The injured accident victim could need to spend many days or weeks recovering from the sustained injury. That could deprive the same victim of a chance to earn a salary. For that reason, an award for damages should include money that could serve as compensation for the lost income.
Losses that should be included in that damage award
• Money lost when victim was unable to show up at his or her workplace
• Money lost whenever victim’s time included those periods when he/she received treatment, and could not be at a workstation or work desk.
• All losses must be considered, whether victim was a full or part-time employee.
What losses represent lost pay?
Forced utilization of accumulated sick leave: There is always the chance that an employee that has used sick leave while recovering from an injury might get exposed to an infectious disease, and, thus, need to take more time off.
Forced utilization of accumulated vacation time: There is always the chance that an employee that has used-up vacation time while recovering from an injury might late want to take time off, in order to care for a sick family member.
The injury lawyer in Spruce Grove for an injured victim might want to investigate the company’s records, regarding how employees were allotted vacation time. Had a female employee’s vacation time been used to cover some of her maternity leave, prior to the accident’s occurrence? If that were the case, she should be allowed to recover the vacation time that had been taken from her.
How to show existence of lost pay?
Present paper that documents the time missed.
Present paper that gives amount of money earned on regular basis (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly)
Present result of appropriate calculations, using figures on other presented papers.
Someone with his/her own business would need to take a different approach.
—Get a copy of the previous years income tax form, or
—Get a copy of the relevant pages in an accountant’s book.
How to approach any lost opportunity for going after additional income in the future?
The value to be assigned for that income ought to be calculated by an economist. He or she would need to take into consideration the way that the cost-of-living changes over time.
A lost scholarship might also qualify as a lost opportunity for supplementing or adding to a victim’s existing income. An injury might cut short a student’s chances for enjoying the benefits associated with an athletic scholarship.
The need for a sudden change in the victim’s career choice would be obvious. If that change required an investment in new educational opportunities, then that fact ought to be included in a consideration of lost income.