Can You Work During Your Personal Injury Case in NJ?

If you’re like most people, you need to work to live. So what happens when you’re injured and pursuing personal injury compensation? 

Can you work during your personal injury case in New Jersey?

It’s an important question with a complicated answer. In general, though, you can work during an active personal injury case. But there are some critical nuances to consider.

Keep reading or contact Rosengard Law Group to learn everything you need to know.

How Can You Protect Your Job After a Serious Injury?

First thing’s first: Can your employer fire you after you’ve been seriously injured?

In most cases, the answer is probably no, but the unique details of your case will determine the exact answer for you. 

Keep in mind, though, that you are likely protected by state and federal laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and New Jersey workers’ compensation rules.

So, you probably don’t have to do anything specific to protect your job after a serious injury. And you should be able to return to work once your recovery is complete. But speak with a lawyer to make sure you’re covered.

Effects of Working on Your Personal Injury Case

Back to the question at hand: Is it possible to work while you have an active personal injury case in NJ?

Yes, it’s possible. But it might have some effects on your personal injury case.

For example, if you are claiming that your injuries are so serious that you can’t work, going to work every day is going to make your claim seem untrue. That might come up during the case.

Also, working during your personal injury case may indirectly reduce the total value of your claim. That may be unavoidable because if you are able to work, you likely will not be able to recover lost wages in your case. Still, it’s something to consider.

Altogether, though, working during a personal injury case is unlikely to have a significant effect on the outcome of the case.

Reasons You Might Be Unable to Work During Your Personal Injury Case

However, there are some instances in which you actually may be unable to work during your personal injury case. Let’s take a look at a few of those situations:

Severe Disability

If your injuries are so severe that you have been left severely disabled, you likely won’t be able to work at all.

Of course, that’s a determination that your doctor will help make. And it may be that you are unable to work the job you had but are able to work a different job.

Extended Medical Treatment or Recovery

Maybe you will be able to work one day, but you can’t work now because you’re stuck in the hospital. It’s not uncommon for people to have to stay in the hospital for weeks or longer with severe injuries like brain trauma or spinal damage.

Alternatively, maybe you are not stuck in the hospital but are stuck on your couch recovering from your injuries. That can also take months in serious cases.

In either instance, you likely won’t be able to work during some or all of the course of your personal injury case.

Doctor’s Orders

If your doctor told you that you can’t or shouldn’t work after your injury, you should probably listen. And that will likely mean that you’re unable to work while your personal injury case is happening — at least for part of it.

Specifically Limiting Injury

Imagine you are a server at a local restaurant and you have a car accident that shatters your leg in five places.

How will you carry plates and drinks out to your tables? How will you fulfill any of your key job functions?

You won’t be able to — not until that leg heals. So if you’re healing while your personal injury case is ongoing, you probably won’t be able to work due to the precise nature of the injury limiting your abilities.

How Will You Pay Your Bills if You Can’t Work During Your Personal Injury Case?

Hard-working New Jersey residents often feel a sense of panic when they realize they might not be able to work for a time. And their first thought is often something like this:

“How will I pay my bills if I can’t even earn my paycheck?”

It can be a serious struggle. But fortunately, that’s a large part of the point of personal injury claims in New Jersey — to compensate you for all of the ways this injury has affected your life.

That includes your lost wages and future lost wages. An experienced attorney can help you make sure you’re leaving no money on the table as you file your claim and pursue compensation.

Need Help? Contact Rosengard Law Group

Not sure whether you can or should work during your personal injury case? Contact an experienced New Jersey personal injury lawyer at Rosengard Law Group.

If you retain us, we’ll help you sort this out. And then we’ll help you pursue every dollar you’re owed.

To learn more, schedule a free consultation. Call 856-284-6446 or contact us online today.