Whether it is for a few days, or a year, if you lost money because you could not work while recovering from an auto collision in Arizona, you can get that money back as part of your insurance claim—especially if you can somehow document it. I am Arizona Attorney Kevin Fine, and I try to give you answers to questions like these in my videos, articles, and my free book. So, here are some ways to prove your income loss.
First, you can use a letter from your employer. If you have a job where you clock in and out, or have a human resources department that tracks your time, then a letter from your employer documenting where you work, what you are paid, and the time you lost time due to your injuries is often sufficient proof for the insurance company to include that lost income in their offer.
Second, you can use your tax returns. Sometimes tax returns are necessary to show what your income was before the collision, compared to afterward. This is especially true if the you are self-employed or in a commission-based line of work. Tax returns can be a great way to show what you generally made before you were injured, and compare that to the drop in productivity during your recovery.
Third, you can use a complete economic loss report. If your injuries cause a long-term drop in your income, like when the injury is permanent and you can no longer do what you did before, then a series of steps may be necessary to properly prove that change. These steps may include a functional capacity exam to document the ongoing restrictions, a vocational analysis to show what kind of jobs you now cannot do, and finally a vocational economic loss calculation to show what kind of income loss the change will cause over time.
Of course, there are many cases in which these forms of proof, and others, are used together, to properly prove an economic loss, especially when the loss is large or ongoing. Just recognize that your assertion alone about your loss is usually not enough, and the insurance company will want some other proof.
No two people are alike, and that is true of your losses, so the general information I shared here may not be right for your matter and is not legal advice. I’d be happy to talk to you about the specific situation you are facing, or to send you my free book–Auto Injury Claims. You can talk to me, or order my book by calling the law firm Davis Miles McGuire Gardner at 480-733-6800 or going to www.autoinjurybook.com. I look forward to it.
