NEW YORK. According to the New York Times, approximately 45 percent of American workers don’t have paid sick leave. This has an impact on all of us. Individuals who are injured in a car accident who don’t have paid sick leave may suffer the double burden of paying medical expenses and also struggling to make ends meet while also struggling with lost income. In New York, employers are required to provide paid sick leave. Individuals with paid sick leave may use up their sick days to recover from their car accident, leaving them with no paid sick days to take should they get the flu or suffer another acute illness. This can have immense implications for not only the health of the injured worker, but for the injured worker’s co-workers and family.
According to the New York State Department of Financial Services, workers are entitled to seek compensation for the value of their sick day credits used in an accident. If you have been injured in a car accident today, your use of sick benefits now may reduce the number of benefits you have in the future should you become sick. Because of this, you would have the right to recover the value of the sick time you used.
What happens when people have used up their sick days, or show up to work sick because they cannot afford to take time off? When workers show up to work sick, they run the risk of making others around them sick as well. Studies have shown that more paid sick leave could reduce the risk of illnesses acquired at work. In fact, in cities like New York, where paid sick leave is required, seasonal flu rates are not as high as cities and states where there is no paid sick leave.
In fact, when the deadly H1N1 flu virus spread, an additional 1,500 lives could have been saved had people stayed home when they were sick.
Another benefit of paid sick leave is that it reduces the number of injuries on the job. The New York Times reported on another study that indicated that sick workers may be more likely to injure themselves on the job. Workers who have paid sick leave can afford to take time off to get medical care and workers who take time to heal can be more productive.
If you have been injured in a car accident, it is important to consider the financial and health implications that using your paid sick leave time can have on you or your family. The good news is that if you do need to take paid time off to heal from your car accident injuries, you should do so. A quailed New York, New York personal injury lawyer like Antin, Ehrlich, & Epstein, L.L.P. can work with you to help you seek compensation for your used paid time off credits. Our firm can also review your case to help you understand your rights under the law. Visit our firm at https://aeelaw.com/ to learn more.