The Difference Between Car Accident Benefits And Car Accident Losses

The residents of Ontario that file a personal injury claim and then hear their lawyer talk about car accident benefits and car accident losses may wonder how the 2 references, both of which refer to accident-related issues, differ.

What is a car accident benefit?

That term refers to the compensation that covers the cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation, wage replacement and other accident-related items.

What is a car accident loss?

That term refers to the value of a tort claim. The level of fault for the involved driver affects the extent of the loss. Personal injury lawyer in Cornwall knows that the greater the driver’s loss, the larger the expected compensation.

How does the relationship between car accident losses and car accident benefits apply to a catastrophic injury?

An accident victim with a catastrophic injury has been forced to deal with tremendous losses. As a result, he or she can seek a larger amount of compensation. Someone that has been forced to live with a catastrophic injury can list multiple examples of obviously damaging issues. For example, such a victim must endure recurring episodes of pain and repeated instances of suffering. The same victim stands at risk for the development of psychological impairments.

An adult with a catastrophic injury often faces a future in which it becomes hard to earn a living. Consequently, he or she needs to be compensated for both lost income in the past and loss of future income opportunities.

A catastrophic injury saddles the victim with a chronic medical problem. As a result, he or she must plan to schedule time for many different doctor’s appointments. In other words, the offered compensation should cover the costs of future health care.

If the catastrophic injury has forced the victim to spend time in a wheel chair, the victim’s home may need to undergo specific changes. Accident victims are not expected to cover the costs of such changes on their own. The government has given them the right to demand coverage of home maintenance costs.

Some home maintenance costs are relatively small. For example, the amount paid weekly to someone that can cut the grass in a front and back yard. Those can fall under the category of pocket expenses. In Ontario, accident victims have the right to seek money for pocket expenses.

Are there any limitations on how benefit money might be spent?

No, the benefits are supposed to help the victims recover their losses. Any effort made to recover those losses qualifies as something that should be covered by a benefit. Suppose, for instance that someone with a law degree becomes a quadriplegic. In that case, funds for home maintenance might get transformed into a private office, one that suits a paraplegic lawyer.