What if I am in a car accident and lose my job?
If you are injured in a car accident, your first thought should not be "what about my job?" Yet too many people who are injured wind up losing their job. What if this happens to you? You may not be out of luck. If your employer is large enough, you may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act. Under the federal FMLA, someone who has been employed for at least 12 months by an employer with at least 50 employees, and who has worked at least 1250 hours, is entitled to up to 12 weeks a year of protected medical leave. Under the Connecticut FMLA, someone who has been employed by an employer with at least 75 employees, and who has worked at least 1000 hours, is entitled to up to 16 weeks of leave in any rolling 24-month period. At the end of the leave, you must be returned to the same or a comparable job. Employers who violate the FMLA can be liable for economic damages, liquidated damages and attorneys' fees. If you have questions about how the FMLA may apply to y