Warns Pedestrians to be Careful of Motor Vehicles Following a Rash of Recent Fatalities

Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law (http://www.HansonDuby.com), a personal injury law firm serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), is warning pedestrians to be careful of motor vehicles after a number of recent accidents, including a woman who was fatally struck while walking her dog and a pedestrian who was killed helping another person cross the street.

On Monday, June 10, a 28-year-old woman and her dog were killed after being struck from behind by a car while walking on a sidewalk in Vaughan. The vehicle's driver and occupant were taken to hospital with minor injuries. In a separate incident, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a truck while crossing Steeles Avenue at Weston Road. The driver of the truck was unhurt, but taken to hospital and treated for shock. (Sources: “Woman, 28, and her dog fatally struck by car in Vaughan, north of Toronto,” CTV News, June 11, 2013, http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/woman-28-and-her-dog-fatally-struck-by-car-in-vaughan-north-of-toronto-1.1320549; “Female pedestrian fatally struck at Steeles and Weston,” CityNews Toronto, May 15, 2013, http://www.citynews.ca/2012/05/15/female-pedestrian-fatally-struck-at-steeles-and-weston/.)

According to Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law, accidents involving pedestrians can happen because of many reasons: sometimes drivers are distracted, negligent, or even reckless. In some cases, motorists negligently or recklessly drive onto sidewalks and strike pedestrians. 

“There has been a disturbing spike in pedestrian deaths in the GTA since early May,” says Spyros Bekiaris, a lawyer at Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law. “Pedestrian accidents can be extremely devastating and lead to serious physical and emotional trauma. Pedestrians injured by motor vehicles can face lost wages, costly medical bills, pain, and emotional distress. Injuries can also lead to death.”

Bekiaris joined Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law as an associate in September 2010. He graduated from York University with an Honours BA in political science in 2006 and from the Queen’s University, Faculty of Law with a JD in 2009. He formerly worked at a boutique insurance defence firm in Toronto, representing insurance companies.

Bekiaris has appeared before the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the Small Claims Court, the Superior Court of Justice, and the Divisional Court. Bekiaris represents clients in a variety of disputes including motor vehicle accidents, accident benefits, slips and falls, property damage claims and victims of assault, representing the victims. Bekiaris is a member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and the Hellenic Canadian Lawyers’ Association.

“Every pedestrian has rights, which include getting compensation for injuries sustained by motor vehicles," Bekiaris adds. "Pedestrians injured in motor vehicle accidents and family members of those killed need to consult with a personal injury lawyer in Toronto immediately after the accident occurs. In most cases, fault can be established against the driver of a vehicle if a pedestrian is hit while crossing the street in accordance with traffic laws. Even a pedestrian is partly at fault, they may still be entitled to compensation.” 

The personal injury lawyers at Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law remind pedestrians that if they have been injured in an accident, they are entitled to compensation. Unlike other provinces, in Ontario, you can both file an accident benefits claim and sue the driver at fault for damages. That is why pedestrian accident victims should seek the legal advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer in the GTA to discuss their legal options.

Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law is a personal injury law firm located in the Annex district of Toronto. The firm specializes in helping injured victims obtain compensation due to car accidents, long-term disability claims, life insurance claims, and product liability claims. The firm serves clients from across the Greater Toronto Area and provides service in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Greek, and French. The site will soon evolve again and be updated to include pages in Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Greek to better serve those communities.

More information on Hanson Duby Personal Injury Law is available by visiting the firm's web site at http://www.HansonDuby.com or by calling 416-588-9100.

How much is Your Personal Injury Case Worth?

If you are looking forward to file a claim for your personal injury, be it a slip and fall accident, motor vehicle accident, injury due to medical negligence or any other reason, it is inevitable to determine how much does the injury owes you so that you can fetch a fair claim from the responsible party and/or from the insurer.  

For this you need to know the things you can claim for and how much the compensation should be. Here are some tips to help you determine how much your personal injury case worth is:

According to the severity of the injuries sustained, personal injury damages can be classified into two main types namely compensatory and punitive damages. 

Compensatory injuries or damages are those for which you can ask for monetary compensation from the responsible party or from the insurance agency. For instance, if you are a victim of a car accident, then the compensatory damages might include cost of car repair, lost wages, cost of medical assistance and rehabilitation, and hospital bills and many alike. There are certain damages like these that can be quantified easily. However, it is very difficult to place a monetary value on other forms of damages like suffering, pain and inability to enjoy a normal life because of limitations caused by the accident.

If the personal injury is very serious then along with compensatory damages you can also seek punitive damages award. Though they are awarded to plaintiff or the injured, these damages are aimed at punishing the defendant for its careless actions. Since, no one can decide a fair value for such damages, each state has set a particular limit on such awards to provide the plaintiff with maximum possible support and relief.   

The first step after getting injured is to seek medical care. After doing this, you must inform the insurance company about the injury and file a claim for the same as soon as possible, since most of the insurance companies follow strict time limits regarding such procedures. You may also consult an attorney to identify any additional damages which you can file a suit for.

Tips for Settling a Motor Vehicle Accident Claim

Formulating personal injury claims is really essential to help you get maximized benefits considering the legal provisions. Tips on how to formulate and settle motor vehicle accident claim, can help you manage the procedural formalities well. Settlement negotiations too play a vital role to award you with good coverage. Handling car accidents and disability claims is somewhat tricky, where the client needs to justify the financial losses suffered on happening of the event. So, professional personal injury lawyer services can help you calculate the accurate compensation amount, for which you can claim compensation. However, exaggeration is not at all desirable. A practical guide to personal injury claims does its job to manage the best results for the plaintiff.

Professional investigation of the matters and situation is vital, once you collect all the relevant information and documents relating with the accident. Describe the circumstances under which the accident takes place and make the required estimations to calculate the exact financial losses. Hiring an attorney is advisable for the complicated litigation. This ensures compliance with the given formalities, when you complete legal proceedings within the given time limits. Select the lawyer having extensive experience in the area to help you recover the damages for the losses you suffered during the period of misery. Hiring professional promises better outcomes with rich practical exposure utilized to solve such cases systematically. It’s the responsibility of the plaintiff to maintain all the required documentation, reports, and data. Failure to which, the insurance company may deny the payment or protection that you seek. Seeking an early legal advice is really advantageous for the reason it gives enough time for you to collect all essential documents and formulate a well integrated personal injury claim. Similarly, the attorney gets time to investigate the issues minutely.

 

Definitely, the tips to settling your motor vehicle accident claim offer better outcomes and keep you aware of the various possibilities that create an obstacle in your way to personal injury settlement. It is an effective way to maximizing the value of your personal injury claim.

More information on Hanson Duby is available by visiting the firm's web site at http://www.hansonduby.com or by calling 416-588-9100.