Courtice Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

Recovering from a serious car accident can be challenging for anyone, but readjusting to life after sustaining a catastrophic impairment can be one of life’s greatest difficulties. In addition to suffering physically and psychologically, catastrophically impaired car accident survivors often incur substantial financial losses. These are typically related to medical expenses, physical rehabilitation, necessary home modifications and lifestyle adjustments, lost wages and future earnings, and attendant care.

In Ontario, survivors of motor vehicle accidents are entitled to receive no-fault accident benefits from their auto insurance provider. These benefits are meant to help cover the costs associated with injuries sustained by drivers, passengers, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and others involved in motor vehicle collisions.

The amount of benefits you can receive depends on the severity of your injuries, as mandated by the province’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS). All basic auto insurance plans in Ontario must include the following accident benefits amounts:

• $3,500 in medical and rehabilitation benefits for accident victims who sustained minor injuries
• $65,000 over 5 years for the combined total costs of medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits for accident victims who sustained non-minor, non-catastrophic injuries
• $1 million for life in combined medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits for accident victims who sustained catastrophic injuries

Accident survivors whose collisions resulted in catastrophic impairments are eligible for higher amounts of accident benefits than people with less severe injuries. This is intended to account for the higher, ongoing costs resulting from severe, permanent injuries. But how does an insurance provider determine whether a policyholder’s condition should be considered “catastrophic?”

The term “catastrophic impairment” has an official definition in the SABS in order to be clear and specific about which accident survivors should be entitled to higher benefits. Insurance companies should consider a policyholder to be catastrophically impaired if their motor vehicle collision resulted in one or more of the following outcomes: 

• Paraplegia or Tetraplegia
• Severe impairment of ambulatory mobility or use of an arm; or Amputation
• Loss of Vision of Both Eyes
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) meeting the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) criteria
• Physical Impairment or Combination of Physical Impairments (which results in 55% or more of whole person) 
• Mental or Behavioural Impairment (excluding Traumatic Brain Injury) Combined with a Physical Impairment (which results in 55% or more impairment of the whole person)
• Marked impairment in three or more areas of function that precludes useful functioning; or an Extreme impairment in one or more areas of functioning due to mental or behavioural disorder

In many circumstances, though, insurance providers look for reasons to withhold coverage from catastrophically impaired accident benefits claimants. They may dispute the severity of their injuries, the validity of their claims, and the veracity of their healthcare providers’ supporting medical evidence. Doing so can result in undue stress, frustration, and further financial loss, as insurance companies force claimants to choose between accepting an unfairly low settlement or participating in a potentially long and complicated dispute resolution process.

Our Courtice catastrophic injury lawyers are fully aware of the unfairly manipulative tactics often employed by insurance providers to convince policyholders in need to accept low settlement amounts. For more than sixty years, Preszler Injury Lawyers have fought on behalf of accident survivors in the region to help them get the compensation they are rightfully owed. To discuss your case and receive personalized legal feedback about your options, contact us and book a free initial consultation with our catastrophic injury lawyers serving Courtice.

Call Us Today for Your Free Initial Consultation

Take advantage of a free initial consultation with our Courtice catastrophic injury lawyers by calling us today. There is no cost to take advantage of this no-obligation first meeting, during which you will have the opportunity to ask important questions and receive case-specific advice.

To learn more about how our catastrophic injury lawyers serving Courtice may be able to provide you with support throughout this challenging time, call us today.