experience severe impacts on their careers and future earnings. Some of those injured may have worked for many years to achieve professional success and job security, only to lose them because of someone else’s negligence. While it is impossible to completely make up for that loss, a successful personal injury claim can help you recover your damages and protect your future.
What injuries are considered long-term?
Vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and other unexpected events can cause immediate physical trauma. Unfortunately, some of those injuries may not resolve quickly, or at all. Even with expert medical and rehabilitative care, a person might experience lifelong complications and disabilities. Some long-term injuries that often occur in accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Skull fractures
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Burns
- Paralysis
- Amputations
- Organ injuries and damage
- Facial and eye injuries
Whether the long-term injury causes mental or physical consequences, it can make it more challenging for someone to continue working.
How can a long-term injury impact your career?
Even minor injuries might cause you to miss work to recover, but taking a few days off will not permanently impact most people’s careers. However, some injuries can make it impossible to continue in a given position.
For instance, those who work physically demanding jobs in warehouses or construction need to be able to carry out tasks like lifting heavy objects. If those injuries make it so that they cannot perform those physical job-related tasks, they might not be able to return to work in the role they held before the injury. In contrast, someone with a desk job might experience the same injury with only a limited impact on their career. A person who suffers a head injury that causes cognitive issues, could be capable of performing physical tasks, but struggle if their career requires them to perform difficult mathematics. These injuries could force a person to change careers, and may even prevent someone from ever working again. In either case, the financial consequences can be devastating for the victim and their family. A lawsuit can help shift some of the losses onto the party responsible for those injuries.
Difference between lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
When someone suffers injuries because of another person’s negligence, they can recover damages for losses such as their medical costs. If the injury affects their careers and earnings, they can also collect lost wages and loss of future earning capacity. These two categories address different types of losses, as follows:
- Lost wages: Lost wages are the income you have lost due to being out of work and recovering from your injuries. If you need help calculating your lost wages, a Nashville personal injury lawyer can help. Your lawyer will determine how many hours, days, or weeks you have missed and multiply that number by your hourly wage or salary. For example, if your hourly wage is $25 and you missed 80 hours of work, your lost wages are $2,000. Calculating lost wages is relatively straightforward because you likely have documentation about your normal earnings, which means you can prove your damages.
- Loss of future earning capacity: Loss of future earning capacity is the income you would have earned if you did not experience long-term injuries that forced you into a lower-paying job or out of the workforce altogether. Depending on where you are in your career, it can be difficult to determine your loss of future earning capacity. However, your attorney can work with accountants and other professionals to come up with a reasonable estimate.
How can an attorney help me recover my lost income?
If another person caused your injuries, you might have an opportunity to collect damages to cover those losses. Pursuing this compensation is important because it can allow you to support yourself even if you can no longer earn income. While an insurance company might approach you with a settlement offer, working with an attorney can help you understand the true value of your claim and fight for a fair resolution. Remember that insurance companies want to resolve claims as quickly and cheaply as possible, but your lawyer can work to tally up your true losses while also seeking damages for your pain and suffering.
If you or a family member suffers long-term injuries that have affected your career and future earnings, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Rocky McElhaney Law Firm at your earliest convenience. Call our office or submit our contact form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in Nashville, East Nashville, Hendersonville, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro today.