Recently, Brampton residents were shocked by the death of a young high school student, killed in a car crash at an intersection very early in the morning. She was a passenger in a van which collided with another vehicle and several others were also injured in the accident. The accident has brought the rights of victims of fatal car crashes to the forefront, since many victims and their families are so severely traumatized by the event that they fail to realize that their rights must be protected and safeguarded.

Some Common Causes of Auto Accidents

However careful one is as a driver, passenger or pedestrian, negligence of others could cause a fatal accident. Transportation experts have determined some of the most common reasons why crashes happen. These include:

• Reckless or Negligent Driving
• Failure to maintain Lane Discipline
• Erratic Lane Changing
• Over-correcting
• Improper Turning
• Failure to Yield Right of Way
• Inability to adjust to road conditions/obstructions/surface
• Driving on the Wrong Side
• Not Obeying Road Signs/Traffic Signals
• Police Pursuit
• Speeding
• Drunk Driving
• Weather Conditions
• Over-loaded vehicle
• Vehicle Malfunction

Victim Rights and Claims 

Serious car accidents are more common than we like to think. Ontario statistics for the years 2005-2014 reveal that nearly 4000 deaths were caused by fatal car accidents. More than a quarter of these victims were passengers, while nearly 10% were innocent pedestrians. The rest of the victims were drivers of the vehicles. In most cases, car accidents cause serious injury, temporary or permanent disability. They leave the victim temporarily or permanently out of a job, dealing with the pain and loss of loved ones and having to undergo extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation etc. Huge financial burdens may be placed on the individual and the family.

If you or a loved one has been a victim in a catastrophic accident, it’s important that you contact a reputed law firm that specializes in personal injury litigation.

Our personal injury lawyers can examine all aspects of your case thoroughly and give you a genuine assessment of what your claims are. We also ensure that your rights are protected. Fatal accidents can be devastating, frightening and have a long-term effect on the victim’s family.

In fatal vehicle accidents, the persons entitled to claim compensation had these relationships with the victim:

• Spouse (including common-law spouse)
• Children
• Grand-children
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Siblings

These persons need not have been financially dependent on the victim. The estate of the victim may not be entitled to file a claim, unlike in the United States. In Canada, the estate could claim compensation for the pain and trauma suffered by the victim immediately following the accident, before moment of death.

The kind of compensation that can be claimed following death of a person in fatal accidents include:

• Loss of care, guidance and companionship that the victim could have provided to the family
• Loss of financial contribution
• Loss of additional services that the person would have performed – handy-man jobs, chores, family work etc
• Loss of income for family members
• Death, funeral and burial expenses
• Out of pocket expenses that paid for additional services to the victim, such as nursing, housekeeping, paper-work etc
• Visitor expenses
• Counseling

Additionally, our wrongful death lawyers can assist you to claim the maximum compensation due to the surviving family members of the deceased under the Family Law Act.

Legal Aspects

It is important to realize that accidents also involve insurance companies, which may typically try to reduce payouts and this is where our personal injury lawyers can be of assistance. Additionally, in case of death, a criminal tort procedure also gets under way. Though the time following a fatal accident is always traumatic and chaotic for the families of victims, it’s essential that they get legal representation as soon as possible so that their rights are safeguarded. 

How We Can Assist You

Though the loss of a loved one cannot be measured in monetary terms, family members have rights that should be protected. Our law firm can assist family members to get full compensation for their tragic loss. Our no win no fee lawyers can give you a frank appraisal of your claims and the merits of your case. The emotional cost of such a tragedy should also be correctly documented, quantified and made part of any claim for compensation. Our catastrophic injury lawyers can conduct their own independent investigation into the circumstances of the accident, collect documentary and photographic evidence, eye-witnesses and expert testimony to back your claim.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333.