When you have a truck accident claim, one of the common damages you can receive is lost wages. To know how much you should ask for in your case, you need to know when you can get lost wages in a truck accident case.

What Are Lost Wages?

In most cases, lost wages are defined as any earnings that would have been earned by an injured person if he or she had not gotten hurt in the truck accident. For example, let's say you are out of work for three months because of injuries sustained from a truck accident where the truck was at fault for the crash. As part of your compensation, you will be entitled to lost wages for the three months between the date of the accident and when you could return to work.

How Do You Prove Lost Wages?

You must prove that you couldn't perform your normal job duties in order to file a claim. If you're able to return to work in a different position, you may be able to receive any difference in pay if you were paid lower or received fewer hours because of your injury.

You will usually need to get a doctor to verify the extent of your injury. This doctor will determine whether you are capable of returning to work or if you are permanently disabled. A report from this medical expert will help you build credibility when presenting your claims to insurance companies, lawyers, and judges.

How Do You Calculate Lost Wages?

The best way to calculate lost wages is to make economic loss projections. These calculations look at what you would normally earn in your occupation and compare it to what you actually make now. Then you subtract the amount you earn now from what you would have made if there had been no accident.

For example, if the typical worker in your position would have normally received a promotion or increased wages after a certain amount of time on the job, but your injuries prevent you from taking the same career track, you can include that in your damages. Using this method to show lost earnings ensures that you get what you would have earned if there had been no accident. You will usually need an expert witness to help you prove what you would have earned.

To learn more about how to recover lost wages, contact a law firm like Bradley Drendel & Jeanney.