Will I Be Compensated for PTO and Sick Days in My Personal Injury Claim?

After being injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be forced to miss work as your recover. In fact, you may be forced to use your Personal Time Off (PTO) or accrued sick days to maintain your employment while also maintain a stream of income during your recovery. Is this fair, though? Many personal injury victims want to know if they can include their lost wages, as well as their PTO, as part of their claim.

Continue reading to learn the answer, as well as, some important information about collecting general damages in a personal injury lawsuit.

Indiana Personal Injury Attorneys 317-881-2700
Indiana Personal Injury Attorneys 317-881-2700

Whether you are taking days of from work for rest, doctor’s appointments, or medical treatments and therapies, the law says you can include PTO and sick days into your personal injury claim. In fact, victims are likely to be compensated for such losses, including lost wages and income, PTO, sick days. To understand just how victims might be eligible for receiving compensation for their lost wages and personal time off, it helps to understand economic damages. You see, in a personal injury claim, the losses suffered by the claimant are referred to as “damages”, which can be either economic or non-economic.

Economic Damages

Economic damages, also known as special damages, are financial losses that can be calculated. Losses that can be defined by an actual dollar amount and redeemed through financial compensation include hospital bills (i.e. hospitalization, ambulance transport, anesthesia, emergency room services, surgeries, doctor care, x-rays, MRI’s, etc.), medical expenses (i.e. physical therapy, medical equipment, medication, etc.) lost wages from time off work, property damages, lost benefits from spouses death (i.e. insurance, veterans benefits, etc.), in-home nurse, and anything else that was a direct financial loss to the victim or their family.

In contrast, non-economic damages are more difficult to assign a dollar amount to because they are not tangible monetary losses. Examples of non-economic losses include pain and suffering, mental anguish or illness (i.e. depression, anxiety, etc.), loss of companionship (i.e., wrongful death, brain damage to a loved one, paralysis of a loved one that changes or limits the relationship, etc.), long-term medical care or medication dependencies, diminished quality of life, permanent disabilities, loss of ability to work, and more.

PTO Compensation

Since Personal Time Off is an exact number, it can be calculated, and therefore, categorized as an economic damage. This means that personal injury victims can include PTO, as well as all other types of lost wages, as part of their accident claim. If you had to use your personal time off to recover from a personal injury, you were forced to take a loss that you didn’t intend on taking, making you eligible for such compensation. Your only duty is to ensure that you can prove it through valid documentation, including doctor’s orders, statements from your employer, medical appointments, and more.

Talk to a Trusted Indiana Personal Injury Attorney for Advice Regarding Your Accident Claim

Call the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to make a personal injury or wrongful death claim in Indiana. Our seasoned Indianapolis personal injury attorneys maintain a concentrated focus on accident and injury law, and have extensive trial and litigation experience with a written track record of success. Not only do we offer free initial consultations, we never collect lawyer fees unless we recover a settlement or judgment for you. Get started by scheduling your consultation, today.

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700
Schedule a Free Consultation!