Unemployment After a Car Accident

Have you or someone you know been so seriously injured that you lost your job or will no longer be able to go back to work? Any car accident can raise plenty of questions, but it can be especially difficult for someone who had a job prior to a car accident to realize that their injuries are so severe that work may be out of the question. 

Car repairs and medical bills aren’t the only types of damages that a victim incurs from a car accident—lost wages and inability to work also factor into the mix. If you were injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and are now unable to work, you may be owed compensation for those lost wages.

Since there are so many complex and potentially competing factors involved in the recovery of compensation in suits like this, a knowledgeable lawyer should be used to help you with this process.

Our experienced attorneys at Morgan & Morgan know that there are many different aspects of your personal injury claim, and we work hard to meet victims exactly where they're at, including answering questions about unemployment after car accidents. If you're struggling to figure out what your work future looks like and are worried about unemployment after a car accident, know that you're not alone. Our dedicated attorneys are here to help you and guide you through each step of the process.

For more information, you can reach out today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

Basics of Unemployment Benefits

In order to collect unemployment in most states, you will also need to be actively looking for work. This usually applies to people who were laid off through no fault of their own. Usually, unemployment payments would be made to this person until a new job was found. 

There are many different reasons, however, why you may find yourself out of work after an auto accident. These reasons will help determine whether or not you're eligible to collect unemployment benefits. If you are physically unable to work, this can be problematic for meeting the willing and able-to-work component of the unemployment criteria. However, you could potentially be eligible for disability insurance benefits, or you may need to pursue lost wages—past and future—with the help of a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. 

If you sustained an injury in the collision, unemployment may be an option for you if your injuries are not serious and you're still able to work but lost your job. This is because you would meet all of the criteria to apply for and receive unemployment benefits, being out of work through no fault of your own, actively looking for work to find a new position, and willing and able to work. 

Regular state laws do apply if you were able to receive unemployment benefits. You must accept any position that is suitable for your work history and expected earnings. Specific state laws may apply after certain periods that offer more than 120% of your unemployment benefit amount, so always review the specific state laws. 

There are many different factors that help determine whether or not you were able to collect unemployment after a car accident. So many people have to worry about their work future once they have been seriously injured and it can be very hard for you to get the compensation that you need.

At Morgan & Morgan, we have a strong background in helping many people navigate the process of recovering compensation, including exploring unemployment after car accidents, disability payments after car accidents, and damage compensation through civil litigation claims. Reach out today if you need help with your unemployment benefits.

Do I Need to File a Lawsuit?

One other avenue for compensation is filing a lawsuit for a personal injury claim. A dedicated and qualified lawyer may help you determine whether or not you can open a personal injury claim. If you can show that another person owed you a duty of care and then in failing to provide this left you suffering the consequences of an accident, such as injuries, you can use this information to get benefits other than unemployment after car accidents. You need to be able to show that the driver breached their duty of care to you. In some personal injury cases, this is easier to do than in others. 

For example, if police used a breathalyzer with the other person driving the other vehicle at the time of the accident, they would be able to tell you whether or not that person was under the influence of alcohol. 

It may be much easier to argue that the other driver failed to meet the duty of care owed to you when going through a case like this, but it can be more challenging to do so if you allege drowsy driving, distracted driving, or aggressive driving. Hiring the right personal injury lawyers, however, puts you on a path to recover compensation more effectively. Our experience and dedicated lawyers at Morgan & Morgan deeply care about your future and are prepared to do everything possible to help you with your personal injury claim. 

Although it can be very challenging to find yourself dealing with these circumstances, knowing that you are not alone is extremely valuable. We care about your ability to get necessary compensation and recognize that there are many different avenues available to you when you've been hurt because of a preventable accident. We work as hard as possible to gather this evidence and to even bring in expert witnesses, if necessary. 

You may need to file a claim directly with your own insurance company depending on whether or not you live in a state that requires personal injury protection. However, there are many other potential avenues for you to receive compensation, including filing a civil personal injury lawsuit. 

A civil personal injury lawsuit is a case that argues that another party owed you that duty of care and that in breaching it, should be held legally responsible for your injuries. You can find a variety of different types of damage payments available to you in a personal injury lawsuit, including lost wages, medical expenses for the past and future, and more. The specifics of your case should always be discussed directly with a qualified personal injury attorney. Our lawyers know how hard it can be to navigate the legal process on your own and are here to help support you in each phase of your case.

What if I Can't Ever Go Back to Work? 

After you have been hurt in a serious accident, there is an immediate question of whether or not you can go back to work. It is common for many people who have been seriously injured in an accident, such as a slip and fall or a car accident, to need several days or even weeks to recover. However, you may realize that you've sustained a serious disability or permanent injury, which means you may never be able to fully return to work. 

This generates additional questions beyond just getting unemployment benefits after a car accident. This also means that you may need long-term support for your financial expenses because you were involved in an accident that may have been caused by someone else's actions. You need to consult with a dedicated personal injury lawyer to think beyond just unemployment after a car accident and well into the future with your medical and other expenses. 

Plenty of people wind up seriously injured from an accident and may never recover in full. Your doctor may say that you are at a point known as maximum medical improvement (MMI), but this does not always mean you are fully recovered. Coping with the remaining injuries may be an ongoing problem for you for years, and it's vital that you have a lawyer to help you with this. You need care for years, and therefore you need funds to help pay for that care for years. 

If you have sustained a permanent disability or medical condition such as scarring from an accident, you need to make sure you have a personal injury attorney who is willing to do everything possible to fight on your behalf and win you the compensation you need and deserve to move forward with your life. 

It is not always easy to move forward with these cases, but the right lawyers can make a big difference in helping you chart out the course for your future. 

Contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn more about your legal options and how to best navigate unemployment after a car accident.