Lost Income for a Slip-and-Fall in Tampa: What if I’m Self-Employed?

Lost income is one of the most important economic damages in an average slip-and-fall lawsuit. For employees, calculating these lost wages is usually quite straightforward. But what if you’re self-employed? What if your accident forced you to miss a promising business deal or investment? This is a conversation you might want to have with an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer in Tampa.

What if My Self-Employment Income Isn’t Consistent?

As many business owners will readily admit, yearly earnings can be completely unpredictable. This is particularly true for seasonal businesses. During “peak months,” your business might rake in excessive amounts of income. In the “off-season,” however, your business might earn almost nothing.

In this situation, it makes sense to push for a longer “lookback period” when calculating missed wages. The wider the timespan, the easier it will be to recover fair compensation despite the seasonal nature of your business.

Of course, a lookback period of a year doesn’t always solve this issue. For example, your business might have been on the verge of a major breakthrough when you slipped and fell. Perhaps you secured an incredible new business deal, or you managed to attract serious investors. Your accident might put you out of commission for months, preventing you from leading the company and making it impossible to experience these benefits.

But how do you recover fair compensation if your business has no history of success within the past year? How do you convince insurers that your business would have turned around if not for the accident?

The reality is that you may need to make your case during a trial. Insurers only really care about past earnings that you can prove with clear documents. These companies tend to reject claims involving hypothetical earnings in the future. However, a judge and or jury may be more understanding of your unique situation, perhaps helping you recover the compensation you actually deserve.

During the trial, you might need to show various pieces of evidence to establish the likelihood of much higher earnings in the future. This documentation might include business contracts, investment agreements, emails, and anything else you think highlights the business prospects that the slip-and-fall accident destroyed.

Other Damages Should Be Easier to Prove

Remember, lost income is only one potential damage you can claim in your slip-and-fall lawsuit. Others include medical bills, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and various non-economic damages. These damages should be easier to prove, as they have nothing to do with your status as a self-employed individual.

Can a Tampa Slip-and-Fall Lawyer Help Me?

A Tampa slip-and-fall lawyer can help you calculate your economic damages with confidence. Although self-employed individuals might find it slightly more challenging to pursue fair compensation after slips and falls, experienced injury attorneys have undoubtedly dealt with this situation before. Contact Anderson & Anderson at 813-251-0072 to learn more about the next potential steps.

Sources: 

irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes

floridasbdc.org/self-employed-businesses-critical/