Category: Motor Vehicle Accidents

The trucking industry works on deadlines. If deadlines aren’t met and goods not moved, then profits are affected. Today, over 200,000 people make their living in the trucking industry in Ontario and there is a major shortage of qualified drivers. This means even more pressure for truckers to meet deadlines and work longer hours. Kitchener injury lawyers see many cases of accidents involving trucks where drivers have succumbed to fatigue. Read More

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you have enough to worry about. You may be facing hospitalization, medical bills, rehabilitation, or even a long-term loss of wages. You may be tempted to take the first settlement you are offered by the insurance company because it seems simple and you want to get on with more important things like healing and getting back to work. But you want to consider that you may be dealing with some long-term limitations in your life after an accident. Will that insurance settlement be enough? Read More

Accident victims have a right under the law to sue at-fault drivers for non-pecuniary damages such as pain and suffering after an accident resulting in injuries. But the fact is, in Ontario, suing for pain and suffering is difficult. The government has enacted laws putting limitations on the definition of pain and suffering and what it entails. If you have questions with regard to your rights under Ontario’s legal definition of pain and suffering, a Kitchener personal injury lawyer is a good resource.

The Legal Threshold for Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering claims have to meet a certain “threshold”. Today, in order to pursue a claim, your injuries must meet certain requirements under the law. These injuries must be deemed a serious and permanent impairment of an important bodily function. Simply, this means that life has been transformed for you for the rest of your life. You must prove that you cannot work and cannot participate in your normal daily living as it was before the accident. These injuries will need to be proven permanent, meaning that they will impact your life in a tangible way for the rest of your life and will probably not become better. An injury lawyer in Kitchener will be able to help you determine whether your injuries meet this threshold.

The Need to Surpass the Monetary Deductible

In addition to meeting the threshold for the definition of pain and suffering, your injuries also need to surpass monetary amounts to apply for pain and suffering claims. A deductible $30,000 must be met. If your claim is not worth more than $30,000, it does not meet the necessary deductible to be considered a pain and suffering claim. Pain and suffering claims will be attributed to anything over and above that $30,000 deductible. This may or may not make sense to you as the victim if you are only going to be awarded a small sum after the deductible that then goes to pay legal fees. If your damages exceed $100,000, then the deductible does not apply.

From a victim’s perspective, a deductible doesn’t seem very fair. But insurance companies lobbied that they were paying out too much in claims for non-pecuniary damages and successfully had the deductible enacted.

Get Experienced Legal Advice

When it comes to pain and suffering, it is often very difficult to recover damages after a motor vehicle accident in Ontario. Your best recourse if you have any questions about your eligibility for a pain and suffering claim after an accident is to consult with a professional injury lawyer in Kitchener. Call the injury law professionals at ABPC Law in order to get any questions answered. We offer a no-cost initial consultation.

When an accident occurs involving a commercial truck, there is almost always an injury and many times, the injuries are more serious than a car accident. If you are a victim of a commercial truck accident, you need to know how you can be compensated for both physical and emotional damages you suffered as a result. Read More

Vehicle accidents can stop you in your tracks. What started out as a typical day may take you years to return to. If you have been in an automobile accident, you may be wondering what you can do in order to get some type of compensation and justice. Here are the more common types of claims that are normally filed after an accident. Read More

Now, if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, there is certain evidence that you would most definitely be very important for the case. This is particularly critical and you should most definitely make sure that you save it. The evidence is considered to be valuable information which helps proving that the accident was not really your fault. Read More

Nobody can foretell an accident and that is why when you are injured and stressed, you cannot think rationally. However, it is important that after seeing the doctor, you need to count on an experienced injury lawyer. There are quite a few things that you might take into very serious consideration when it comes to obtaining damages and benefits, if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident. Read More

Legislation which was recently issued and enacted seems to make certain major changes and alterations, when it comes to the OW and the ODSP exemption limitations for car accidents as well as for cases related to personal injury cases. These changes definitely appear to have been made without a lot of publicity and announcements. And that is not something that personal injury lawyers as well as everyone involved seem to be looking forward to. Read More

If you have been involved in a car accident and your car has been damaged, you would want to be aware of your options when it comes to getting it fixed. You need to know whether or not you are going to have to pay for this repair. This is, once again, a matter of insurance. Read More

Car accidents in Ontario are unfortunately rather common. So far, they are the most common type of accidents which cause personal injuries. As such, they deserve a very special approach and place in the legislation. However, there are quite a lot of different things which may lead to car accidents. And while some are going to provide the driver with a chance to seek reparations, others are going to put him under the stand. Driving under the influence, for instance, belongs to the latter type. This is something that you need to take into account. Read More