Tips for Getting Paid for Missing Work After an Accident

If you are injured in an accident and you are unable to work, you might want to get paid for your lost wages. This article applies to the following types of accidents:

  1. Any accident where you were injured while on someone’s – or a company’s – property and he, she, or they caused your accident.
  2. If you were a passenger on a bus in Florida and were injured because the driver of the bus or other vehicle was careless.
  3. If you were a driver or passenger in a taxi in Florida and were injured because someone else was careless.
  4. Someone’s negligence caused a motorcycle rider to suffer injury in Florida.  
  5. Trip and fall accidents

If you were injured in an accident in Florida caused by someone else, you will have to make a claim against the person or company who caused your accident if you want to get paid for lost wages for not being able to work.

The person or company that caused your accident is responsible to pay you for the time that you were not able to work because of your injuries. If you want to get paid for missing work, you should do these 4 things:

  1. Make a Claim: If you were in an accident described in one of the scenarios above, you need to call (or write) the insurance company for the driver – or owner – of the vehicle or business that caused the accident. Tell them that their insured caused your accident and that you can’t work because you were injured. If you were injured on someone’s property, write the property owner and/or management company and ask for their insurance information. If you have short-term disability insurance make a claim with your STD insurance company as well as your car insurance company.
  2. Accident and/or Fire Rescue Report: You need to give the crash report to the insurance company for the driver and owner that caused the accident. If you weren’t given an accident report at the time of the accident, you can call (or write) the local police department to make sure it is ready. If fire rescue arrived at the scene, you should request the fire rescue report. In Florida, a crash or fire rescue report usually doesn’t cost more than $10.
  3. Doctor’s Note: This applies if you work for a company or if you work for yourself. You need to get a doctor’s note saying that you are excused from work because of your injuries. If you went to the hospital after your accident, you were given papers (discharge papers) when you left. These papers should say that you shouldn’t work for a certain number of days. You should give these papers to the liability insurance company for the person that caused your accident.  Keep in mind that the liability insurance company generally will not pay you for your lost wages until you settle your liability claim with them. If you want to get paid a fair amount from the liability insurance company, you generally should not settle your personal injury case until you are finished following your doctor’s treatment plan. If you went to the doctor after the accident, ask the doctor to give you a note saying that you can’t work because of the accident. Even if the hospital (or doctor’s notes) doesn’t excuse you from work, you should still give any medical records that you have to the insurance company for the person or company that caused the accident.
  4. Employer Statement: You should have your employer sign a written form that says that you haven’t worked (for certain dates) since your car accident. Your employer should state the amount of money that you were paid for each week (or 2 weeks) for the 13 weeks before the accident. This form needs to say that you haven’t been paid for the time that you missed work after your accident. The form should also state the time (date hiring and present date) that you have worked for your employer. You should provide this form to the insurance adjuster for the liability insurance company as soon as possible.

If you have been hurt in a car accident, pedestrian accident, slip & fall or have another type of personal injury case, Armour Law Group, Lake Nona personal injury attorneys, want to represent you.  Contact us today to setup a consultation.