You have the right to recover damages after a motorcycle accident. Those damages can range from pain and suffering to the cost of repairing or replacing your motorcycle.
What about your lost wages, though? You likely have to take time away from work to recover from motorcycle accident-related injuries. Should you pursue a personal injury claim against the party liable for your crash, you can demand that said party compensate you for unpaid time away from the office.
Good news: the Indiana motorcycle accident lawyers with Vaughan & Vaughan can help you calculate the value of that time away and integrate it into your formalized complaint.
Motorcycle Crash Attorneys Investigate Your Losses
If you want to win compensation for lost wages after a motorcycle accident, you first need to prove that you have the right to a settlement following your collision. Our team of motorcycle accident lawyers helps you do this by investigating the scene of your accident.
We use our investigative period to bring forward evidence proving that another party’s negligence caused your crash. So long as that evidence fulfills the burden of proof in Indiana, you may move forward with your personal injury claim. The evidence that we can bring forward can include the following:
- Video footage of your crash
- Statements from bystanders
- Debris and/or pictures of debris
- Black box data, if applicable
- Cell phone data, if applicable
- Expert witness testimony
We Can Estimate the Total Value of Your Personal Injury Claim
Our team can additionally use the evidence found at the motorcycle accident scene to estimate the value of the compensation you may receive from a civil judge. Your lost wages make up a part of that total estimate so long as we can specifically prove that you lost wages as a result of accident-related injuries.
Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Can Compare Your Pay Stubs
When it comes time to establish the value of the wages you’ve lost as a result of your motorcycle accident, our team can compare your pre- and post-accident pay stubs. A liable party may have to compensate you for the difference between your pre- and post-accident paychecks if we can prove that their negligence forced you to take unpaid time away from work.
For example, say you made an average of $1,100 every two weeks, after taxes, prior to your accident. Let’s also say that after your accident, you have to take unpaid time away from work, reducing your paycheck to $500 every two weeks. So long as we have evidence of impactful negligence, a liable party may have to pay you that missing $600 on top of other damages.
Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Can Communicate With Insurance Providers on Your Behalf
You may also receive compensation for your lost wages, among other losses, if you file an insurance claim with a liable party’s provider following a motorcycle accident. This process only works, though, if the liable party has appropriate coverage. While Indiana requires that its drivers carry the state’s minimum liability coverage, some drivers are uninsured or underinsured.
To make matters more complicated, some insurance providers have an inherent bias against motorcyclists. These providers and their insurance claims adjusters may attempt to undervalue your lost wages. Other insurance providers may refuse to compensate you for lost wages outright.
The good news is that our Indiana motorcycle accident lawyers can step in and manage your interactions with a relevant insurance provider. If an insurance provider denies your motorcycle accident claim, we can file an appeal. If the provider continues to act in bad faith, we may have the right to take said provider to civil court to better demand the damages you deserve.
Experienced Attorneys Keep You on Top of Relevant Filing Deadlines
You can’t receive compensation for lost wages if you don’t file your motorcycle accident claim in time. Fortunately, our Indiana motorcycle wreck lawyers are on your side. We keep you on top of your relevant filing deadlines without adding any stress to your recovery.
Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4 specifically outlines the deadline by which your motorcycle accident claim must reach an Indiana civil judge. Our team has two years from the day of your accident to bring forward evidence proving your right to compensation.
If you do not file a claim within that two-year period, you may not receive compensation for any of your losses, let alone lost pay.
You Can Book a Free Motorcycle Crash Case Evaluation With Vaughan & Vaughan
An experienced lawyer can help you secure comprehensive compensation after a devastating motorcycle accident. Don’t let your lost wages fall by the wayside. You can meet with an Indiana motorcycle crash lawyer today to discuss how to best represent your lost wages when you present your personal injury claim to a civil judge.
Vaughan & Vaughan’s team of experienced Indiana personal injury lawyers bring several decades of combined experience to Indianapolis, South Bend, Evansville, and beyond. Personal injury accident survivors can meet with our team free of charge to discuss our contingency-based representation.
Contact us now to book your motorcycle case evaluation.
