Motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian crashes and other types of wrecks have the potential to cause major injuries. Collisions are among the leading causes of many of the worst injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and amputations.
People adjusting to life with catastrophic injuries may have tens of thousands of dollars in emergency medical costs and vastly increased lifetime medical expenses. They may also have lost wages to consider.
Serious injuries tend to have a profound negative impact on an individual’s earning potential. There are multiple unique ways in which injuries depress the earning ability of a previously successful professional. How could collision injuries impact the income of the injured person?
1. Recovery time
Frequently, people with major injuries must take a lengthy leave of absence to heal or undergo treatment. Comminuted or compound fractures may require surgery, for example. People with catastrophic injuries may need to undergo intensive rehabilitative care to regain lost function. Professionals may require weeks away from their jobs, which can add up to thousands of dollars in income that they should have earned but could not.
2. Lost advancement opportunities
When professionals miss work due to injuries or illnesses, they can often return to their position afterward if they communicate with their employer. However, their career may never fully bounce back from an extended absence. Especially in cases where professionals must continue missing work for medical appointments or recurring symptoms, their repeated absences from work can reduce their opportunities for advancement. Even when employers understand that a professional missed work due to medical challenges, they may still consider them less favorably for advancement opportunities.
3. Diminished capabilities
Catastrophic injuries are different from other traumatic injuries in part because they cause permanent functional impairment. People with brain injuries may always struggle with their sense of balance or fine motor skills. Those with complete spinal cord injuries may forever depend on mobility assistance technology. When the symptoms caused by work injuries impact job performance, professionals may have to change careers. They may find that they earn far less than they could have prior to getting hurt.
Accurately estimating the prospective long-term consequences of a catastrophic car crash injury can help people pursue appropriate compensation. A driver at fault may be liable for the economic losses that an injured party has sustained as a result of the at-fault party’s negligence or intentional conduct, including lost income and future earning potential.