18 08, 2015

Back-to-School Safety on the Roads

2022-04-21T06:04:59-04:00August 18, 2015|

As a child, I can vividly remember my stomach churning as I saw commercials for back-to-school retailers. Suddenly, images of beaches and sun were replaced with overeager children sporting the latest funky backpacks with stern teachers standing overhead. Even today, I still get some discomfort watching these commercials, even though I cannot remember the last time I had the summer off. So although for some kids back-to-school time means trudging back to prison, and for some parents it means breaking out the champagne, back-to-school time also means a time when school buses are back on the roads. As such, I [...]

3 08, 2015

Carnival Eats: Delicious or Dangerous?

2024-02-13T13:59:15-05:00August 3, 2015|

Nothing ends the summer better than an annual visit to the Canadian National Exhibition(CNE). The merchandise, the rides, and the crowds of people have that fleeting fragrance of summer (sunscreen mixed with fried foods and salty sand?) all wrapped in a bundle of fun. And then of course, there’s the food. Whether you are brave enough to try the new foods—the chocolate fried chicken or the Thanksgiving waffles—or you like sticking with the classics such as funnel cakes, chances are the food is part of the memorable experience. Sometimes too memorable. In 2013, there was a frenzy over food contamination in [...]

25 02, 2015

Operation Winter Storm

2022-04-21T06:04:01-04:00February 25, 2015|

TORONTO, Ont.—Feb. 19, 2015—Canada’s favourite NBA stars and BALLnROLL teamed up for an online charity auction whose success scored more than 90 sets of winter clothing for youth in need. All the memorabilia sold out, providing enough money to stock up on winter jackets, snow pants, gloves, hats and more for children of all ages across Toronto. BALLnROLL publisher Gad Elmaleh personally handed the garments off to members of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Tuesday. The TDSB’s trained child and youth counselors will now distribute the winter gear to the school kids who need them most. “It was a [...]

2 02, 2015

Super Bowl XLIX: Make the Right Call

2024-02-13T14:10:11-05:00February 2, 2015|

If yesterday’s Super Bowl taught us anything it is that in life sometimes people make some really bad calls. The best way to avoid mishaps and lost Super Bowls is to study the basics. In our realm that does not mean studying up on pass blocks or handoffs, it means keeping your property clean of liability by preparing for the worst. Owning a home, or a business that is open to the public, brings with it responsibilities. You may be considered liable if someone trips or falls while on your property if your property was not maintained in a way [...]

21 01, 2015

Vulnerability on the Road – Motorcycle Accidents

2024-02-13T14:33:04-05:00January 21, 2015|

This past summer, motorcycle accidents that led to fatalities in Ontario were at a 7 year high. Most often these accidents are due to the negligence of other drivers. Still, motorcyclists assume particular risks when riding, even with the right safety gear or riding experience, and unfortunately often these types of accidents result in death or catastrophic injuries. Motorcyclists should be aware that their rights to receive compensation are identical to those of drivers of automobiles. Therefore, under Ontario Law, a victim may be entitled to receive both accident benefits, and sue for damages. Likewise, the statutory accident benefits are payable [...]

15 12, 2014

Quadriplegic and Paraplegic Injuries

2024-02-13T14:31:41-05:00December 15, 2014|

In our last blog, we introduced spinal cord injuries in general. This week we discuss spinal cord injuries that result in quadriplegia and paraplegia.  As defined bySpinal Cord Injury Ontario: Quadriplegia is paralysis of all four limbs (from the neck down) resulting from injury to the neck.  Fractures or compression of the vertebrae, which cause permanent damage to the spinal cord may lead to loss of sensation, movement, pain management, bladder and bowel control, as well as affecting sexual function. Paraplegia is the loss of sensation and movement in legs and in part or all of the trunk, usually resulting [...]

16 04, 2014

Spinal Cord Injuries Types

2024-02-13T14:31:39-05:00April 16, 2014|

Too often we see clients who have unfortunately experienced spinal cord injuries due to a bad fall or a motor vehicle accident. With a spinal cord injury, there are two major factors that will affect a person’s mobility: the place of the injury along the spinal cord and the severity of injury to the spinal cord. The severity of the spinal cord injury is classified as either of the following: Complete: If almost all feeling (sensory) and all ability to control movement (motor function) are lost below the spinal cord injury, the injury is called complete. Incomplete: If there is some motor [...]

19 03, 2014

Summer Driving Hazards

2024-02-13T14:16:17-05:00March 19, 2014|

You can already smell the summer. After the brutal weather we had in Toronto this past winter, we can’t get enough sniffs. But although it may surprise you, summer driving is as dangerous, if not more so, than winter driving. That is bad news. Here are some reasons why summer driving could be dangerous: No school means there are more teen drivers on the road during the summer months. Due to the lack of experience, teens tend to be involved in more motor vehicle accidents than any other age group; Also, there is usually much more construction in the summer [...]

5 03, 2014

Lawyer for a Traumatic Brain Injury Case – How To Choose

2024-03-06T13:41:20-05:00March 5, 2014|

If you are a victim of an accident that left you brain injured, beside all the physical ailments that may be impacting you, you may also be struggling with decision making. It is therefore important that you get the assistance necessary to help you through this process. Whether that means getting help from family members, friends, or others, you want to be certain that the decisions you are making are lucid. One of the more important decisions you may have to make is choosing a lawyer for your case. You want to be certain that your lawyer not only possesses [...]

9 02, 2014

Personal Injury Law in Ontario

2024-02-13T13:58:14-05:00February 9, 2014|

One of the first questions our clients ask is how much. Usually, they are not referring to how much we charge because we work on a contingency basis and will only take money off the settlement amount. They are asking how much their case is worth. Truthfully, any good lawyer would not tell you from your first consultation how much your case is worth. The purpose of this blog is to inform you of the factors that may be considered if you have been injured. You should also note that the goal of personal injury awards is not punitive in [...]

5 02, 2014

Understanding the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS)

2024-02-13T14:25:31-05:00February 5, 2014|

Auto accidents are among Ontario's top causes of injuries, ranging from minor to fatal ones. Most of these injuries cause temporary to permanent damage to the victim’s life, depending on their severity. To ensure that every auto accident injury victim is protected and cared for, i.e., from treatment and rehabilitation to replacement of lost income and other injury-related expenses, Ontario has established strict regulations under the Ontario Insurance Act. In this blog, we explore the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS), one of the most important inclusions in automobile coverage per the Ontario Insurance Act. To find out what SABS is [...]

22 01, 2014

Life’s Unpredictability and the Limitation Period

2024-02-13T14:35:11-05:00January 22, 2014|

We can’t always expect things to go as planned. Take, for instance, the Super Bowl. The Broncos left the season as the best offensive team. Led by their quarterback- one of the best quarterbacks of all time- Peyton Manning, the Broncos had a record-breaking season, and were mostly favored to win. Yet, the big game comes along, and the Broncos get flattened. Steamrolled. Decimated. (Insert your Armageddon-ish verb here.) Sometimes life is predictable, but since it is often not, it is best to be ten steps ahead of it. Frequently, we get calls about serious injuries with potentially good claims. [...]

15 01, 2014

Awards Season Reminds Us to Document Our Falls

2024-02-13T14:28:16-05:00January 15, 2014|

This past week Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in American Hustle. Her walk-up to receive the award was unremarkable compared to last year’s Academy Awards when she famously tripped on her way up to receive her Oscar for best actress for her noteworthy performance in Silver Linings Playbook. The audience eventually gave her a standing ovation; a gesture Lawrence remarked as sympathetic due to her embarrassing fall. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Lawrence, millions of people saw her trip. When most of us trip and fall, there is nary a witness in site. This might make pursuing [...]

8 01, 2014

No duh! Texting, Dialing Increases Crash Risk

2022-04-21T05:57:59-04:00January 8, 2014|

Recently the fine people at the New England Journal of Medicine published some results they collected from experiments with things like cell phones, driving, and people. You can read the whole article here, or we can just sum up for you the major findings- because we’re good like that. Most of these should not surprise you: For the younger drivers (16-17 years old) among us: The risk of a crash or near-miss increased more than sevenfold if these drivers were dialing or reaching for a cellphone and fourfold if they were sending or receiving a text message. The risk for an [...]

1 01, 2014

Power Outages and the Surge to Sue the City

2022-04-21T05:57:40-04:00January 1, 2014|

Since the powerful ice storm hit Toronto, we at the law firm are inundated with phone calls inquiring about suing the city for one reason or another. Most of these calls are not related to the ice storm at all. It seems that many of us stuck in the dark and cold for hours, or even days, could think of no better way to pass the time than by conjuring great law suits against the city. That is what happens when there is no TV to keep our imagination occupied. But in actuality, suits against a municipality for injuries sustained [...]

25 12, 2013

Flip-Flops in the Snow

2024-02-13T13:59:11-05:00December 25, 2013|

If you were raised with siblings then you know the concept of shared fault. Whether you started the fight or you were just the innocent victim, you would probably hear the same thing I don’t care who started it. Seemingly, in the eyes of our parents our mere existence warranted at least some blame. At some point in our legal history, courts started to take cues from parents and adopted- albeit in a slightly different fashion- a shared fault system known as contributory negligence. In a nutshell, contributory negligence means that you, the injured party, may have contributed to your injuries because [...]

18 12, 2013

Winter Driving

2022-04-21T05:56:52-04:00December 18, 2013|

We hate to say this, but our “busy season” is winter. For some people, the first snowfall of the season means hiding in a cave and hibernating; for others it means a mad dash to grab the ski equipment. Regardless of your feelings towards the cold white stuff, however, the winter season brings with it many more motor vehicle accidents. At risk of making our busy season slightly boring, we provide you with the following tips in case of inclement weather: The general idea is to be chivalrous. While you are driving remember to be sensitive and gentle. In return, [...]

11 12, 2013

Rob Ford, Crashes, and Other Unfortunate Events

2024-02-13T14:16:06-05:00December 11, 2013|

Before Rob Ford encountered questions about smoking crack cocaine, making himself good fodder for late-night TV jokes, he crashed into a news camera. Literally. I don’t know if you missed this one, but it happened last April, and was a good enough to make it into the Jimmy Kimmel show. Which got me thinking- every now and then we all crash into things, right? I mean some of those things could be couches, doors (especially those fancy glass ones) or sometimes, and unfortunately so, other cars. Maybe it’s our fault, maybe it’s not, but I thought it would be important [...]

4 12, 2013

Sporting Events and Assumption of Risk

2024-02-13T13:59:11-05:00December 4, 2013|

As a true St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, I am always rooting for a good home run. That being said, even I will concede a certain bitter-sweetness when that ball ends up hitting someone. Luckily, in that particular case (a Kozma home run), the woman, apparently abandoned by her boyfriend as he dodged the not-so-metaphoric bullet, was not injured. However, frequently, especially in baseball and hockey games, fans do get injured by balls or pucks. In order to deny any liability, owners and operators of sporting venues involved in personal injury law suits will assert an assumption of risk defence. [...]

27 11, 2013

Mental Impairment under Ontario’s SABS

2024-02-13T14:22:59-05:00November 27, 2013|

Mental Impairment under Ontario’s SABS Under Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) an injury can fall into one of three categories: 1. a minor injury; 2. Non-minor injury; or 3. Catastrophic injury or impairment. The type of category your injury is placed in will impact the extent of your benefits under the SABS. Minor injuries, which are defined by the SABS, include cuts, bruises, strains, sprains. Catastrophic injuries, also defined by the SABS, include amputated limbs, spinal cord injuries, or serious brain damage. The Non-minor injury is the in-between category. Insurance companies tend to place most people in the minor [...]

20 11, 2013

What You Should Know About a Negligence Claim and Occupier’s Liability

2024-02-13T14:10:12-05:00November 20, 2013|

We are all familiar with slapstick comedy; that is Hollywood’s portrayal of a slip and fall. It’s probably a black and white show, and some guy in a really fancy suit carrying an unimaginably large cake slips on a banana. Laughter and applause ensues. This sort of comedy might work in making us cheerful on a long winter night, but it also ensures our jobs as lawyers. What is funny in Hollywood can actually be a serious legal matter known as premises or occupier’s liability. In any negligence claim, it is important to realize that one of the factors necessary [...]

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