How COVID-19 is Impacting Personal Injury Claims in Ontario
For those who have suffered injuries in Ontario, the COVID-19 virus just added one more layer of difficulty in getting needed medical care and injury compensation. Over the past year, COVID has placed additional stress on those who have been injured in accidents, especially those whose injuries have prevented them from earning a living.
Injury Victims Left to the Devices of the Insurance Industry
Ontario’s no-fault benefits entitle accident victims to receive accident benefits from their own insurance. Unfortunately, we know that the insurers take a very superficial approach to investigating a victim’s claim and have a history of consistently minimizing or even denying those claims to curtail their financial exposure.
Prior to COVID, an injury victim would have the ability to seek remedies to insufficient accident settlements by getting additional assessments and opinions through their providers to prove their claim. Unfortunately, these were hampered by medical providers not being able to address victims’ needs in person. In addition, most in-person treatments or in-home care were unavailable to those seeking assistance, leaving injured victims without the needed assessment to overturn insufficient settlements or insurance denials.
The Added Impact to Legal Recourse
The demands of COVID have also led to a substantial delay in our legal system, leaving many victims without the ability to get fair compensation for their injuries through litigation. As of January 12, 2021, the courts are still in a state of suspension regarding in-person attendance at courthouses. Not having legal recourse has led to a quiet desperation for many who have been left to accept unfavourable settlements due to dire financial circumstances or worsening health.
This has also been compounded by law firms that have had to abide by quarantine remedies, deal with staffing issues, and all the other demands of work-from-home requirements. We are now experiencing a backup of cases, possibly taking an additional year or more to resolve.
We Are Here to Help
If you have been injured in Ontario and find that you are caught in our seemingly no-win COVID situation, we may be able to help. Call the personal injury lawyers at Hilborn & Konduros Law Firm for a free consultation at (519) 658-6341 to disc
