Cost of Recovery

January 10, 2017, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

When you have been injured either at work, in a car accident, in a slip and fall, or some other way, you will likely have a period of recovery, physical therapy, and drugs prescribed. You may need to visit with non-OHIP insured specialists and therapists. You may not be able to work for some time. Following your doctor’s advice about taking time off and getting the therapies you require is crucial. All of these components of recovery will work together to help you regain your pre-accident health, or they will help you live your new normal' life if you have sustained life long injury.

Too often I see people who are simply not able to afford the care they require to fully recover. Many people don’t have extended health insurance through their workplaces, and insurance benefits are being systemically reduced and are becoming harder to access. Typically, the $3500 maximum for a minor injury is easily spent before the injured person is fully recovered. In the case of serious trauma costs mount so quickly that it can drive people into deep financial trouble, especially if the injured person was the primary income earner in the family.

An extreme example of how the costs can rise are the reports of former F1 racing legend Michael Shumacher’s care costing in excess of $3M dollars since his skiing accident in 2013. While costs like that are not a reality in Canada, catastrophic injuries can cost thousands of dollars a month to treat, and more importantly the costs can last a lifetime. Under new FSCO rules the insurance companies have a maximum of $1M that they will pay out for medical rehab and attendant care combined over a lifetime for catastrophic injuries. This amount may seem like a lot of money, but consider that monthly care can easily come to a total cost of over $10,000 with drugs and therapies. This means that the money will be exhausted in 10 years and if the loved one lives longer than that then options for care will become extremely limited.

One of the mistakes people make when they are injured is to not attend a doctor immediately, and to underestimate the injury and overestimate the coverage they have from OHIP, and their insurance companies. They also fail to seek legal counsel. Insurance claims are bound by clear timelines and if you don’t make the claim in time you are excluded from benefits. You may not be aware of the benefits that you are entitled to which complicates matters even more. The Insurance companies are bound by law to inform you of your options, but remember that their allegiance is to their stock holders. Their job is to make money, not to pay out claims. They have a strong incentive to deny claims, even legitimate ones.

A personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the maze of insurance benefits and can help you get the settlement you deserve. They can explain what you are entitled to, and help you get the care you need to recover. Please call one if you have been injured in an accident.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.