A spinal cord injury involves damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal (cauda equina). This damage can cause permanent changes in sensation, strength, and bodily function. Given the potentially grave consequences that can arise from a spinal cord injury, emergency personnel attending to victims of a motor vehicle accident will pay particular attention to whether there has been any trauma to the head or neck.

When you work in the field of personal injury law, you see your fair share of motor vehicle accidents and the various ways in which they have occurred. As our firm is concerned with plaintiffs bringing claims against other drivers who were at fault, it is always interesting to see how these accidents could have been avoided had the drivers acted more responsibly.

Insurance is truly a unique product. What else do we willingly pay for in hopes that we will never have to use it? This is particularly the case with property insurance. We gladly pay the annual premiums knowing that in the case of a major loss we are protected. All too often, however, this is not the case. A person can pay premiums for years only to find out that once they have a fire or other large loss, the insurance company is no longer their friend.

Income replacement benefits are payable by the accident benefits carrier to an insured person who sustains an impairment as a result of an accident, subject to certain conditions.

If you’ve been hurt in an accident, you may feel thrown into a whole new world of insurance claims and lawsuits. You may be lost in a pile of paperwork, acronyms, policies, and procedures. The legal team at Singer Kwinter can help you navigate the process so you can focus on your recovery.

The purpose of occupiers’ liability claims is to hold someone responsible for any injuries or damages that occur to individuals or their property while on a premises (i.e. land and/or structure). Such claims are brought against persons who physically possess a premises or who have responsibility for and control over the condition of the premises, the activities carried thereon, or the people allowed to enter the premises. While property owners typically come to mind as the responsible party, occupiers’ liability claims can also be initiated against independent contractors, landlords, and even tenants.

If you (the plaintiff) have the misfortune of having a slip and fall accident happen to you, then there are several important factors to think about if you are considering taking legal action.

There is nothing more enjoyable than having a drink on a patio on a warm night. Throughout the summer months in the City of Toronto, it is hard to ignore seeing bars and restaurants full of patrons outside trying to savour every minute of the season. But to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable night, bar and restaurant owners as well as fellow patrons should act responsibly when it comes to the serving and drinking of alcohol.

Did you know that lower back pain is the second most common reason people visit their doctors? Statistics show that up to 85% of working people can expect to experience lower back pain in their lifetime.

If a person’s long-term disability claim has been denied or terminated, it is important for that person to know that they are not out of options. The insurance company’s decision to deny or terminate the claim may be incorrect, and it is counting on its decision being accepted without debate. To successfully dispute the decision, a claimant needs to ensure that the key evidence supports the claim.

Like any other insurance product, Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance is designed to provide “peace of mind” to an insured person, the understanding being that if a disability arises affecting an insured’s capacity to earn income, the LTD benefits will supplement lost income.

Just about everyone should be mindful of short-term disability benefits, especially if you are a working individual. How do you protect yourself in the event you get injured or sick and you are no longer able to work?

Amputation injuries can be physically and emotionally draining. Challenges can be varying; it could be physical, emotional, psychological, social etc. It can vary from individual to individual. Aside from the obvious physical injury, there can also be the emotional component to it that can debilitate the injured. While everyone reacts differently, there are common emotional stressors amputees endure; body/self-image issues, anger, adjustment issues, denial, shock, grief, anxiety, frustration, withdrawal - all of which tend to become life altering and extremely difficult to cope with, for the amputee and their family members.

Drunk drivers cause some of the most serious accidents. They have impaired vision, impaired reaction time and uncontrolled speed, causing head-on collisions, rear-end collisions and/or pedestrian accidents.

Restaurants and taverns are places where one can enjoy a night out socializing with people, while eating delicious food and drinking alcoholic beverages. However, they are also places where the mixture of alcohol and people can lead to incidents that cause serious injuries. Alcohol causes people to lose their inhibitions, and reduces their physical capabilities, which leads to falls and assaults, that may not have otherwise occurred.

Making the difficult decision to move into a long-term care home (sometimes called a nursing home) or to move your loved one into such a home, is usually made easier with the thought that the home will be a safe space that will take care of the individual’s special needs. In fact, this is the expectation of the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, S.O. 2007, c. 8 (“the Act”), which governs licensed long-term care facilities in Ontario.

Before commencing litigation in relation to a motor vehicle accident, the injured party (i.e. the plaintiff) is required to apply for statutory accident benefits and to serve written notice of the intention to commence an action on the at-fault party (i.e. the defendant) within 120 days after the incident.

Riding on a motorcycle can be a fun yet incredibly dangerous activity. As the weather begins to warm up soon, many bikers will, no doubt, be hitting the road. But before motorcycle season begins, it is important to understand a few things about the risks of such an activity.

Medical misfortune is a term that is used to describe negative healthcare outcomes and results. However, sometimes the cause is medical malpractice, not bad luck.

It goes without saying that there is no excuse for violent drunken behaviour. If someone suffers harm from someone who is noticeably intoxicated, then damages can certainly be claimed against that intoxicated person.