Ontario Personal Injury Attorney
Ontario Personal Injury Lawyers Protect your Personal and Financial Health
We take our ongoing health for granted, yet many people are injured at work or play in sports through no fault of their own.
After being disabled for long periods their benefits run out. A good personal injury lawyer helps protect your rights if you ever fall into this difficult situation. In an age of no fault legislation, you can’t take anything for granted anymore.
The Ontario government recently launched a province-wide television advertising campaign to warn workers about workplace accidents. The intent of the campaign is okay since it reminds young, low wage workers that strange accidents can take place, accidents that can tragically alter their lives.
On the other hand, it is employers who must exercise due caution and provide employees with the knowledge of how to avoid accidents. When employers lose site of their employees rights and health, employees may be injured, not by their own actions but by a fellow employee. People go to work with a sense of innocence and trust. We trust that the workplace is safe and that co-workers understand and appreciate safety. Even at the local hockey rinks, hockey players suffer severe head and limb injuries, many highly publicized, yet the injured parties do not always experience short term losses.
When we hear of workplace accidents, we tend to think of construction or transportation industries, but personal injury can happen many different ways to affect health and happiness. From chemical exposure and smoke inhalation to repetitive motion injuries in office work, to auto accidents, to falls from ladders and icy sidewalks, people are injured every day in a variety of ways. Whether the bottom line issue is industrial and workplace design or improper work procedure, the employee is doing what they’re told and hence is a vulnerable position.
The courts are under tremendous pressure with many cases backlogged from years ago. Many courts across North America are facing these same challenges and trying to cope with the outfall of problems caused by negligent employers. Whether employees suffer personal injury or are fired for insufficient causes, those same employees often turn to social assistance and the government faces a financial burden. This may be the cause for the ad campaigns as penalties for employers who jeopardize employee’s health and their rights to fair employment.
Several years ago my brother was killed by a negligent truck driver. The driver of the semi forgot to lock down his trailer properly. As he left his employer’s yard, the trailers swung out wildly into the other lane colliding with my brother’s truck traveling in the other direction. He was a pivotal member of his own and other families in the city he lived in and his death was a huge loss. At the time, no one thought about the financial implications, since everyone was too distraught to think clearly at all.
Fortunately, a personal injury lawyer was involved quickly to ensure evidence was properly taken and accounted for. Interviews were conducted by police as well and the matter went to trial. The end result was that his wife received compensation. His family did not receive compensation for their loss. Although compensation in some form is right,
The offender did not serve time in jail and only lost his license for a short period. This highlights the importance of having a personal injury lawyer to protect your interests in the event of an accident. The legal climate is very lenient toward employers and companies that.
Only a few years ago, police conducted roadside checks of vehicles traveling on Toronto area highways. They found horrendous conditions in vehicles and transport trucks were always the worst. Some of the trucking companies were habitual offenders. U Haul vehicles for instance were chronically mentioned with problems ranging from worn brakes to broken axles. Trucking companies named continued to be found guilty of these equipment problems years after the roadside checks and even after being warned and fined by the courts.
The roadside checks in the Toronto area aren’t being conducted anymore despite the fact they were finding lots of faulty vehicles. Did the police just get tired and give up? Was it a political nightmare that they couldn’t force the trucking companies to improve? It’s something to think about because every year here in Toronto, people are injured by big transport trucks that had some sort of mechanical failure. If they aren’t bad enough, there are plenty of motorists driving at high speeds and in a reckless manner.
Personal Injury Legislation
In discussions with Toronto Lawyers I discovered that many employers are cavalier about how they treat and view employees. The need to cut costs and see employees in terms of their dollar cost, demeans the employee and sets the stage for a culture of carelessness in the workplace whether that workplace is inside a building or out on the highways. If employers have a positive regard for their employees, then safety and caution will always prevail.
Employment laws in Ontario in recent years have been diminished leaving employees very vulnerable to negligent employers who ignore legal requirements such as the adoption of proper safety precautions exist in the workplace.
Those injured on the job may have taken all the necessary safety precautions. After being injured at the workplace however, they face an uncertain financial future. Insurance policies or income assistance benefits only last so long. Injured people tend to focus on their immediate circumstances and rightfully so, since their security is far from certain.
When the payments stop, the injured find they’re in serious financial trouble.
Another young man I know had his back injured on the job. Years later, his back still hurts and makes him incapacitated. Despite his disability, unemployment insurance payments stopped and he’s now faced with a difficult situation that affects his emotional health and ability to take care of his children. At that time, he needed legal consultation, because these issues don’t disappear quickly and at some point in time, their source of compensation disappears.
People left with exorbitant medical bills and medication costs, and others left in a wheelchair find themselves living below the poverty. Workman’s Compensation is one government bureaucracy that has become much tougher on claimants. The environment over the last ten years has been to minimize worker’s rights with new no-fault legislation. Now Toronto workers cannot sue other employees who are a key source of work-related accidents. Instead they can apply for workers compensation benefits and yet there is no guarantee these payments won’t be cut off at any time.
Going it alone in facing the workman’s compensation board, insurance companies, and government assistance offices isn’t necessary. Even if your employer took all precautions and measures, it is still your right to take them to court for compensation for your losses.
A good Toronto personal injury lawyer can help protect your rights and ensure you have access to financial resources. Their knowledge and experience with the Ontario courts and recent changes in laws, will help you navigate the difficult legal climate surrounding legal action against employers and other negligent parties.
If you’ve been injured or suffered because of someone else’s neglect and carelessness, a consultation with a Toronto personal injury lawyer might just be a lifesaving conversation.
By Gord Collins
Published: 1/2/2008
Oh My Pet!: Dog owner responsibility
Depending on the which province or state you live in, in both Canada and the U.S., dog owners can be held liable, or financially responsible, for injuries caused by their dog’s behavior in three possible and very common scenarios.
Ontario Personal Injury Attorney
When you or a loved one has been injured, the consequences can be overwhelming. Legal issues are probably the last thing on your mind. However, dealing with the legal and insurance issues surrounding car accidents and other Catastrophic personal injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries are crucial. This is the time when you need to be clear about your rights and speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Our Toronto personal injury lawyers have litigation expertise in:
- Car and motorcycle accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Slip and fall
- Diving accidents
- Sporting accidents
- Airplane crashes
- Boating and jet ski accidents
- ATV or dirt bike accidents
- Snow mobile accidents
- Skiing accidents
- Faulty products and Products Liability
- No-fault car insurance claims
- Animal attacks
- Assaults, including sexual assaults
Or any occurrence resulting in:
- Serious personal injury
- Death
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Amputation
- Chronic pain
a. See your Physician: Visit your Doctor right away if you suffer injury. Describe to your physician the intensity and location of your pain in an open and honest manner. Disclose all previous injuries that may be relevant because the Doctor will need to know this information for proper treatment. Your physician likely will ask many questions that you don’t have an answer for, and it is fine to say that you don’t know. You should never guess and give potentially false information. Of utmost importance, follow your Doctor’s recommendations and advice.
b. Do Not Give Any Statements: Do not give any statements to anyone, whether in writing, over the phone, or in person without first speaking to an Attorney.
c. Use Personal Injury Resource Center and find a Qualified Attorney: Your attorney will further advise you about how to conduct yourself following your injury, which is invaluable.
d. Do not make admissions: As you already are aware, you should not speak to anyone except your attorney and your doctor regarding your injury. Statements to others may be construed as admissions of fault.
e. Take Pictures: Of any damage to your property if applicable. If your vehicle is smashed in an auto accident, use good quality film and take at least 30 pictures.
f. Keep Evidence of Injury: Save all medication containers, arm and leg braces, casts, and any other medical equipment prescribed by your Doctor.
g. Accident Scene: Give any all pictures or videos of the accident scene that you or other witnesses may have to your Attorney.
h. Compile Receipts: Keep all of your receipts or obtain them from vendors. Then itemize them by expense. Ensure that the receipts are readable and that you have all applicable information from each vendor so that you can identify them at a later date if need be.
i. More Information: Consult with your lawyer and tell him everything that you can remember about your case and everything that you believe is relevant. Your attorney will direct to you to the most important facts. Do not leave out any information about your hospitalization or treatment.
