Opinion ID: 1831560
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Loss of Earnings to Date of Trial.

Text: The accident occurred December 8, 1962, the trial was commenced April 25th and concluded April 27, 1966. The jury found that during this period Bach suffered a $3,500 loss of earnings. Defendants also urge that this part of the award is excessive. Bach did not work from the date of the accident until May 5, 1963. Bach claimed that his ability to do carpentry work and trapping was curtailed after the accident due to his inability to function properly in cold weather. In addition to not working for five months following the accident, Bach also testified that he lost three pole building jobs in 1966 due to his inability to work in cold weather. It is undisputed that when working Bach earned approximately $2.50 an hour. It was shown that Bach earned $2,519.74 in 1961, the year before the accident, and $4,647.48 in 1963, the year following the accident. Nevertheless, the fact that a man earns more after an accident than he did before is not conclusive on the question of whether he suffered a loss of earnings after the accident. There was credible evidence that Bach had lost working time as a result of the accident. The jury was justified in making this award for loss of earnings over the three-and-one-half-year period between the date of the accident and the date of the trial. The jury verdict in this respect must be affirmed.