We’ve already covered medical damages, wage loss, and pain and suffering damages from Bellingham bike accident victims claims. Loss of earning capacity is another category of compensation that your personal injury attorney will consider. It is a form of harm that you may have suffered from your bicycle accident. It is more complex to calculate than other losses, generally. Here’s an example: a person has been employed in a physically demanding, high-paying job, but after his bike accident, he is not able to work in the same capacity. In fact, his accident has left him with a lasting disability or impairment that keeps him out of that line of work, even after he achieves the maximum possible recovery from his injuries. He will have to take a lower paying job for the rest of his working life. This man would be able to claim “lost earning capacity”, or damages from future income, because there will be a difference in his lifetime earnings due to this accident.
Another example is this: say you’re working in a field in which you would be eligible for a promotion or advancement, but your injuries from your bike accident kept you out of work for a period of time. This damaged your eligibility for the promotion, and so you may be entitled to compensation for the increase in pay you missed out on. Benefits, health insurance, stock options, pension plans, or bonuses can be factored in as missed compensation as well, due to your injury, as many promotions or advanced jobs have these increased benefits.
How would you possibly figure this out, while you’re focused on making your doctors’ appointments, doing physical therapy, and dealing with the pain and suffering you endured from your bike accident? You are not expected to figure this out on your own, that is what your personal injury lawyer is skilled and experienced in doing for you. Experts such as economists and vocational experts will need to assess your particular case and weigh in with opinions that could withstand a jury trial, if it comes to that. With the help of your lawyer and these experts, you can present an accurate and compelling statement of your lost earning capacity, as well as the evidence you’ll need in backing these predictions up. Negotiating with the insurance adjuster takes a high level of skill and experience, and it is critical to be thorough and accurate throughout the claims process.
As you might imagine, these claims can add up to significant sums of money. This is exactly what the insurance companies wish to avoid. They will try to undermine or dismiss such claims as mere speculation, so seeking compensation for future losses can be tricky. Expert witness testimony is critical. With it, your personal injury attorney has the means to fight for you against the insurers, and get you a fast and fair claim. While no one can get you the satisfaction your promotion or advancement would have given you, at least you will not lose the financial compensation you would also have received. You and your family do not wish to suffer any additional hardship as a result of the negligence of another. This is why having an experienced personal injury attorney working on your case from the outset is so important: he can help protect your family’s future stability.
Call Bill Coats Law today. Bill and his team can help you get your life back after your bike accident. Here’s a case study of one bicyclist’s injury and how Bill won for him over $1Million for it. Here’s how to find the best personal injury lawyer in Bellingham.