How To Prove Lost Wages Due To Car Accident In Texas

If a car accident in Texas left you or a loved one injured, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering.

You should get back what we call economic damages. These financial damages include lost wages caused by car accidents. Lost wages are the income you would have earned if your injuries hadn’t kept you from working your typical schedule.

However, insurance companies will use anything they can to pay a lower settlement, including questioning your lost wages claim. 

Proving your lost wages against manipulative insurance companies can be challenging, especially if you’re representing yourself, are self-employed, work on commission, or have an irregular income. Dealing with insurance companies after a car accident leaves many Texans asking themselves how to calculate lost wages after a car accident.

How to Prove Lost Wages from a Car Accident – Key Takeaways 

• If car accident damages caused by a negligent party forced you out of work and damaged your vehicle and life, you’re entitled to financial compensation.

• What are lost wages? “Lost wages” refers to the income you missed or will miss because of your injuries. 

• Lost wages also include the money you would have earned in the future if your injuries hadn’t reduced your earning capacity.

• Proving lost wages requires evidence of your employment, income, and work hours before and after the accident. 

• Proving lost wages can be a complicated process if your income is irregular, unconventional, or commission-based or if you’re self-employed, especially if you don’t have the support of an experienced Texas car accident attorney.

• The at-fault driver’s insurance company will often dispute or minimize your lost wages claim to save money. And if they know you don’t have fierce legal representation, insurance companies will make proving your lost wages after a car accident even more challenging.

Booking a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer lets the insurance company know you won’t quit until you get what they owe you.

At Zinda Law Group, our dedicated personal injury lawyers will guide you in gathering the documents needed to support your lost wages claim. We’ll fight the insurance companies for a fair settlement and even go to trial if that’s what it takes to get you paid back for your lost wages.

How to Prove the Lost Wages a Car Accident Caused In Texas: 

Proving lost wages from a car accident includes collecting employment evidence, proof of income, and medical documentation. These documents prove you couldn’t work and calculate your lost wages and future loss of earnings before filing an insurance claim.

If you’ve been through a car accident in Texas, you can claim compensation for the lost wages the car accident caused. That said, proving your lost wages against a penny-pinching insurance company can be challenging, especially with a varying or unconventional source of income. 

A reputable Texas car accident attorney can help you substantiate your lost wages claim by guiding you through the following steps:

• Collect Proof of Employment and Income: 

• • Use pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, employment contracts, and performance reviews to show your income before and after the accident. 
  • You’ll also need a letter from your employer confirming your work hours, salary, and benefits.

• Seek Medical Insight on Work Limitations: 

  • Get a doctor’s report detailing your diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and work restrictions. This shows the injuries caused by the car accident impacted your wages. 
  • A vocational expert can assess your skills and education level to find out if the wreck impacted your earning capacity.

• Calculate Lost Wages and Future Loss: 

• • Estimate the total income lost by multiplying your hourly wage by missed work hours, both past and future. 
  • Lost wages in salaries, commissions, self-employment, or other more complex incomes are more challenging to calculate.
  • Expert witnesses used by aggressive personal injury firms like Zinda Law Group are valuable for proving and calculating lost wages from car accidents and personal injuries. 

• Initiate Insurance Claim or Lawsuit: 

• • You can seek compensation for your lost wages from the at-fault driver’s insurance company or your own insurance, depending on coverage and who’s at fault.
  • However, if the insurance company denies or lowballs your claim, you may need to file a lawsuit and prove your lost wages in court. 
  • Bringing a car accident attorney on board for legal support before the case goes to trial can save you time and money. 

We’ll talk more about free consultations and how contingency fees allow you to get the compensation you deserve at no cost upfront, no matter whose insurance you’re negotiating with. 

First, let’s review the other expenses and claims resulting from car accidents.

What Other Kinds of Expenses Result From a Car Accident? 

Car accidents can result in lots of expenses for the victims and their families. Some of the common types of compensation for car accidents include:

• Medical expenses are the costs of the medical treatment and care that you need for your injuries. They include hospital bills, doctor visits, surgery, medication, physical therapy, and other related expenses.
• Property damage is the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other damaged property. This can include the costs of renting a car or using alternative transportation while your vehicle gets fixed.
• Pain and suffering costs refer to the non-economic damages that reflect the physical and emotional distress you’ve experienced due to the car accident. They can include pain, discomfort, anxiety, depression, trauma, loss of enjoyment of life, and other intangible losses.
• Loss of consortium refers to compensation for your spouse or partner due to the loss of companionship. These damages include the loss of affection, support, and sexual relations due to the car accident.
• Punitive damages are rare and exceptional damages awarded to a victim to punish the defendant for reckless or intentional conduct that caused harm. Punitive damages aren’t based on the victim’s actual losses but on the degree of the defendant’s wrongdoing.

Are Lost Wages from Car Accidents Different From Loss of Earnings? 

In cases involving car accidents, lost wages and loss of earnings are often used interchangeably, but they have slightly different meanings. 

Lost wages are the income you’ve already lost due to your injuries. These include the work hours or days you missed because of the accident. Loss of earnings refers to future losses– the income you’ll miss out on in the future. Sometimes, the damages caused by a car accident reduce your earning capacity and career opportunities. In these situations, you can claim a loss of earnings.

How to Calculate the Lost Wages Car Accidents Cause:

To calculate lost wages from a car accident, multiply your pay rate by the number of work hours missed. Estimate the value of benefits and opportunities lost due to your injuries. Add lost wages and lost benefits/opportunities together to get the total lost wages caused by the car accident.

Final Thoughts on Getting the Lost Wages Car Accidents Cause in Texas

Recovering lost wages from car accidents in Texas can be challenging, requiring multiple forms of proof. The process can add to the distress caused by the accident while you’re recovering from injuries and financial strain. 

Navigating the complex process of proving and claiming your lost wages demands diligence and a clear understanding of the legal process. The insurance companies will use any excuse to dispute your claim and shortchange your settlement. 

Don’t let the frustration overwhelm you. And don’t let the insurance companies push you around while you’re stressed–you have options.

Seasoned car accident lawyers like the ones at Zinda Law Group offer free attorney consultations. We work on a contingency-fee basis. This means you pay us a percentage of your settlement once you win. We’ll help you assess your options and cover the court costs–you’ll pay nothing until we win and nothing if we lose. 

Contact Zinda Law Group now to take the first step toward reclaiming your financial stability. Let us ease the burden by fighting the insurance companies until we secure a settlement. You deserve compensation for all the expenses and suffering a car accident causes, including your lost wages.