After a car accident in Las Vegas, you may experience a significant decrease in income if your injuries prevent you from working. Catastrophic injuries can cause permanent impairments that prevent you from ever returning to work. You might be entitled to compensation for your loss of income from the party who caused the auto accident. Even minor injuries can cause substantial economic damages. Hiring a skilled Las Vegas car accident lawyer can help you recover compensation for your lost wages, non-economic costs, medical bills, and other damages.
Proving Lost Wage Claims After a Car Accident in Las Vegas
Nevada is an at-fault state for car accident claims. In other words, you must prove the other party caused your injuries before you can recover compensation for damages, including lost wages. Therefore, the first step is to prove the other driver caused the car accident. After establishing liability for damages, you must prove that you could not work because of your injuries.
A statement from your doctor explaining how your injuries prevented you from performing your specific job duties is often sufficient to prove you could not work. However, if the insurance company challenges the diagnosis, you might need a specialist or medical expert to provide an opinion regarding your inability to work after a car accident.
Lastly, you must prove the value of your lost wages. First, you need to show that you missed work. A statement from your employer can prove that you were not at work for the period you included in your loss of income claim.
Then, you need to establish how much you would have earned. Copies of employment documents can prove what your income was before the car accident. Those documents include, but are not limited to:
- Paystubs and other pay statements
- W-2s and tax returns
- Letter from your employer
- Timesheets
- Statements showing retirement contributions
- Commission and bonus statements
- Profit-and-loss statements for self-employed individuals
- A statement from your company outlining the policy for earning PTO, including vacation and sick time
The value of your lost wages is the actual amount you would have received had you been at work. Calculating the value of commissions, bonuses, self-employment, and other types of income can be challenging. A car accident lawyer understands how to calculate the costs to maximize the amount you receive for your personal injury claim.
