Injuries That Affect Your Future Income And Earning Capacity
Posted on: 30 June 2023
Your personal injury settlement or award should include all the losses you have suffered due to the accident. For example, you should ask for lost future income and earning capacity, which depend on your injuries and job. Below are some injuries that usually lead to substantial lost income and earning capacity.
Vital Organ Damage
Critical organs include the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, and liver. Damage to these organs may threaten your life, involve costly and complex treatments, and linger for a significant part of your life.
For example, a brain injury can affect your memory. However, many jobs or careers require good memory, and you might struggle to hold a job if you are forgetful. Ultimately, you might not earn as much as you would without the injury.
Loss of Limb
Losing a limb affects your job and business in several ways, depending on the affected limb. For example:
- A racecar driver might lose some reflexes or reaction times after losing a limb, lowering their success on the track.
- A software engineer who loses both hands might struggle to type or use the keyboard, which can affect their work.
- A tour guide might struggle to continue working after losing a leg.
In some cases, the effect on earning capacity might be temporary or permanent, depending on the injury. You will need to prove the duration of the effects for full compensation.
Paralysis
Limb paralysis can affect your income in the same way as the loss of a limb if you cannot use the paralyzed limb, but your job requires its use. The effect depends on the type of paralysis and your job. For example, if you do not need both legs in your line of work, then monoplegia (paralysis of one leg) might not hurt your income as much as paraplegia (paralysis of both legs).
PTSD
Lastly, post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) can also affect your work or ability to maintain a job. For example, PTSD can:
- Affect your ability to work with people or maintain jobs that require socialization or people skills; for example, you might struggle to work in a daycare center.
- Increase your risk of drug and alcohol abuse, making working in a bar or nightclub dangerous.
- Cause sleep problems that leave you tired and unable to concentrate on your day job.
Again, the effects depend on your PTSD manifestation and your job.
You must prove all your damages for the court to grant them.
For more info, contact a local personal injury attorney.
Share