When our Douglasville personal injury lawyers first sit down with a new client, one of the first things they want to know is how much their case is worth. The first thing we tell them is that we can never give any client an exact figure about how much their case is worth. We can certainly give you a ballpark figure and let you know what we believe your case is valued at.
Aside from the obvious compensation for medical bills and property damage, there is also something called lost future income. These are damages that our clients are entitled to when they can no longer do the same work they did before their accident. Your Georgia injury lawyer must be able to prove that you are going to earn less as a result of your accident. If you find a job making just as much or more than you did before the accident, you can’t expect the court to grant you damages for lost drinking period
Are You Able to Do the Same Kind of Work You Did Before Your Accident?
In order to prove that you’re entitled to damages for lost future income, your Douglasville personal injury lawyer must prove that you can no longer do the same work that you did before the accident. For example, if you were a truck driver before your accident and you injured your knee, you may no longer be able to drive a truck. This doesn’t mean that you can’t work at all. It just means that there’s a chance you won’t earn as much as you would have as a commercial truck driver.
Another example would be somebody who suffered a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident. They will more than likely be permanently and totally disabled for the rest of their life. Somebody in this situation would certainly qualify for damages for lost future income. The amount they will receive on disability will likely be nowhere near as much as they could’ve earned had the accident never taken place.
How Are These Damages Calculated?
When your Georgia injury lawyer first files your lawsuit, they will have to demand certain damages. For example, if you were involved in a car accident, they will demand that you be compensated for the damage to your vehicle. Similarly, if you were injured in a slip and fall accident, you will be entitled to compensation for any medical bills you had to pay. The same thing is true if you can no longer work as a result of your injuries.
The way that your Douglasville personal injury lawyer calculates these injuries is quite simple. The first thing they must do is demonstrate how much you normally would have earned in a given year. They will then determine how much you are expected to earn now that you can no longer do the same kind of work. Whatever the difference is between these two numbers will be multiplied by the number of years you have left to work. In personal injury cases, the courts assume that your age of retirement will be 65 years old. This means that if you are now 40, you will be entitled to the differential in income for a period of 25 years.
Sometimes the best way to explain how these damages are calculated is to provide you with an example. Imagine that you are 30 years old and you make $100,000 per year. You are involved in a car accident that leaves you permanently disabled. You have been told that on disability, you will only receive $30,000 per year. This is a difference of $70,000 per year. Since you are only 30 years old, the courts will presume that you will have worked for another 35 years. All you would have to do is multiply $70,000 by the number of years which is 35. This would be the total amount of damages your Georgia injury lawyer can demand on your behalf.
Your Georgia Injury Lawyer Can Certainly Demand Damages for Lost Future Income
If you were injured in any type of accident, you likely suffered some sort of injury. Thankfully, most accidents don’t leave their victims in terrible shape. For example, if you suffer a slip and fall at the department store, you may have a few bruises or broken bones. Our Georgia injury lawyers have also represented people who suffered other types of accidents who are back to work within a week or two. However, if your injuries are much more serious, there is a chance that you won’t be able to do the same kind of work that you did before. If that’s the case, there is a good chance you’re entitled to damages for lost future income.
These damages are meant to compensate you for the difference between what you would have earned compared to what you will now earn as a result of the accident. There aren’t many cases that qualify for these types of damages. That’s because most injuries can be resolved through medical intervention. If you’re one of the unlucky few who become disabled after their accident, your Douglasville personal injury lawyer will fight to get you as much money as possible.
We offer all new clients a free, initial consultation to give you a chance to sit down with one of our attorneys and discuss your case. It’s important that we have a chance to thoroughly review your case in order to determine whether it has merit. Just because you were involved in an accident doesn’t automatically mean you qualify for damages. You must be able to demonstrate that the other person was responsible for your injuries. You must also prove that you suffered some type of injury. Once your Georgia injury lawyer can prove these two things, you have a good chance of receiving damages. Since we do offer a free consultation, and since you don’t have to pay anything upfront, it’s in your best interest to give us a call today.
