If someone else’s carelessness has caused you pain, it’s a nightmare to deal with, especially when all you’re trying to do is manage the medical treatments, get on with your daily routine and somehow stay on top of it all. Loads of people in our community really struggle knowing if they should get in touch with a lawyer after being in an accident, even more so when they’ve got medical bills to worry about and time off work to factor in. We get that having to ask for legal help can feel daunting when you’re already stressed out about money, which is why free consultations that wipe out the initial financial worry make such a huge difference. Emotional and psychological harm can be just as serious as physical injury. We support clients experiencing trauma, anxiety, or PTSD by pursuing compensation for necessary treatment and recovery.
These free sessions give injured people a shot at learning about their rights, their options and the best way forward, all without having to reach into their pocket. The process lets us assess your individual situation and gives you the chance to fire off all your questions and get a better understanding of the legal angles that might be relevant to you. We see each session as a vital first step in helping people make sense of the complicated aftermath of accidents and injuries.
Because Sarnia’s an industrial city there are loads more workplace accidents and injuries from exposure than there are car crashes and slip-and-fall accidents. Chemical plants, refineries and factories all have their own unique risks that can lead to serious injuries that need specialist legal know-how. When you’re building a strong personal injury case you need to be across the specific rules and safety requirements that apply in each industry. Unsafe premises or negligent alcohol service may result in serious injuries. We assist individuals in bringing claims against establishments responsible for preventable harm.
We carefully go through all the paperwork from your accident and injuries in our first meeting – this includes your medical records, reports of what happened, photos, letters from the insurance company and any witness statements that may have been collected. We want to get a full picture of what went down and figure out who might be liable for your losses. It’s all about finding people who should be held accountable.
Insurance adjusters tend to get in touch with people who’ve been in an accident pretty quickly, sometimes before the victims have even fully grasped the extent of their injuries or spoken to doctors about the long-term implications. The insurance companies are just trying to get the best settlements for themselves, not what you actually need. We strongly advise people not to say anything or accept an offer until they have a clear understanding of their situation.
Because Sarnia’s got all the main roads running through it, you’d be surprised at the number of car accidents that happen in and around the city. When we’re working out a plan of action, you need to take a different approach for highway accidents, commercial vehicle accidents and accidents involving the transport of hazardous materials. During a free consultation with a lawyer in Sarnia, we go through the specifics of your case and the unique factors that could impact it depending on where and how the accident occurred.
The law puts strict time limits on what you can do after an accident has happened. In Ontario, you’ve usually got two years from the date of the injury to start legal proceedings. However, there are cases where these time limits can be changed. If you miss these deadlines then you could lose your ability to claim compensation forever – that’s a big risk. So it’s essential to get on top of these rules from the word go.
The costs associated with major injuries can keep coming up long after the initial emergency treatment is over with – we’re talking ongoing medical care, physio and rehabilitation, prescriptions and all the changes you need to make to your life to cope with a disability. At Longo Lawyers we make sure that any settlement negotiations or court cases take into account all the ongoing and future expenses you’ll be facing.
To build a strong personal injury case you need to gather evidence in a methodical way and keep track of all the damages and losses you’ve suffered. You might need to bring in medical experts, accident reconstruction specialists and vocational rehabilitation counsellors to work out who’s to blame and how much damage has been done. We work with the professionals to put together cases that show just how your life has been affected in every way.
With our contingency fee structure, clients only have to pay their legal fees if their case is successful. This system lets people who’ve been hurt get the compensation they deserve without having to shell out thousands up front. During a free consultation with a lawyer in Sarnia, we explain how the payment structure works and what other costs might come up during the legal process.