Articles Posted in Legal News

How long do I have to sue for my personal injury case? How long can I wait? Can I afford to wait much longer? When should I retain a lawyer? When does time start to run after my accident? What happens if I’m under 18 and I’ve been involved in a car accident? What happens if I wait too long to sue?

These are all common questions which we receive at our law firm. It doesn’t matter if the caller is from Toronto, London, Peterborough or elsewhere in Ontario; all of these questions are valid and fair. Most people don’t understand much from the world of personal injury law and insurance law; let alone the complicated laws which have to deal with limtation periods.

In this Toronto Injury Lawyer Blog post, I will do my very best to de-mystify some of the most common misconceptions when it comes to limitation periods and deadlines for accident claims in Ontario. After reading this post, if you still have some more questions about limitation periods, then call our office toll free at 1-877-730-1777 or shoot us an email to info@goldfingerlaw.com and we will do our very best to help you.
Continue reading →

The calls keep rolling in to our law firm. I’m proud to say that I’m the lawyer who prospective clients will speak to. And, I can say based on all of my years of in-taking such calls that every body thinks they have an AMAZING case that’s worth like a million…no way…5 million…no way….100 million dollars.

Don’t get me wrong, multimillion dollar personal injury cases in Ontario do exist, but they are not the norm.

To put it into perspective, your standard Ontario car insurance policy has limits of $1,000,000. That means that if a drunk driver hits and injures you, there’s nothing stopping your lawyer from suing that drunk driver for $10,000,0000. But, if policy limits are just $1,000,000, your hopes of recovering that additional $9,000,000 are few and far between. Ever hear of trying to get blood from a stone? Same idea applies here.
Continue reading →

Every year around this time, Ontarians gather around the radio (old school) or TV and tune in the CTV, CBC, Global or CP24 to listen to the Premier or Minister of Finance go through the details of the provincial budget.

The government in power will make grandiose promises like cutting spending, while at the same time providing more in services. Other promises like slashing taxes, but at the same time collecting MORE tax dollars and making better use of those tax dollars. How about paying less in compensation but demanding more work of civil servants. Or attracting better talent but offering less in salary and benefits compared to other sectors. All of these promises is just a bunch of sucking and blowing. Ever trying sucking and blowing at the same time? Go ahead. Give it a try. Still haven’t found a person able to do it. If you’re that lucky person, please let me know.

At the end of the day, the Toronto Injury Law Blog always comes back to car accidents and personal injury claims. The budget usually has an impact on how personal injury cases run.
Continue reading →

On January 3, 2003 Leslie Brown was driving her car on RR#9 southwest of Napanee, Ontario. The road way icey. She lost control of her vehicle while travelleing down a hill, and then hit a loaded propane truck.

Ms. Brown sustained a traumatic brain injury. She has no recollection of the car accident on account of post traumatic amnesia. Her doctors have told her that she will never be able to return to her job again. She will require 24/7 attendant care for the rest of her life. Never mind caring for her children, she will need somebody to care for herself for the rest of her life.

Ms. Brown sued Lennox County and the Town of Napanee for failing to properly maintain their roads. She alleged that had the roadways been properly salted and sanded, that the car accident never would have happened. This is what we injury lawyers refer to as a Muncipial Liability case. These cases are always tricky as the standard to prove negligence against a Munipaility is much greater than then standard of proving negligence against a regular individual.
Continue reading →

One of the most common questions we get from clients here at our law firm is “what does it take to have a sucessful accident case“? Essentially, people want to know what they can do in order to maximize their recovery and reduce their waiting time. It doesn’t matter if the client is from Toronto, London, or Peterborough; the question is always the same.

For starters, there is no short or easy answer to this question, and similar fact questions. Every person is different, every injury is different, every accident is different, which makes every case different.

There is also no such thing as “winning” a case. If you’re really hurt, then no amount of money will ever compensate you for your lost health. WIll a million dollars help you walk again if you’ve been rendered a parapeligic following serious car wreck on Highway 401 outside of Woodstock? Think about it.

What we tell people is that they ought to focus on their wellness and rehabilitation. The rest will take care of itself. The more which people focus on their legal case, the more anxious, worried and frustrated they will get. There are countless legal hurdles which need to be overcome by a skillful lawyer which all take time. Add to that the limited resouces in Ontario’s Courts and at FSCO which contribute to a long delay, you might be waiting a long time until your case sees the inside of the Courtroom, let alone settle.
Continue reading →