Lost income represents a major damage category in motorcycle accident cases. When injuries prevent work, compensation for lost wages and reduced earning capacity helps victims recover financially. Understanding these claims ensures you receive full compensation for income impacts.
Types of Income Loss Claims
Past lost wages are income you've already lost - missed workdays, reduced hours, and unpaid leave from the accident until now.
Future lost wages project ongoing inability to work during continued recovery. Extended treatment periods mean extended income loss.
Lost earning capacity addresses permanent reductions in ability to earn. If injuries prevent returning to your previous career or limit future advancement, compensation reflects the lifelong impact.
Documenting Past Lost Wages
Employment records establish your pre-accident income. Pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, and employer statements document earnings.
Time away from work must be documented. Employers can provide letters confirming dates missed and income lost.
Self-employed individuals use tax returns, financial statements, and business records to establish typical income before the accident.
Document used leave time - vacation, sick days, PTO - which has monetary value even if you received paychecks.
Calculating Lost Wages
Hourly employees: Multiply hourly rate by hours missed. Include overtime if you regularly worked extra hours.
Salaried employees: Calculate daily or weekly rate from annual salary. Lost days equal proportional salary loss.
Include lost benefits - bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, health insurance contributions, retirement matching, and other compensation beyond base pay.
Tips and variable income require documentation through tax records and employer statements about typical earnings.
Future Lost Income
Project ongoing inability to work based on medical evidence. Doctor's opinions about work restrictions and expected recovery duration support future wage claims.
Consider partial disability periods where you can work reduced hours or lighter duties at lower pay.
Economic experts calculate present value of future lost income, accounting for projected raises, inflation, and appropriate discount rates.
Lost Earning Capacity
When injuries cause permanent limitations, earning capacity claims address lifetime income impacts, even if you're currently working.
Compare pre-accident earning potential to post-accident capacity. The difference over your work-life expectancy represents the claim.
Consider lost opportunities - promotions, career advancement, additional training or education you can no longer pursue due to injuries.
Vocational Expert Testimony
Vocational rehabilitation experts assess how injuries affect employment. They evaluate physical limitations, transferable skills, and available jobs.
Experts determine what jobs you can still perform and earning potential in those positions compared to your previous career.
Their testimony connects medical limitations to concrete employment impacts that juries can understand and quantify.
Economic Expert Calculations
Economists calculate present value of future lost earnings. A lump sum today must account for investment potential to equal future earnings stream.
Calculations incorporate work-life expectancy - how long you would have worked absent the injury - based on statistical tables and individual factors.
Fringe benefits add significantly to base wage calculations. Health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits may add 25-40% to wage value.
Self-Employment Considerations
Self-employed individuals face unique documentation challenges. Business records, contracts, and financial statements establish income patterns.
Business losses beyond personal income may be compensable if the accident prevented fulfilling contracts or serving customers.
Consider business value reduction if you can no longer run your business at previous capacity or must sell due to disability.
Challenges in Lost Income Claims
Defense attorneys challenge pre-existing conditions that may have affected work capacity regardless of the accident.
Employment gaps before accidents raise questions about earning patterns. Be prepared to explain any irregular work history.
Arguments about mitigation - failure to seek available employment you could perform - may reduce claims.
Maximizing Lost Income Recovery
Document everything about your work history, income, and injury-related work limitations. Thorough records support claims.
Follow medical advice about work restrictions. Don't return to work prematurely, but also don't stay out longer than medically necessary.
Work with appropriate experts - vocational specialists and economists - to properly calculate and present income loss claims.
Consider all income sources - regular employment, side work, rental income - affected by your injuries.