Serious injuries sustained in auto accidents may require hospitalization, surgery and extended rehabilitation. They result in restricted mobility, loss of income/wages/earning-capacity, the need for an attendant or caregivers, etc. Coupled with this, medical expenses may spiral out of control, while creating immense emotional stress for all concerned.

Often, we take refuge in consoling ourselves that the only silver lining in this cloud is the fact that we have insurance coverage. We believe that our medical expenses will be reimbursed, while we get the appropriate compensation for income-loss.

To this end, we pay our premiums diligently, even though the average auto insurance premiums in Ontario are the highest in Canada. The province’s insurance rates are almost 55% higher than those in other jurisdictions.

Yet, when it comes to the crunch, we could find that our insurance company fails to rise to the occasion.

Accidents are caused by someone’s fault or negligence. Injured victims are entitled to seek compensation from those responsible for the accident. Injured Motor-Vehicle accident (MVA) victims in Ontario are also entitled to receive statutory benefits regardless of fault.

These settlements are payable by either the at-fault party’s insurer, or by your own.

Settling With Insurance Companies 

Being for-profit organizations, insurance companies are primarily focused on protecting their own business interests. They may adopt a variety of tactics to avoid making a settlement payout. Technical grounds, delaying tactics, disputing facts presented by you, compelling you to admit that the accident could have been partly caused by you, etc are ways in which claims are denied/disputed and settlements minimized/refused.

• Following an accident, insurance companies may record your  conversation when they ask a series of questions. You are not compelled to answer them without the advice of an experienced Mississauga personal injury lawyer‘s advice.

• We assume that we are being honest and co-operative, but inadvertent statements, admissions, ambiguity, slight misrepresentation of facts etc may hurt your claim.

• Although personal injury suits are governed by filing deadlines and statute of limitations, there is no hurry to settle with insurers until the full nature and extent of your injuries is known and the financial implications are understood.

• You may not be aware that the insurance-company’s negotiators and claims-adjusters are lawyers themselves. Handling negotiations by yourself can be challenging.

• Insurance-companies often hold back information from victims – for instance, that you’re entitled to a rental car while yours is being repaired, that if you agree to a meager settlement in return for getting your car fixed, you could end up losing a packet on your medical bills, etc.

• All your medical bills may not be reimbursed. Insurers use “reasonable and customary” standards to compare your bills to those charged by similar doctors. Hence, your bills may be refused, citing these standards or that the treatments were unnecessary.

• There may be time-limits for treatments that you’re unaware of, and insurers may get you to sign documents that release access to your prior medical and employment records.

Insurers may discourage you from consulting a lawyer, but ultimately, experienced and knowledgeable Mississauga personal injury lawyers who deal with such cases regularly, work on your side to protect your rights and interests.