According to The United States Department of Labor, 1,157,410 workers in the United States experienced a nonfatal occupational injury or illness last year that caused them to miss work.
If you were injured on the job, you have several options to pursue. You may try to seek out compensation to pay for medical bills and get financial help due to lost wages. You may also seek reimbursement for the money spent on a defective product or poor quality service that results in an injury or damage to property. This type of compensation is referred to as a pecuniary loss.
What Exactly is a Pecuniary Loss?
The term, pecuniary loss, means a person who files a personal injury claim can be compensated for a specific amount of money because they have the evidence to prove how much they spent on purchasing a product or service, or how much they lost in wages. The evidence may consist of a bill for a product or service that was paid for, previous pay stubs to indicate lost work wages for the time when a person was unable to perform job duties, bills to repair damage caused to personal property, and medical expenses they paid due to an injury someone else caused. So if the bill shows a certain amount of money a person paid, or an amount for lost wages, a person will be compensated for that amount in a court of law.
A person may also show pecuniary losses for future wage losses if they are permanently disabled and can no longer work, as well as any other damages that can be calculated to determine a monetary amount. The pecuniary losses can also apply in wrongful death suits where a person loses financial support when a spouse or family member passes. They can receive compensation for that lost support, funeral expenses and other factors if someone else can be held liable for the death of the family member or spouse.
Understanding Your Rights When It Involves a Pecuniary Loss
While it may seem like an advantage for you to get the compensation you need toward injuries or damages when filing a personal injury case, pecuniary losses may not always be granted. In Massachusetts, you might not receive compensation if it is determined that you caused or contributed to your own accident and injuries. If you tampered with a product or misused it in a way that the product was not designed for, then it will be harder for you to receive pecuniary losses. This same circumstance also applies if you interfered with a service that was provided to you by a business or if it was found that you were negligent on the job.
Contact a Worcester Personal Injury Attorney with Additional Questions
It will be your responsibility to have the evidence to show pecuniary losses during a personal injury claim. If you are unsure about what evidence you need or how to go about getting compensation for your injuries and property damages, hire an experienced personal injury lawyer who can review your case. Attorney Peter Ventura can evaluate your case and provide representation to protect your rights. Contact our office today to learn more about your rights, how pecuniary losses apply to your circumstances, and how to file a personal injury claim.
Photo via Wikimedia by Tomas Castelazo
