By Phillip Millar, Personal Injury Lawyer and Founder of Millars Law
To any normal working person, a million dollars sounds like a lot of money. But what if it was all you had to live on for the rest of your life? Consider the following scenario:
A 32 year-old man with a wife and 2 children has been left quadriplegic after flipping his car into a snow bank during an ice storm. His career as a factory machinist is over. He receives $2,000 per month in disability benefits as well as the maximum million dollar “no fault” accident benefit settlement. This sounds like a reasonable amount, especially since the man’s wife intends to become his primary caregiver. However, this idea soon comes to an end when she realizes that she cannot handle the physical and emotional stress in caring for him
The only remaining options are Institutional Care or Assisted Home Care.
Institutional Care costs roughly $6,000 – $8,000/month while the preferable option of Assisted Home Care carries a hefty price tag of $15,000/month and does not include additional rehabilitation therapy or equipment. Simple math means that the million dollar settlement will be gone within 6-8 years and an increasingly desperate family will be left to fend for themselves.
This kind of dire situation is bound to become more commonplace now that the Ontario government has cut accident “no-fault” benefits from $2-million to $1-million for medical/rehabilitation/attendant care. Citizens are now left with no other option than paying for additional 3rd party coverage.
However, there is legal recourse for those who choose not to “opt-in” to 3rd party extra coverage. With the right representation, victims can receive additional treatment benefits and a larger initial “no fault” settlements through unpublicized channels.
Learn the full extent of your accident entitlements by speaking to an experienced Personal Injury lawyer.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an accident, please book a free consult or contact Millars Law directly at 519-657-1529 or email phillip@ml-dev.thirdeyeinsights.ca
