A police officer photographs the wreckage of a collision at the corner of Bellamy Rd. and Brimorton Dr. in Scarborough in this 2008 file photo.
In just one second, your life can be turned upside down by a motor vehicle accident.
Whether you’re driving, cycling or walking, you’re a heartbeat away from a serious injury and a fight with an insurer to cover your medical treatments.
You probably don’t realize how little you get in statutory accident benefits under your auto insurance policy.
Ontario has a $1 million limit on medical and rehabilitation claims for those with catastrophic injuries. But they make up only one per cent of the 65,000 Ontarians injured in car accidents each year.
Almost 20 per cent of accident victims have severe noncatastrophic injuries. Their benefits are capped at $50,000, down from $100,000 before the reforms came in.
The remaining 80 per cent of accident victims with so-called minor injuries — such as whiplash, strains and sprains — get only $3,500 in medical benefits (down from $100,000 before).
Ontario’s car insurance reforms, forcing you to pay more for less coverage, didn’t become a high-profile issue in the last election. That’s a shame.
In a column on Oct. 5, I said the Ontario government had betrayed the trust of motorists and failed to protect them from inflated insurance costs. This drew widespr
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