Other Personal Injuries

Every year, more than four million Canadians suffer a personal injury severe enough to limit their usual activities, or, in worst-case scenarios, cause death. Personal injuries create unique physical and financial stresses for every individual and their families. Often victims are unable to return to work and burdened by medical bills. Some examples of personal injuries include: 

Burns

Burns are extremely painful injuries with long-term repercussions for the victim. Beyond the acute pain and scarring, serious burns can cause life-altering damage to the nerves, tendons, ligaments and muscles. This can lead to serious psychological distress and reduced mobility for the victim. In many cases, serious burn victims are unable to return to work. This loss of wages can be devastating, especially when you consider that burn victims may require amputation, serious physical rehabilitation, or plastic surgery during the course of their recovery. In severe cases, burn victims may be left unable to manage the everyday obligations that were taken on prior to the accident. Traumatic burns may occur as a result of fire, product malfunctions, electric shock, extreme cold, chemicals and corrosives, friction or radiation.

Catastrophic Sports Injuries

Sports injuries can cause catastrophic damage to the brain, spine, bones, joints and organs rendering the individual incapable of fulfilling their day-to-day responsibilities or generating an income. Though every case is unique, the most common forms of catastrophic sports injury claims include faulty equipment, inadequate supervision, improper coaching or instruction, reckless conduct, or unsafe surfaces or sports facilities. 

Eye Injuries or Blindness

Serious eye injury and blindness can occur as a result of such accidents as:

Impact to the eye or sharp object penetration

Chemical splashes

Excessive dirt, grit or rust-rings in the eye

Dangerous bright light exposure

Traumatic head injury

Medical negligence

Certain diseases and medical conditions

Financial stress can be an unwelcome distraction during your recovery. Loss of eyesight can lead to a number of chronic, lifelong direct and indirect expenses, including:

Braille materials and instruction

Medical vision aids and devices

Productivity loss

Nursing home fees

Informal care

Assistance programs

Therapy

Slip and Fall

Slip and fall injuries are common in Ontario, particularly during the frost-and-thaw months. “Slip and fall” and “trip and fall” are terms used to refer to injuries sustained while falling as a result of hazardous conditions that were neglected by the property owner, business proprietor or municipality. Examples of conduct for which a property owner, business proprietor or municipality may be held accountable for your slip and fall injury include:

Failing to provide adequate warnings that indoor flooring is being polished, waxed or washed

Failing to properly close off a wet indoor area

Cleaning indoor floor space in a negligent manner, such as mopping during periods of high foot traffic

Failing to clean up spilled liquid, food or other slippery substances, and neglecting to post warning signs

Failing to maintain the condition of flooring or carpets, leaving hazards like loose tiles, torn carpeting and splintering hardwood

Failing to maintain stairways, exposing users to hazards like faulty handrails or worn steps

Failing to provide adequate lighting in hazardous conditions

Failing to salt or sand slippery stairs, sidewalks or other walking surfaces

Dog Bites

Severe dog bites can cause tissue damage and disfigurement, preventing the victim from returning to work and resulting in loss of wages and significant financial stress. These concerns may be compounded by the cost of emergency treatment, medication, therapy and rehabilitation. And reduced mobility and independence caused by more severe dog bites can make even the most routine day-to-day responsibilities seem like an insurmountable challenge.

Premises Liability

The duty to keep premises reasonably safe usually applies to the owner, the tenant or another person or company that has possession or control of the premises. This duty is governed by a provincial statute known as the Occupiers’ Liability Act. Everyone has a duty to mind their own safety and take reasonable steps to ensure that they are not injured. However, even if you are partly to blame for your own injuries, you may still advance a successful claim against the occupier of the premises for their share of responsibility. If you are injured on someone else’s property because of icy conditions, inadequate maintenance, poorly designed stairs or other dangerous conditions, you may be entitled to compensation.

Successful premises liability cases typically involve:

Icy conditions

Wet conditions

Poor or uneven flooring

Poor lighting

Raised ledges

Failure to plow, salt or sand a parking lot

Potholes

Dangerous stairs

Shoddy construction

Other dangerous or hidden hazards

Industrial Disease

The technical term for any condition or affliction that occurs as a result of exposure to a hazardous or toxic substance in the workplace. The most common “industrial disease” claims include respiratory illness, pleural plaques or thickening, mesothelioma, lung cancer, industrial deafness and asbestosis.