If you suffer catastrophic injuries, such as a spinal cord injury (SCI), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or another major head injury, you certainly may need compensation for the related medical bills and lost wages. If someone else caused that injury – a driver who ran a red light and hit your car, for instance – then they may be responsible. You could seek compensation for missed paychecks while you were in the hospital or recovering at home, along with medical bills for the care you received.
That said, it is also wise to consider how the injury may impact your future. It could change your earning capacity, and you may deserve compensation for the difference.
Changing jobs
This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot ever work again. You may be able to eventually return to the workforce, but just in a different capacity.
For instance, say that you have spent your life pursuing a medical career. After decades of training, you are an accomplished brain surgeon with a high salary and a stable job.
After a TBI, you can still work, but your fine motor skills will never be the same as they were. You just do not have the dexterity and control. You have to step away from your job as a surgeon and take a different medical job that pays far less.
You may deserve compensation for this gap in earnings since you would still be a high-earning brain surgeon if the accident had not happened. Be sure you know what legal options you have and the steps you will need to take as you seek compensation from the responsible party.