Sault Ste. Marie Personal Injury Lawyer
As citizens, community members, and neighbours, we have certain responsibilities. Many of us are required by law to refrain from engaging in certain types of wrongful behaviour in order to protect and safeguard the physical well-being of other people in the community. In Sault Ste. Marie, you do not necessarily need to know someone else personally in order to owe them what is referred to as a “duty of care.” In fact, many people across the province are legally required to uphold a duty of care to total strangers. Motor vehicle operators, the owners/occupiers of commercial and/or residential properties, licensed professionals, and other residents of the local community are required to live up to certain prescribed safety standards so that other people will not sustain physical harm.
When people or entities fail to uphold the duty of care they owe to others, severe, injury-causing accidents can occur. In these situations, the at-fault party who caused the injurious accident might be considered negligent.
In the immediate aftermath of an injurious, traumatic event it can be difficult to know whose actions were responsible for creating the conditions that led to the accident. However, if you were injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you might be able to pursue a civil claim against them in order to try recovering damages you have incurred as a result of being injured.
Negligence occurs when:
- A person or organization owes another party a duty of care
- By engaging in some form of wrongful conduct, the responsible party or entity fails to fulfill their duty
- As a result of their failure, someone else sustains injuries
- Because of the injuries they have sustained, the accident victim incurs financial losses.
Negligence can be the source of multiple types of traumatic accidents. The drivers of automobiles, for instance, are subject to the provincial rules of the road and must obey the laws prescribed by Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. If a motor vehicle operator violates local traffic laws, they essentially shirk the duty of care they have to other road-users. As a result of their negligence, other drivers, their passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and other road-users could lose their lives or sustain serious injuries, including:
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Concussions
- Internal organ damage
- Traumatic amputations
- Facial and dental injuries
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Strains and sprains
- Cuts and lacerations
- And more
Negligent drivers whose violations of traffic laws result in injurious collisions with other road-users might be liable for damages incurred by the injured victims of the accident they caused. Some examples of driver negligence that often result in injury-causing collisions in the Sault Ste. Marie area include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
- Ignoring traffic signs/signals
- Improper lane changes
- Texting while driving
- And more
Licensed drivers owe a duty of care to people with whom they may never have come into contact. They must abide by a certain set of rules in order to reduce the risk of others sustaining injuries as a result of their behaviour.
Similarly, in accordance with the province’s Occupiers’ Liability Act, people or organizations who own and/or occupy commercial and/or residential properties must take regular, preventative measures to eliminate potentially dangerous on-site maintenance hazards that could present risks for visitors, delivery agents, customers, employees, passersby, neighbours, and other guests to the premises. If a property owner/occupier fails to remove, repair, or warn others about potentially dangerous maintenance issues on their premises, another person could sustain severe injuries in a slip and fall accident.
Because of someone else’s negligence, Sault Ste. Marie residents often sustain various injuries that require hospitalization, physical rehabilitation, and other costly expenses related to their care and recovery. Examples of accidents that commonly occur in and around Sault Ste. Marie because of someone else’s negligence include:
- Car accidents
- Sexual abuse
- Sexual assault
- Truck accidents
- Snowmobile accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Boating accidents
- ATV accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- E-bike and e-scooter accidents
- And more
If you were involved in a serious accident and sustained compensable injuries as a result, you might be eligible to pursue a civil claim against the at-fault person or organization whose negligence caused you to be injured. Our personal injury lawyers serving Sault Ste. Marie are passionate about providing assistance to members of the local community whose lives have been turned upside down because of someone else’s wrongful conduct. To learn about the services we provide and options for financial recovery that might be available to you, contact Preszler Injury Lawyers today by calling 1-800-JUSTICE.
After being injured in an unexpected set of circumstances, it might not immediately be clear whether someone else’s wrongful conduct caused your accident to occur. Indeed, some accidents take place on someone else’s property when the at-fault party is not even present at the scene when the incident occurred.
Our personal injury lawyers serving Sault Ste. Marie may be able to help you establish the connection between the negligent party or entity’s wrongful actions and the monetary losses you incurred as a result of being injured in an accident caused by their failure to uphold the duty of care they owed you. Our Sault Ste. Marie personal injury lawyers might use different types of evidence to substantiate your claim. These might include:
- Photos of the accident scene
- Video surveillance footage
- Police reports
- Medical reports
- Evaluations from medical experts
- Eyewitness testimonies
- And more
If another person failed to fulfill the duty of care they owed you and an accident ensued that caused you to sustain compensable injuries, you might be entitled to pursue legal action against them in order to try recovering fair compensation. Our personal injury lawyers serving Sault Ste. Marie might be able to help you recover damages you have been forced to pay out-of-pocket in addition to damages you might incur in the future, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages due to missed work
- Reduced future earning capability
- Prescriptions
- Personal Support Worker / Attendant care
- Psychological counseling
- Physiotherapy
- Housekeeping services
- Ambulance services
- Mobility aids, assistive medical equipment
- Mileage expenses to and from medical appointments
- Home modifications to accommodate newly acquired disabilities
- Other medical expenses
- And possibly more
Contact our Sault Ste. Marie Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Anyone can be injured in an accident. Even people who are vigilant about personal safety, extra cautious behind the wheel of their vehicle, and overly careful when performing simple, routine tasks can be the victims of serious accidents caused by someone else’s negligence.
Our personal injury lawyers serving Sault Ste. Marie appreciate how quickly expenses can begin piling up after sustaining serious injuries in an accident. That is why Preszler Injury Lawyers offer all clients a free initial consultation. By taking advantage of this no-obligation first meeting, you can receive case-specific feedback from our Sault Ste. Marie personal injury lawyers at no cost.
Call 1-800-JUSTICE today to schedule your free initial consultation with our personal injury lawyers serving Sault Ste. Marie.
