Motor Vehicle Accidents Lawyer

What should I do after a car accident?

Following a serious accident, the greatest concern for an accident victim and their family is to recover from injuries and try to get life back on track. Auto, motorcycle, and recreational vehicle crash victims, or slip and fall victims, with extensive injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury or broken bones, may find the unexpected costs of recovery result in a financial burden. In order to ease that burden, the victim or their family may wish to take legal action to recover the money required to pay for care, assistive devices and therapy, and other damages an injured person may be legally entitled to recover.

Talking with an FDT Law Personal Injury Lawyer is the best way to get answers to your questions and to better understand what benefits and awards you or your family may be entitled to.

What are limitation periods in Ontario?

A limitation period is the period of time that a person has between an event, such as the accident or the denial of a benefit, and when he or she must take a step to protect a right. These limitation periods are extremely important. If your claim is not submitted in time, before the limitation period expires, your right to sue could be lost.

The following list provides some important timelines to be aware of:

If you are making a claim against your own insurance company: You should put them on notice within seven days.

Completion of the Ontario accident benefits application: This should be done within 30 days.

To sue your own insurance company for accident benefits: This must be done within two years of a denial of benefit.

To sue the at-fault driver: Two years from the date of the accident.

With respect to Municipalities, there are some very short limitation periods that apply: Specifically, a slip and fall on a sidewalk owned by a Municipality obligates one to put the Municipality on notice of the accident within 10 days.

When should I contact a personal injury or civil litigation lawyer?

The circumstances around every accident are unique. Waiting too long to take action can mean you may miss out on the financial compensation you may be entitled to. A personal injury lawyer or a civil litigation lawyer can listen to the details of your situation and help you to understand what options are available to get your life back on track.

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, such as a car crash or motorcycle accident, or have suffered any kind of personal injury, Ontario’s Personal Injury Lawyers provide free no-obligation consultation and answers to your questions on the limitation periods in Ontario.

Everyone who owns and drives a vehicle in Ontario knows you need car insurance to protect you from liability and help cover any costs incurred if you are involved in a car accident.

What some may not realize, is that that there are some important aspects to making an insurance claim that may require the help of your FDT Law Personal Injury Lawyer to complete.

Why is it important to retain a Personal Injury Lawyer to help you with a car accident claim?

If you are involved in a car accident and sustain injuries because of the accident, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer.
In fact, anyone who has been involved in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, boating accident, recreational vehicle accident such as ATVs, pedestrian or bike accident, and accidents involving public transit or transportation vehicles, should contact a personal injury lawyer. The sooner the better.

What are the limitation periods in Ontario?

A limitation period is the period of time that a person has between an event, such as the accident or the denial of a benefit, and when he or she must take a step to protect a right. These limitation periods are extremely important. If your claim is not submitted in time, before the limitation period expires, your right to sue could be lost.

How to talk to your Ontario Insurance Adjuster?

After a car or motorcycle crash occurs, one of the first calls we make is to our insurance company. While it is certainly necessary and required that you inform your insurance company of the auto accident, you may want to contact an FDT Law’s Personal Injury Lawyers if you have suffered any injuries.

A personal injury lawyer can help you when you are dealing with insurance adjusters, either from your own company or from the company of someone else who was responsible for harming you through an accident.

After a car or motorcycle crash occurs, one of the first calls we make is to our insurance company. While it is certainly necessary and required that you inform your insurance company of the auto accident, you may want to contact an FDT Law’s Personal Injury Lawyers if you have suffered any injuries.

FDT Law’s personal injury lawyer can help you when you are dealing with insurance adjusters, either from your own company or from the company of someone else who was responsible for harming you through an accident.

Here are five tips to help you when talking with an insurance adjuster:

1. 1. Never act or speak out of frustration with your adjuster, conduct yourself in a polite, patient, and respectful manner at all times.
   2. If you are wondering if you should share certain information, let your lawyer decide.
   3. Never assume your adjuster is “out to get you”. Their job is to determine the potential exposure of risk and the value of your claim. It isn’t personal.
   4. Keep copies of all correspondence and documents or forms, and share them with your lawyer.
   5. Confirm any conversations you have with your adjuster in writing. Consider writing a follow-up email to capture the details of what was said.

When should I contact a personal injury lawyer for help?

It is important for you to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer regarding any and all aspects of your claim including your dealings with your own insurance company. Keep your lawyer up to date on any changes or new information, including your health history.

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, such as a car crash or motorcycle accident, or have suffered any kind of personal injury, FDT Law’s Personal Injury Lawyers provide free no-obligation consultation and answers to your questions on how to talk to your insurance adjuster.

Many clients have already given a written or verbal statement to either their own auto insurance company or a defendant auto insurance company by the time they contact a lawyer about pursuing a car accident claim in Ontario. In many cases, the contents of that statement can affect your future lawsuit.

If requested, you will be required to give a statement to the insurance company that you are claiming accident benefits from. It is usually a good idea to have an Ontario injury lawyer present for this because a lawyer can make sure that you only answer questions that are relevant to your claims for accident benefits and that you are not answering questions that could be detrimental to a lawsuit you intend to bring.

Making a statement about your car accident claim

Most adjusters taking a statement in a motor vehicle accident case will ask “Tell me how the accident happened” and, in most cases, a lawyer is going to refuse to let you provide the specific details of the car crash. It does not matter who is at fault when you are claiming accident benefits and so your speed, the speed of the other motorist, and your specific actions in the car crash, should not be discussed.

A statement given to the accident benefits insurer is a document that is typically produced to the defendant insurer in a lawsuit.

How your FDT Law Personal Injury Lawyer can help

If you are required to pursue the defendant’s insurance company for both accident benefits and potentially compensation for personal injuries, which is rare but sometimes happens, it is necessary to have a personal injury lawyer involved in any statements taken. That lawyer will ensure that you are only giving a statement in relation to your accident benefits claims and will be mindful that the adjuster will be even more insistent on getting details of the car crash itself.

Under no circumstances should a victim of a car accident give a statement to a potential defendant or their insurance company, except on their lawyer’s advice and in their presence. In addition, it is important to remember not to share any details of your car accident or case in conversations with friends or on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

For further information on how to pursue a claim for a car accident or motor vehicle accident or any other type, contact our personal injury lawyers to receive expert advice through a free, no-obligation consultation. Call FDT Law today at 1-800-563-6348.

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