If you have been involved in a car accident and have needed to miss work, then something you may want to know is how you can recoup those losses. You may be down thousands of dollars in missed income due to the auto collision, and it’s fair to want that money back in your pocket.
The thing to remember is that you can claim for lost wages when you pursue a personal injury claim against an at-fault driver. You’ll want to keep track of how much money you have lost based on your average wages and submit those losses to the other party’s insurance carrier. If they don’t have insurance, then you’ll need to take the records of your lost wages to court or seek them back from your own insurance policy if it covers under or uninsured drivers.
What kinds of policies will cover lost wages?
Not all insurance policies will necessarily cover your lost wages. However, there are three types that normally do. These include:
- Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, which is used in no-fault states. Pennsylvania is unique because it offers the choice of being no-fault or retaining some ability to sue the other driver when they’re at fault.
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which is a rider on your own care insurance plan that will cover losses when the other driver doesn’t have enough insurance or any insurance at all.
- Liability bodily injury coverage, which is carried by the other driver. You can make a claim against them in some cases for your lost wages through this policy.
Before you’ll be able to get any kind of compensation, you may be asked to go through an independent medical examination and submit medical documents that describe your injury. By doing this, an insurance company can get a better idea of how your injuries have affected you as well as how much time off work is necessary. Your employer should also fill out any appropriate documents to submit to the insurance company, which is something your attorney can assist with to make sure the documents are accurate and helpful to your claim.