Auto accidents in Hamilton can change your life in an instant, leaving you with serious injuries, huge medical bills and a lot of uncertainty about your rights and future. When looking for a lawyer for your car accident case you want someone who knows a lot about personal injury law and the real life problems people who have been in accidents face while they are healing. We have made it our mission to help people and families deal with these tough situations with ability, experience and real compassion.
Hamilton’s streets and highways are full of opportunities for serious accidents, from tiny fender benders in shopping centre parking lots to deadly high speed crashes on major roads like the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and Queen Elizabeth Way. After an accident you may have to deal with insurance companies, medical providers and legal issues that seem too much to handle when you’re trying to get better. This is true whether the accident happened during rush hour, at a busy intersection or on a quiet residential street.
There are a lot of legal rules and procedures in auto accident cases that can trip up people who aren’t careful. Ontario’s statutory accident benefit system provides some protection to injured drivers and passengers but getting these benefits often involves a lot of work and proof of your injuries and losses. Many people find that their insurance company disputes how bad their injuries are or argues that the treatments they were told to get aren’t necessary. This makes it even harder to get better when things are already tough.
During the investigation phase of an auto accident case it’s important to pay attention to details and keep thorough records of all relevant facts and evidence. We work with accident reconstruction experts, doctors and other specialists to build cases that show the full extent of our clients’ losses. This level of preparation is crucial when dealing with insurance companies or going to court because in serious injury cases the other side will question both liability and damage assessments. The severity of injuries from car accidents can vary greatly depending on things like speed, location and whether or not safety equipment was used. We have represented clients with a wide range of injuries from relatively minor soft tissue injuries to life threatening conditions that require medical care and support for the rest of their lives. Each type of injury has its own challenges when it comes to diagnosis, treatment options and long term outlook. To get adequate compensation for your losses you need to document everything and have expert medical evidence.
When safety systems fail during a crash, defects in the vehicle can make injuries worse. We have a lot of experience with product liability cases where malfunctioning airbags, seatbelts or other manufacturing flaws caused or made injuries worse that should have been avoided with the right safety gear.
Insurance companies use clever ways to reduce the amount of money they have to pay to people who are hurt in car accidents. They may deny medical diagnoses, say the accident and injuries aren’t related or that symptoms that were already there made the current ones worse. We know how to fight back against these tactics by getting strong medical proof, getting expert opinions and showing how the accident has affected our clients’ lives and future prospects in a concrete way.
When you can’t work while recovering from a catastrophic car accident the financial stress can be too much to handle. Lost wages add to the stress of rising medical bills making it even more important to accept settlement offers that don’t meet long term needs. We help our clients figure out how much their claims are really worth, taking into account things like future medical bills, ongoing rehab expenses and loss of earning capacity that may last for years after the accident.
Serious car accidents have an emotional impact that goes far beyond the physical injuries. Many of our clients are worried about driving, are depressed because of changes in their lives or have post traumatic stress that makes it hard for them to work or keep up normal relationships with family and friends. These mental impacts are real results of the injury and its long term effects on your quality of life and they should be recognized and compensated.
Every car accident is unique with its own set of facts, injuries and problems. We take the time to get to know you and your situation, explain your options in plain language and develop a plan tailored to your needs and goals. We believe clients who know more about their issues make better decisions and feel more comfortable during the legal process.
If you have been in a car accident in Hamilton call our office for a free consultation to talk about your case and how Longo Lawyers can help you protect your rights while you get the money you need to heal.