Knowing the average claim for car accidents can help you
plan your claim and prepare for future financial help to compensate with caring
for your injuries.
Types of Injuries
According to
Transport
Canada, 10,443 people were injured in motor vehicle collisions in 2011. In
addition, 2,006 people were killed by vehicles during the same year.
It’s important to remember that the size of your claim will
depend on the nature and severity of your injuries. Common injuries obtained in
car accidents are head and brain injuries, bruising and bone fractures,
internal organ injuries, different types of back injuries, dislocated or fractured
joints, and connective tissue injuries.
Soft tissue damage, like whiplash, can be harder to diagnose
immediately following an accident since it can take hours or days for the pain
to begin. It’s important to visit your family doctor after an accident to find
out your expected recovery time. For example, whiplash causes indefinite
chronic pain for fifteen to twenty percent of the people who experience it.
This means you could be paying for pain medication and medical treatment years
after the initial accident.
The Average Claim for
Car Accidents
According to the
Insurance
Bureau of Canada, the average claim for a car accident in 2010 was $14,973.
In the same article, the average accident benefits claim for car accidents
during 2010 was $56,092. This number includes medication, rehabilitation, and
other costs.
The Benefits of an
Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you need the best
possible lawyer fighting on your side. Your lawyer can take care of details,
like gathering information to support the claim, filling out paperwork, and
keeping track of important deadlines. This lets you concentrate on healing.
Your lawyer can also help you take care of discussing the
accident with the at-fault person’s insurance adjuster. The insurance adjuster
has years of experience in handling cases like yours, and ensuring that his or
her employer pays out the smallest amount of money possible. This creates an unfair
playing field since this may be your first time ever talking to an insurance
adjuster.
A good automobile accident lawyer will advise you that you
have no obligation to talk to the insurance adjuster. In fact, most lawyers
will handle the questions for you, contacting you for any relevant information.
Having an experienced go-between who’s on your side can be a big benefit since
anything you say to an insurance adjuster goes into your file and may affect
your claim later.
A personal injury lawyer should also urge you to look at the
future. Severe injuries may require home renovation, housekeeping help, or
long-term care. Your claim should include these estimated costs so the money is
there when you need it, saving you stress as you concentrate on healing.
Knowing the average claim for car accidents in
Ontario can help you estimate how much help you can count on to replace lost
wages and help compensate for your pain and suffering.