Past loss of earnings

Between the accident and consolidation, the victim is often fully or partly off work. Past loss of earnings compensates the difference between the income the victim would have earned without the accident and what they actually received. The calculation starts from reference income, net salary, self-employed earnings, even loss of a job opportunity for someone seeking one, over the whole period of incapacity. Social security daily allowances and salary continued by the employer are set off against this head, under the collateral payers' recovery rights, so that the victim receives from the liable party only the residual loss. For a well-covered employee, the residual loss may be small; for an underinsured self-employed worker, it is the core of the claim. Proof of prior income, payslips, accounts, tax returns, is the key issue for this head.