How And Why You Should Prove Your Wages In Your Personal Injury Case

In a personal injury case -- such as if you have been involved in a slip and fall accident or a car accident -- your lawyer might ask you for past paycheck stubs or other proof of the wages that you were making before your injury. If you are like a lot of people, you might feel uncomfortable with this, or you could be wondering why your lawyer needs this information. What you should know, however, is that in many cases, personal injury lawyers suggest that their clients do this. These are a few main reasons why.

Get Compensated for Lost Wages

One reason to prove your wages is so that you can be compensated for any wages that you have missed because of your injury. For example, if you have missed a couple of weeks or months' worth of work because of your injury, you might be struggling financially because of it. These cases often don't just focus on compensating you for any medical bills; the object is to try to be compensated for all of your costs associated with the injury, including the money that you have lost because you have not been able to work as you normally would. If you provide proof of the income that you were making before your injury, such as your hourly rate, then the approximate amount of money that you might have lost due to the injury can be calculated.

Prove Loss of Future Earnings

Another thing that you should think about is how your future earnings will be affected by the injury. If you will not be able to resume the same type of work in the future because of your injury, for example, your lifetime earnings could be greatly impacted. If you aren't going to be able to return to the same job, proving how much you were making when you were able to work in your chosen industry can help the amount that you will lose over your lifetime because of the injury can be calculated. This can help you ensure that you are properly compensated so that you can take care of yourself and your family in the future.

As you can see, in many personal injury cases, it can be important to prove the wages that you have been earning. If you are wondering if this is important in your case or if you otherwise need help, contact a personal injury lawyer near you.