An auto accident injury lawyer and an insurance claims adjuster walk into a bar. If you were looking forward to a hilarious punch line, that’s too bad, because there’s nothing funny about car accidents. What’s true, though, is that an auto accident injury lawyer and insurance claims adjusters often work together when it comes to handling the aftermath of a serious car accident. The auto insurance industry, with its loaded slate of provincial regulation, combines litigation and insurance coverage in protect you, the driver. To better understand just how the system is structured, let’s take a closer look at auto insurance in Ontario.
Legal Requirement
As in the rest of Canada, Ontario auto insurance is mandatory for all drivers. The penalties for driving without insurance can be severe: fines range from $5,000 to $50,000, your license can be suspended and vehicle impounded, and you can even be barred from purchasing insurance in the future if you are convicted for driving without insurance. Further, it goes without saying that, even under Ontario’s no-fault system, if you are injured in a car accident and are uninsured, you may not be entitled to income replacement and other benefits and you may not be allowed to sue the other driver (even if they were at fault).
The Standard Auto Insurance Package
Clearly, the penalty for driving without auto insurance is stiff. To avoid it, you’ll need to purchase at least these minimum requirements found in every company’s basic package:
- Third-Party Liability Coverage: This covers any injuries, including death, that someone else suffers in an accident, as well as the cost of settling claims due to lawsuits. The minimum amount of third-party liability coverage is $200,000.
- Statutory Accident Benefits Coverage: This provides you with benefits if you are injured in an accident (regardless of who was at fault), and includes supplementary medical care, rehabilitation, attendant care, caregivers, and other benefits.
- Direct Compensation – Property Damage (DC-PD): This covers damage to your vehicle and property to the extent that another driver was at-fault for the accident
- Uninsured Automobile Coverage: In the case that the other driver involved in your collision was uninsured (or if they fled the scene of the accident), this coverage guarantees that you will still receive coverage. It covers both accident benefits and property damage.
Keep in mind that these coverage options are only the legally required baseline. Automobile insurers in Ontario provide coverage far exceeding this. For example, you can raise your third-party liability coverage to two millions dollars or higher, or you can purchase additional collision coverage to buffer your DC-PD.
An auto accident injury lawyer can help you to understand not only which coverage options make the most sense for you and your family but also what recourse you’re able to take after having suffered in a motor vehicle accident. If your insurance coverage simply isn’t doing enough to support you after your accident, consult a Toronto personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Don’t joke around; get your free consultation at an established Toronto personal injury law firm today.
Source:
https://www.fsco.gov.on.ca/en/auto/brochures/Pages/brochure_autoins.aspx