If you were hurt in a Michigan car crash, you may have to take time away from work to recover. Depending on your job and the length of your recovery, your employer might tell you that you have to use paid leave—forcing you to exhaust your sick days and vacation time on an accident that was not your fault.
Using Paid Leave After an Accident
You should never have to lose time, money, or health to another person’s negligence. Unfortunately, not even the most vigilant motorist cannot avoid every accident. If you were hurt in a Metro Detroit car crash, your employer might accommodate your recovery. However, many businesses will tell you to use your remaining sick days or vacation time to save their overhead. This can become very troublesome if your injuries take days, weeks, or months to heal.
You might have to use paid leave to recover from an accident if:
- Your injuries require hospitalization.
- You need to leave work early or take a day off to visit a specialist, undergo surgery, or get a health check-up.
- You have physical rehabilitation or therapy sessions scheduled during the work week.
Your Options for Recovering Paid Time Off
If you, or a loved one, have been hurt in a Michigan car accident, you could be entitled to compensation through an insurance settlement or personal injury lawsuit. A Bloomfield Hills car crash lawyer could help secure damages for your:
- Hospital bills
- Prescription medication
- Physical rehabilitation
- Disability
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Paid leave
While an attorney cannot put your paid leave “back on the board,” they could help you obtain compensation for the value of any sick days or vacation time you had to use while recovering from an automobile accident.
Calculating the Value of Your PTO
Just because you are getting paid to recover from your injuries does not mean that you should accept wasting vacation days on another person’s negligence. Michigan’s courts recognize that nobody deserves to lose time off to an accident—meaning that you can include your PTO in an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
While every workplace has its own formula for calculating PTO, you could recover the equivalent of one day’s wages for every day you have to take away from work.
However, you will need to provide evidence showing that:
- Another driver’s negligence caused your injuries
- Your injuries required time away from work
- You had to use paid leave to recover from the accident
- Your PTO is worth as much as you say it is
A Metro Detroit car accident attorney can help you collect the evidence you need to prove the at-fault driver’s negligence and get reimbursed for the damages you suffered, including any paid time you had to use in recovery.
Contact Us Today
You should not have to bear the burden of another motorist’s bad decision. The Cronin Law Firm can help you get the recovery you need and the justice you deserve. Send us a message online today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.