Trying to decide which lawyer to hire to help you and your family following a car accident or other personal injury claim? There are many excellent questions and considerations that should go into making this important decision. Experience, reputation, price and comfort will likely be part of that decision-making process. But another important question to ask is whether your prospective lawyer is a member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA)?
Optional Benefits: A Necessity
Authored by: Alfonso Campos Reales If you drive a car in Ontario, optional benefits are a necessity to protect you and your family. When you are injured in a car accident in Ontario, you are entitled to accident benefits coverage. These include funding for your medical and rehabilitation expenses, as well as funding to have a professional care for you after an accident. Because …
What If My Insurance Broker Doesn’t Tell Me About Optional Benefits?
As previously discussed on the OTLA Blog, everyone should consider buying optional automobile insurance Accident Benefits. In 2016, Accident Benefits were slashed by the Ontario Government. But, consumers can buy back the old coverage levels (and more) by purchasing optional benefits. Instead of the “normal” $65,000 of Medical and Rehabilitation (Med-Rehab) and Attendant Care Benefits available to non-“minor” and non-Catastrophic injury victims and the $1M …
Determination of Fault in Left Hand Turn Collisions
In our practice, we often see cases where both drivers involved in a collision thought they had the right of way. Often, such cases involve a situation where one driver is proceeding straight through an intersection and the other is attempting to make a left turn on a yellow (or amber) light. The driver proceeding straight believes they have the right of way. At the …
Not Your Fault? Navigating Ontario’s Fault Determination Regime
Ontario’s Fault Determination Rules (“the Rules”) outline over 40 common collision scenarios each depicted with simplistic diagrams. Each collision scenario has a corresponding liability percentage assigned to each driver. These Rules are largely used by your insurance company to determine who is at-fault for an accident. The challenge for drivers and insurance adjusters is determining which templated scenario in the Rules fairly applies to the …
What happens if my spouse or boss refuses to give evidence at trial?
A common issue in personal injury claims that clients raise is how their close relatives or co-workers will be involved in their lawsuit. A close relative can sometimes bring a claim pursuant to the Family Law Act which has its own set of risks and rewards that should be discussed with a lawyer. This article is going to focus on those who do not bring …
