When you suffer serious injuries in a car accident, your recovery and healing process is often long and arduous. Most car accident victims must take some time off work while they recuperate.
Missed time from work can quickly add up
Even after you recover enough to return to work, you may still be forced to use sick or leave time to attend medical appointments or physical therapy sessions. If you experience mental or emotional trauma because of the accident, you might need to take off work for counseling sessions.
All this missed work can cause you a great deal of stress, and perhaps especially so if the car accident itself was not your fault.
When you file a personal injury claim after a car accident, you can request compensation for your lost wages. This is in addition to compensation for your medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Lost wages as part of a negligence case
Receiving compensation in a personal injury action requires proving negligence. West Virginia is one of a number of states that uses a modified comparative negligence standard when determining damages.
This means that if you can prove you were 50% or less at fault for an accident, you can receive compensation for your injuries. However, your total compensation is reduced by the percentage that a court determines you were at fault.
You can recover even for paid time off
Your lost wage claim can include days that your work still pays you when you are off. You can still request damages for days you miss work, but still use paid vacation or sick time.
The point is that if the car accident had not occurred, you would not be forced to use your paid leave time for appointments related to something that was not your fault.
You have a right to compensation after a car accident. Talking to a personal injury attorney familiar with negligence law can help you explore your options.
