Wilder Side of Law
My parents had some close friends visiting from out of town recently. It had been many years since I had seen them, so I went to visit with them for a bit. Naturally, one of the first things I heard was a comment on how I had aged since the last time they saw me. Mindful of my manners, I did not make a similar comment to them, but I did notice how my ‘aunt’ was limping quite noticeably. Did she have a hip replacement?
As we sat around the kitchen island talking, my ‘uncle’ mentioned how my ‘aunt’ had to go for another surgery. It would be her 4th since their accident. Unaware, I asked what had happened, and they told me they were in a car accident last year. Their car hit some black ice and went off the road into a deep ditch.
Although they were grateful to have survived, they suffered significant injuries and faced challenges in their recovery. They also had to retire from their jobs and could no longer work. They explained that OHIP only covers so much, and they couldn’t afford the therapy and treatment they needed. They joked, “If only there was someone for you to sue, right Steve?”
Forget suing. Their own insurance company should be covering their medical expenses and time missed from work.
Many people do not realize that medical benefits and expenses, as well as lost income, are initially covered by their own insurance company. It doesn’t matter who is at-fault. It doesn’t matter if it was a single-vehicle accident. It doesn’t even matter if you weren’t wearing your seatbelt or distracted by rambunctious kids in the back seat. Your own insurance company will cover you.
People also worry that making a claim will increase their insurance premiums. This is wrong. Insurance premiums are affected by ‘at-fault accidents’, whether you are injured or not. This means that if you make a claim for the damage to your vehicle, your premiums will not be impacted simply because you also make a claim for medical treatment or benefits, or time missed from work. Even if you are 100 per cent at-fault.
We pay enough for insurance in Ontario. If you are injured, you are entitled to have the insurance company pay you back for once.
