Car Accident

Published on: February 21, 2009

Explaining No Fault Benefits for Car Accidents in Ontario

If you’ve been hurt or injured in a car accident in Ontario; there’s a complicated set of rules that you need to follow if you’re planning on making a claim for your injuries, lost wages, damages for pain & suffering or just getting the insurance company to fix your car. Keep in mind that insurance companies won’t pay for any of these things if you don’t report the accident. So if you plan on collecting from the insurance company, you will need to report the accident to them. If you don’t; you’re risking losing out on valuable benefits described in greater detail below; not to mention any monetary damages which you might be entitled to.

Ontario has what’s called a “no-fault” set of rules for car accidents. What this means is regardless whose fault the accident is, you’re entitled to a wide variety of benefits to assist you when you need it most. These benefits are generally paid for by your own car insurance company. If you didn’t have car insurance at the time of the accident, the Insurance Act provides a series of priority rules to set out who is responsible for paying for your benefits.

The benefits which are paid out under Ontario’s “no-fault” system are called “accident benefits”. Accident benefits are a wide variety of benefits which cover a wide variety of categories. These categories include such things as:

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Published on: January 3, 2009

Things to be careful of when pursuing your accident case

By Goldfinger Injury Lawyers

After you’ve been hurt of injured in an accident, there are a few important things to be certain of:

Consult a lawyer who concentrates in accident claims immediately. There is a limitation period in Ontario to sue. This limitation varies, depending on the facts of your case and the sort of accident. But, generally, you have 2 years to sue from the date of the accident. There are all sorts of other limitation periods which you need to be aware of, which is important to consult a lawyer immediately to ensure that your right to sue is protected.

See your family doctor immediately after the accident. Hospitals generally rush their patients out to make room for more patients because they’re so busy. Sometimes people are discharged from hospitals with poor follow up instructions or improper treatment or medications. See your family doctor. They know you best. If you don’t have a family doctor, ask around.

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Published on: January 3, 2009

How does my car insurance work after I’ve been involved in a car accident?

By Goldfinger Injury Lawyers

Ontario Law requires that all car drivers carry valid automobile insurance. After you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident, you are required to report the accident to your insurance company, or to the insurance company of the driver who hit you, in the event that you were not driving at the time of the accident. In the event that you do not report the accident, you will not be entitled to what are called “accident benefits” and it may effect how much money you can recover if you chose to sue the driver who hit you.

After you’ve reported the accident to the insurance company, they will send you a package of forms. These forms are called “Accident Benefit” forms. These forms can be difficult to understand and to complete, particularly when English is not your first language. If the insurance company does not send you the forms, you can get them online at www.fsco.gov.on.ca.

The form which starts the whole process is called an “OCF-1 Application for Accident Benefits”. This is exactly what it says it is. It’s an application form for accident benefits. You are required to fill out basic information about your name, age, address, how the accident happened, your injuries, details about your employment, and/or childcare requirements. By filling out this form, you are telling your insurance company that you are claiming accident benefits from them.

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