Injured in a motor vehicle accident? Should you contact a lawyer?
If you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident and have an injury, should you contact a lawyer?
That depends on a few things.
First there are three classifications of injuries for motor vehicles injures. They are MIG’s (minor injury guideline), non-catastrophic injuries (Non-CAT) and catastrophic injuries (CAT).
MIG injuries are considered the least severe of the three injury classifications, and examples of MIG injuries would include things such as strains, sprains, whiplash and so on.
Naturally the amount of treatment money available to someone depends on their injury level. With MIG injuries being categorized as the least severe, the amount of insurance treatment money available for these injuries is the lowest of the three categories. MIG injuries have a maximum of thirty five hundred dollars available. For a frame of reference, Non-CAT injuries have a maximum of sixty five thousand dollars and CAT injures have a maximum of two million dollars in available treatment money.
So why would someone with a MIG injury not necessarily contact a lawyer?
No fault insurance.
As part of Ontario’s No-Fault system, an injured person can get certain treatments or therapies paid by their OWN insurance company, without involving a lawyer. So while there are always exceptions if you have sustained a MIG injury, we recommend you start by contacting your insurance company directly. They’ll lay out how you can go about applying for these benefits and if your injury is legitimate, you’ll likely qualify you for the thirty five hundred dollars.
Naturally, if you are dealing with more severe injuries, or there are existing conditions that your MIG injury has intensified, absolutely contact a lawyer. Alternatively, if you think that you have a claim against an at fault driver, which would be an entirely separate matter, then you should also contact a lawyer.
Hurt or injured? Call Miskin Law. Our team of experienced and compassionate personal injury lawyers can help. Call us today for a free consultation.