In the early hours of October 28, 2012, seventeen year old Brandon Majewski hopped on his bicycle with two friends to go out for hot dogs. As they bicycled down the road, a SUV struck the three cyclists from behind, killing Brandon and seriously injuring his friend Richard McLean. The other young cyclist, Jake Roberts was lucky to escape with only minor scratches. This tragic incident has sparked legal actions on both sides. Brandon’s family started a legal action against the driver of the SUV, Sharlene Simon. Recently, Brandon’s family was served with legal papers indicating that Ms. Simon is counter suing Brandon and the other two young cyclists for the emotional trauma she suffered that night.

Doctors and other medical professionals play a critical role in an injured person’s insurance and legal cases. For the most part, doctors and medical professionals play a positive and helpful role, treating the injured person’s injuries and disabilities. Doctors and other medical professionals are also called upon to perform examinations that can greatly influence and even determine:

In November 2012 Tom Samson, father of two young children, was tragically killed while riding his bicycle. Tom was killed by a van. The van left the scene of the collision. The police told Tom’s wife that he had illegally went through a red light. Tom’s wife could not believe that Tom would run a red light on his bicycle. Also, she didn’t understand why the van involved would leave the scene unless the driver was somehow at fault for the collision. She did not, could not, accept the conclusion that Tom had run the red light. She hired a lawyer to look into the police investigation.

Background: Imagine you are badly injured in a car crash and need assistance to perform personal care or prepare your meals. You may be entitled to these benefits from your own insurance company under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) provided that your health care professional completes a Form 1, which indicates how much attendant care, in terms of hours and time, you require.

Drive Only Never Text (D.O.N.T.). Every June is brain injury awareness month. This past June was the launch of the inaugural D.O.N.T. campaign. The campaign reminds drivers of all ages that distracted driving – which includes driving while texting or talking on a cell phone – can lead to car crashes and brain injuries. D.O.N.T. is led by the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA), in partnership with participating local community Brain Injury Associations, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA).

Insurers recently started a new advertising campaign to try and scare the public into accepting less for more. Alan Shanoff explains in his recent column in the Toronto Sun, read the article here. Since dramatic cuts to auto insurance in September 2010, collective profits of auto insurers in Ontario have jumped by 2 billion dollars – that is a lot of money! Yet, the promised reductions in premiums with cuts to our benefits never materialized. The insurers have simply used the cut in benefits to line their coffers. I am not against companies earning profits, all companies should maximize profits for their shareholders. However, insurers are not earning their profits by good business practices or through innovation – they are making money off the backs of injured car accident victims. It is time for a change in Ontario. Maybe it is time to abandon mandatory no-fault benefits in Ontario and focus on a true tort (at-fault party pays) system.

Bonn Law is proud to partner with the Belleville General Hospital in sponsoring the BGH Outpatient Rehabilitation Day Hospital.

As reported in the Belleville EMC, Bonn Law again organized the annual helmet for kids program sponsored by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA). Bonn Law was able to gather support from a number of other local law firms to purchase over 200 helmets to give to kids this year.