Category: Accidents

Do’s and Don’ts For Your Defence Medical Examination

If you are in a car accident that resulted in injuries and have decided to retain a lawyer, they will begin an action on your behalf to recover damages intended to compensate you for your injuries. Your lawyer will ask for medical reports from your doctor, and possibly from specialist doctors. To establish the extent of your injuries, the defendants (the opposing side) also have the right to have a doctor of their choice examine you. This examination is known as a “defence medical examination” or DME for short. These doctors will prepare an expert report in which they will give their opinion on the extent and severity of your injuries, as well as testify in court for the opposition if your case comes to a trial. Continue reading

Things You Can Do to Assist Your Personal Injury Lawyer

Your lawyer’s job is to take care of the details surrounding your personal injury claim so you can focus your time and effort on recovering from your injuries. That being said, there are some things that you can do to ensure that your personal injury claim proceeds as smoothly as possible. Here are some suggestions:

Follow Your Doctor’s Advice

It is our job to prepare your personal injury claim and present it in the best possible light so as to achieve a fair settlement from the at-fault party or to obtain a judgment at trial. It is your responsibility to follow up with your health care professionals to ensure that you recover from your injuries as quickly and as fully as possible. Continue reading

4 Serious Neck and Back Injury Symptoms From a Car Accident

It’s not uncommon for injuries to reveal themselves days or even weeks after a car accident. For some injury sufferers, it can be difficult to determine cause and effect of injury symptoms to the neck and back if they don’t surface until days after an accident. For anyone recently injured in a car accident, if you begin to experience any of the following injury symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention to ensure your injuries are treated and to avoid the risk of the injuries becoming more serious.

Neck Injuries – Whiplash Trauma

Whiplash trauma is one of the most common neck injuries following an accident. Continue reading

The Importance of Your Family Doctor in Your Personal Injury Claim

Anyone who has been injured knows that it can be an awful experience. In addition to coping with pain and suffering, you may be worried that your symptoms might not improve. Furthermore, your injuries impact those around you. It’s never easy for those close to you to see you suffer, and they may experience feelings of helplessness. It’s important to everyone involved that you do whatever you can to heal and feel better.

If you are injured, the best way to help yourself and, those you love, is to follow the advice of your doctors and other medical professionals. In fact, from a legal standpoint, taking reasonable positive steps to ease your own pain and suffering is an extremely important part of obtaining full compensation for your injury claim. Continue reading

Sources of Compensation available following a Motor Vehicle Accident

Property Damage

After the initial treatment of any injuries sustained, the first concern most people have following a collision is dealing with the damage done to their vehicle. This will involve obtaining funding for any necessary repairs or, if the vehicle is written off, receiving a lump sum payout for the value of the vehicle.

If you have collision coverage on your vehicle, your insurer will be able to assist you. If you are at fault for the accident, they will pay for your property damage, less your deductible. If another party is at fault, and that party has insurance, your insurer will usually pay for the damage to your vehicle less your deductible (although your insurer will likely waive the deductible if liability for the accident is not in dispute) and recover that amount from the at fault driver’s insurer. Continue reading

What to Do if You are Involved in a Motor Vehicle Collision

A minor motor vehicle collision can be a traumatic event. The following are some helpful tips about what to do if you are involved in a collision:

Information You Will Need

At the collision scene obtain all information related to the collision from the other party or parties involved in the collision including:

  • Name, address and phone number of all drivers (ask to see their driver’s licences);
  • Name, address and phone number of the owners of the vehicle(s) if different from the drivers;
  • The licence plate number and vehicle identification number of each of the vehicles, along with their make, model and colour;
  • The name of the insurance companies and policy numbers for each of the other vehicles involved.
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