Recovering Lost Wages After a Slip and Fall Premises Liability Injury

## Lost Income Damages in Slip and Fall Cases

When a slip and fall injury prevents you from working — even temporarily — the financial impact compounds quickly. Premises liability law allows you to recover both past lost wages for income already missed during recovery and future lost earning capacity if your injuries permanently impair your ability to work. Properly documenting and presenting these damages is essential to receiving full compensation.

Failing to accurately document lost income is one of the most common ways slip and fall victims leave money on the table — often because they do not know what qualifies or how to calculate it properly.

Types of Income-Related Damages You Can Recover

Lost income damages in premises liability cases are broader than most people realize. Your attorney will help identify every category that applies to your situation.

• Past lost wages: Income you did not earn because your injuries prevented you from working, covering the entire period from the date of injury through the resolution of your claim
• Future lost wages: Projected income you will not earn in the future due to ongoing physical limitations from your injuries — supported by medical expert testimony about your functional restrictions
• Lost earning capacity: If your injury permanently reduces your ability to earn at your pre-injury level — even if you return to work — you can recover the difference between what you would have earned and what you can now earn
• Self-employed income losses: Sole proprietors and freelancers can recover lost business income with documentation such as tax returns, invoices, and client contracts
• Sick and vacation time: If you used accrued paid leave during recovery, you can often recover the value of that lost benefit
• Benefits and bonuses: Lost commissions, performance bonuses, and employer-paid benefits all qualify as recoverable income damages

Supporting documentation typically includes pay stubs, tax returns for the prior two to three years, employer letters confirming your duties and salary, and medical records establishing your physical restrictions.