It’s Important To Hire The Right Kind Of Personal Injury Lawyer

When you need help with pursuing a compensation claim or filing a personal injury suit against at-fault parties responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, contact the right professional.

To put it simply, when you have a problem with your teeth, you would consult a dentist and not a dermatologist or psychologist. There are many law-firms and lawyers who consult across different specialities, but the smartest thing to do is to find a personal injury lawyer who has experience, success and expertise in handling cases like yours. For instance, if you’ve suffered a slip and fall injury on municipal property, or your injuries were caused in a truck accident, look for a professionally qualified personal injury lawyer who has a proven successful track record in these type of cases. For the law-firm too, it’s not worth the trouble and effort to take on a case in which they don’t have the experience or expertise. That is why many of them are selective about the cases they choose to work on. When you walk in for a free, initial, no-obligations consultation, we can provide you with a genuine assessment of the case and whether we can handle it for you or not.

These cases involve many complex medical, legal and insurance issues. The laws, rules and regulations constantly change and there may be changes in the paperwork, filing dates, etc that have to be adhered to. Only someone who deals regularly with your type of claim can provide the right kind of assistance, advice and advocacy.

Pedestrian Accidents Can Cause Serious Injuries

Personal injury lawyers in Brampton, Singh Barristers are open 24×7 to take your calls for accident emergencies. We know that pedestrian-motorist collisions can happen at any time to anyone and anywhere. While it takes only a split second to occur, these events often change the injured person’s life in significant ways. They also affect the entire family due to the enormous physical, financial and emotional consequences.

Pedestrians can suffer a range of injuries, many of them serious and life-threatening. Since they have no barrier against the forces of impact, their entire bodies are vulnerable. The most common injuries suffered are head, neck and back injuries, fractures and broken bones, facial and dental damage, disfigurement, amputation, disability or even death. Blood loss, internal organ damage, wounds, cuts and lacerations are other types of injuries. It may take months or even years to fully recover. Under Ontario laws, those injured in a motor-vehicle collision are entitled to statutory benefits available under their own insurance policies. They’re also entitled to file a personal injury suit against those whose fault or negligence caused the accident.

Unfortunately, insurance companies who have to make the settlement payments don’t always act in good faith. They may deny, dismiss, delay or dispute your claim. They may use a variety of tactics to avoid making full payment or any payment at all.  Speak to a Brampton personal injury lawyer at Singh Barristers immediately so that your rights and entitlements are safeguarded while we help you to get the compensation you deserve.

Severely Injured Persons Are Unable To Make Decisions: Your Accident Claim

When catastrophic accidents happen and people are critically injured, they may be unable to make decisions regarding their legal rights and entitlements. However, they need funding to finance their medical and rehabilitation expenses, replace lost income and wages and compensate their families who are dependent on them. Initially, a family-member can represent the injured person, but afterwards, in such cases, a litigation guardian can be appointed to represent the victim and ensure that their rights are protected. When there is such a party who cannot represent himself or herself in the decision making process, the litigation guardian can do so. Litigation guardians don’t have to be lawyers. They are either family-members, friends or a trusted person, including lawyers, who can represent the person who cannot advocate their own cause.

If a litigation guardian is not appointed, it can result in the rights and interests of the injured person, child or person with mental disabilities being jeopardized. Without the presence of such a person, there could be unnecessary delays in pursuing a compensation claim. The Rules of Civil Procedure in Ontario deem that disabled persons cannot act for themselves – This refers to seriously injured people, children under 18 or persons with mental disabilities. Such persons may not be capable of making decisions regarding property, or property management, personal care, etc. Our experienced Brampton personal injury lawyers can ensure that litigation guardians are appointed, capacity assessments are undertaken and a robust claim is presented to get you the compensation you rightfully deserve.

Staying Safe On City Streets

Toronto personal injury lawyers Singh Barristers care about your safety as a pedestrian. We know how vulnerable you are on the road and no matter how careful you are, you could be the victim of a distracted, speeding or aggressive driver. Following rules laid down for pedestrians in Toronto can help you to stay safe. Toronto police traffic services offer important tips:

  • Use the crosswalks These are designated and signalized spots for safe crossing
  • Dress the part: Wear something bright during the day and reflective at night. This enables you to remain visible
  • Avoid plugging in your iPod or talking/texting while walking. You need to stay 100% alert
  • Ear muffs and hoodies can deter your vision and hearing
  • While crossing at intersections and crosswalks stay alert for the rogue driver
  • When weather conditions are bad, drivers may not be able to brake in time so don’t take chances

Apart from these tips, there are other factors to keep in mind to ensure that you and your family remain safe.

  • Kids are difficult to spot and their judgment is not as accurate as an adult’s, so keep them safe while crossing
  • Make family rules that have to be followed by the whole family whenever they’re out walking. Follow all rules carefully yourself so that your children have the right role model
  • If there are no sidewalks, walk facing oncoming traffic

Speak to Toronto personal injury lawyers Singh Barristers without delay if you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident. We can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Safe Texting Zones: A Boon To Drivers and Pedestrians

Distracted driving is fast becoming a top reason for motor-vehicle accidents in Ontario. Drivers and pedestrians who take their eyes off the road even for a few seconds to check their phones can cause serious accidents. Distractions also include reading and replying to text and social media messages, checking email or GPS, glancing away from the road when a co-passenger shows you a text message, photo etc on their phones, etc.

According to the Ministry of Transportation, using smartphones, gaming devices, computers, tablets, MPS3 players, etc are the electronic devices that are on the prohibited list while driving. Currently, there is a $1000 fine and up to 3 demerit points for using the phone while driving. Penalties are based on the driver’s previous record.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to deter drivers as the rate of distracted driving incidents appears to be on the increase. Rather than imposing more and harsher penalties, the Ministry proposes to designate areas like parking lots, rest stops and transit areas as Safe Texting Zones and put up signs indicating where the nearest text zone lies along highways and arterial roads. This would hopefully encourage people to defer checking their phones/devices immediately and wait till they reach the safe zone.  New York has tried this experiment with good results. If you or a dear one has been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, contact an experienced car accident lawyer or personal injury lawyer with expertise in handling similar claims. You may be entitled to compensation.

I’m Worried About Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer: Car Accident Claim

Unfortunately, the general impression about personal injury lawyers or any kind of lawyers is not a very positive one. Most people’s assumptions and opinions about this professional are received from media reports, television shows, movies, sensational trials etc. Members of the profession may be seen as greedy, avaricious or untrustworthy. Such unflattering portrayals are rarely genuine or fair. The reality is that a vast majority of personal injury lawyers are competent, hard-working, ethical, compassionate and socially conscious professionals.

When you’re involved in a serious accident and have suffered life-changing injuries, you are entitled to seek compensation from those responsible for the accident. However, the insurance-companies who have to make the settlements don’t always act in good faith. They may use different technicalities and tactics to deny/dispute/dismiss/delay your claims. We can help you present a robust claim that ensures you receive all your just entitlements to cover present and future needs.

While selecting the right personal injury lawyers, personal recommendations from trusted sources are your best bet. Your family doctor or lawyer, family-members who have used these services before, trusted co-workers, your HR department at work or your company lawyer are good sources of information. Ensure  that you check their credentials, get references from former clients, check on-line reviews, reputation and track record, check their experience in dealing with cases similar to yours, ethical and philosophical values, professional qualifications, publications and lectures given, social media profile, website etc. Avoid picking a name out of the Yellow Pages or responding to TV ads.

Death of A Family-Member in a Car Accident: What Are My Rights?

When serious accidents happen and people are killed, the effects can be devastating on the entire family. Under Ontario’s Family Law Act, family members are entitled to seek compensation under certain categories. Those eligible include spouse, common-law spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren. The claimant did not have to be financially dependent on the deceased to claim compensation. However, in Canadian law, the estate of the deceased person does not have a right to make a claim as is possible under American laws.

Family-Members can claim loss of care, guidance and companionship that they would have got from the deceased, loss of financial contribution to the family, cessation of household activities, chores and help, funeral and burial expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, value of expenses for nursing, housekeeping, and other eligible categories.

The claim is subject to statute of limitations guidelines and must be filed within 2 years of the demise. However, under the Family Law Act, there is no compensation available for grief, mental anguish, pain and suffering that follows the death of a beloved family member. Instead, you can apply for non-pecuniary losses mentioned earlier. There are certain guidelines followed by courts while granting such settlements. These include age, mental and physical condition of claimant, whether they lived in the same address, and if not, what was the frequency of visits, degree and intimacy of relationship, joint life expectancy of claimant and deceased and how long the relationship may have continued. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you rightfully deserve.

You May Need Professional Case Management Help: Your Catastrophic Injury Claim

If you or a dear one has suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident, it can result in long-term or permanent disabilities. This means you will need to address the physical, financial and emotional consequences that impact not only injured victims but also their families.

The patient has to get the right medical treatment, make the best possible recovery and also ensure that they are able to earn some kind of living to support themselves to a bigger or smaller extent. This entails filing for compensation from those responsible for your accident, ensuring that you get all the benefits and entitlements that you are eligible for and also get your life back on track as far as possible. To help with this, you need the advice, assistance and advocacy of an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Another professional who may be appointed by insurance-companies is a professional case manager. They should be involved from within the first 24 hours of the accidents for best results. This helps to maintain communication-lines between patient, family, care-giver, health-care professionals, insurers, etc. It also ensures that the most cost-effective care appropriate to the injuries is provided. The case manager helps with planning for hospital discharge, communicating with hospital staff and nursing teams, coordination with multi-disciplinary care, community and home-based reintegration, return to work or school, evaluations, tests and follow-up. In case of permanent disability, this involves home-health, lifetime-planning etc. The case manager is paid by the insurance-companies but the victim has a choice on the appointment of this person.

You May Need An MRI Scan After Your Accident

If you or a loved one has suffered life-threatening injuries following a catastrophic accident, it’s important to get the best possible medical diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation to help you recover. No matter how minor you assume your injuries to be, visit a qualified doctor immediately and take all the tests recommended. Some injuries may appear minor initially, but turn out to be very serious later.

Accidents are rarely accidental. They’re usually caused by someone’s fault or negligence. Victims are entitled to seek compensation for their injuries and losses from those responsible for the accident. They can file a personal injury suit against the at-fault party with help from an experienced accident injury lawyer.

Your doctor may recommend taking an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan to identify/rule-out brain/spine damage, internal organ damage, brain/heart abnormalities, back, neck and face injuries etc. However, MRI scans are expensive and in general insurance-companies don’t entertain recovery claims for these. They are for-profit organizations and are focused on protecting their own business interests. They may deny or dispute your claim saying such a test was unnecessary or suggest that this is a fraudulent claim. In reality, such tests help to identify, locate and manage the problem and assist the doctor in providing the correct treatment.

However, an experienced personal injury lawyer who has in-depth knowledge of the complex medical, legal and insurance issues involved can help you to get compensation for all the required tests, treatments and rehabilitation procedures that your doctor recommends. We ensure that your rights are fully protected.