Ottawa Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth

OTTAWA ACCIDENT LAWYER – As an Ottawa personal injury lawyer, I appreciate that spinal cord injury completely changes your life and the lives of those you love.

Paralysis changes everything.  And, of course, it results in huge financial costs for ongoing medical care, attendant care, medical equipment, adaptive technologies, specialized medicines and supplies.  Even a  healthy paraplegic may need $600-1000 per month of pharmaceutical products.  That adds up quickly.

Since early in my practice, I have helped my Ontario clients with spinal cord injuries ranging from quadriplegia to paraplegia to other forms of spinal fracture.  This  experience has brought home the incredible personal and family tragedy which results from a spinal cord injury.  At the same time, it has helped me to see how, with proper financial compensation and support, spinal cord injury victims can go on to live happy and meaningful lives.

Your spinal cord injury may be from a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall or other serious accident.  Regardless, the personal injury lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth would be pleased to meet with you for a case analysis and ultimately representation.

When you are choosing your Ottawa spinal cord injury lawyer, ask about the lawyer’s experience with catastrophic injuries.  Is your spinal cord injury lawyer prepared to engage the specialists required to assess your long-term medical needs, and to quantify the cost of those needs?  This very important step in your case requires hiring a certified life care planner.

As if the paralysis itself is not a big enough issue, our spinal cord injury lawyers also know that spinal cord injury victims face a greater susceptibility to  health-related problems problems such as bedsores, pressure sores, bladder infections, kidney stones, upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, skin contractions and others.  These “side effects” have both a human and a financial cost that must be taken into account when advancing your claim for compensation.

Home and vehicle modification are significant expenses for people with spinal cord injuries. These expenses have to be quantified and advanced to the insurance company on your behalf. Where the spinal cord injury was caused by a car accident, we will work with your accident benefit insurer to ensure that your needs are met to the full extent available under he statutory accident benefit regulation.

Spinal cord injuries can create a significant barrier to gainful employment.  Our spinal cord injury lawyers seek compensation for your past and future lost wages, health care insurance and pension or retirement benefits.   We will also assist you to engage vocational counselling, and accommodating devices,  when it is possible for you to return to work.

Where our client requires a caregiver, we assist you with funding through the accident benefit insurer if possible.  If there is a shortfall, or if no accident benefits are available, we will seek those damages from the defendant.

The devastating effects of a spinal cord injury on your spouse, children, parents and sometimes siblings must also be acknowledged.  Our spinal cord injury team seeks damages for loss of consortium, loss of care guidance and companionship and loss of household services among other things.  Family counselling may also be required and funding for that need claimed.

Our Ottawa spinal cord lawyers work with economists, vocational rehabilitation specialists, physiatrists, life care planning experts, neurologists, neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists in your representation.  We take all steps possible to ensure that client’s current and future needs are properly analyzed and valued.

If you, a close friend, or a family member has suffered a spinal cord injury, the lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth would be pleased to meet to discuss your injury and how we can help. We regularly meet clients at the Ottawa Civic, the Ottawa Rehab Centre or other local hospitals  for a no obligation, no pressure consultation. For more information, contact the Ottawa injury lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth by email info@ottawalawfirm.ca or by phone at (613) 233-4529.

We wish you all the best for a speedy recovery.

NEW BOOK HELPS ONTARIO WOMEN COPE WITH CAR ACCIDENTS

Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth’s Book “Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Accident Claims” Helps Women Through the Settlement and Legal Process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 12, 2009, Ottawa, ON -  Ottawa lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth has authored a new book written to help women protect their legal rights, and those of their loved ones, after injury in a preventable motor vehicle accident.  The book, “Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Accident Claims”, offers information to the busy mother/ wife/ daughter/ career woman/ homemaker and retiree on how to deal with the aftermath of an accident while also juggling all of the demands in her busy life.  Far from the usual stodgy lawyer- speak, the book is written in language that is plain but never boring.

“When a woman is injured, very often her rehabilitation and compensation are sidelined by the demands on her time that don’t stop just because she is hurting,” says Hollingsworth. “I see injured women every day in my practice who are struggling to meet their family’s needs in the face of pain and disability. Add the impact of the legal process and insurance claims and it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster.”

Nationally thousands of Canadians are injured or killed each year in preventable accidents.  For example, the Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics for 2006 reports that 199,337 Canadians were injured in collisions that year, including 2,889 deaths. The same data indicates that in Ontario, there are 772.3 injuries annually from motor vehicles for each 100,000 drivers. Accident statistics by gender are not available.

In “Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Accident Claims”, Hollingsworth offers the basic facts about typical insurance claims available after an accident; outlines the steps an accident victim should take to protect her claim; gives tips on how to deal with insurance adjusters; offers insight into how to negotiate a settlement and provides suggestions on how and when to hire a lawyer.  Real life examples from her law practice, and a healthly dose of humour round out this easy read.

“The world of car accident claims is so frustrating – so many doubts and questions, and where do you turn for trusted information and advice?  Brenda Hollingsworth, a very savvy lawyer, has written a valuable and comprehensive guide to car accident claims for savvy women, available as a public service, free of charge.  Amazing!  I am an injury lawyer myself and wish I had written this book.  Get one, and get another for a friend!” says Ches Crosbie, Newfoundland and Labrador Personal Injury Lawyer.

“As a disability lawyer for 29 years, I have seen first hand the impact accidents have on my clients’ lives. As wife and mother of 2 teenagers, I know that women take care of their family first and themselves later. Unfortunately, injuries and disability can prevent you from taking care of the people that matter most in your life.  Brenda Hollingsworth has written a new book called Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Car Accident Claims to help you and your family through this difficult time. Brenda provides you with a guide to help you be smart and savvy about your car accident claim so you can get back to what matters most in your life,” says Nancy Cavey, Florida Attorney.

Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Car Accident Claims is the second book in a series written by Hollingsworth and designed to educate the public on issues related to in accident injury cases.  The first book of the series is Injured Victim’s Guide to Fair Compensation.

Crash Course: A Savvy Woman’s Guide to Ontario Car Accident Claims is published by First Choice Books and is available in hardcopy at Amazon.com.  As a public service to residents in Ontario, Ms. Hollingsworth will provide a free copy of the book to motor vehicle accident victims or their families for a limited time.  Visit www.personalinjuryottawa.ca for more information.

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About Brenda Hollingsworth

Brenda Hollingsworth is a personal injury lawyer based in Ottawa and is a founding partner in the law firm of Auger Hollingsworth. Brenda helps clients who have been injured or whose loved ones have died as the result of an accidental injury, a slip and fall, a dangerous or defective product, nursing home abuse or neglect, or a crime. She was a recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award in 2008.

Book Details

Price: $14.95

Ask an Ottawa Accident Lawyer: Do I Have A Case?

If you have had a car accident in Ottawa, Kingston or Eastern Ontario, you are probably wondering if you have a case to claim for damages or compensation. Here are some factors that our Ontario personal injury lawyers consider when deciding whether or not you have a claim.

1) Was the accident caused by someone’s negligence?

The only way to claim damages is if there is someone from whom to claim them.   If you were the passenger in a vehicle you are unlikely to be personally responsible for the accident so you are in a good position to consider a claim.  If you were the driver, and you had the right of way, if you were rear-ended, if someone went through a stop sign or a red light, you are likely in a good position to consider bringing a claim.  Similarly, if the police charged another person in relation to your accident, that is a positive step for you and your claim.

Some other accident scenarios are more complicated.  If you believe you were not at fault in an accident,  consider speaking to a lawyer about how to determine who was at fault.  An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how to access the police records (more than what you get at the accident scene).  We also know how to hire an accident reconstruction expert, where appropriate.

2) Were you injured in the accident?

In Ontario, you cannot claim damages just because you had an accident.  You have to actually be injured.  Not only that, your injury has to be “serious” and “permanent”.  Don’t assume that you know what serious and permanent means in the context of a motor vehicle accident.  The law is changing every month.  An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you understand what that threshold means and whether your injuries are likely to meet that threshold.

In addition,  except in very serious cases, your injuries have to have a monetary value of more than $30,000 because there is a $30,000 deductible.  That means that if your injuries are worth $60,000, you get $30,000.

3) Did You Lose Income because of the Accident?

If you have lost wages because of the accident and you are not fully covered by the accident benefits income replacement benefit, you may be able to claim your lost wages as a result of the car accident.  Check with a personal injury lawyer to see if this applies in your case.

Have you been in an accident and have questions about whether you have a case for obtaining compensation? An Ottawa personal injury lawyer can help you decide how to proceed. For more information contact us today at info@ottawalawfirm.ca or at (613) 860-4529.

Women’s Business Network Press Release

The press release for the WBN Business Woman of the Year awards is here.  Auger Hollingsworth’ Ottawa personal injury lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth is a finalist for this important award.

We’ll keep you posted!

Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyer- A Morning Appearance

Personal injury lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth’s latest appearance on A Channel’s “A” Morning show is now live on You Tube.   The segment discusses what to do at an accident scene and when to contact your insurer.   Brenda will be on A Morning again on April 19 and May 10 between 9 and 10 am.

Ottawa Accident Victim’s Feedback on our Services

Sometimes the practice of law is frustrating and (seemingly) thankless.   And then, out of the blue, you get an email like this:

It was really nice to see you today. I just want to say thanks again even though I feel that thank you is just too ordinary word for an extraordinary person like you. I am hoping to make a wise use of the amount I received today. It would have not been possible to get through this impossible journey without your understanding, support, kindness, politeness, warm welcomes and of course your priceless smile.

My health is always going to be a challenge for me. I don’t think I will physically or emotionally ever feel the same but efforts are going to be continued to restore whatever I can. If you ask me one question about what I liked the most about you Brenda I would say I honored your commitment and honesty the most. Your selfless efforts putting the time in your clients must be emotionally rewarding for you although it may get hectic sometime.

I deeply appreciated your prompt responses to my concerns all along whether it was mid day or mid night. You are a special person Brenda you will have your challenges at time with difficult cases or sometime may be annoying but I have to tell you that you make a big difference in people’s life. I felt it in every aspect; it is hard to explain it,  all I can say is that people go through tough times during this process; your smile, opinions, recommendation, and prompt responses to their concerns work better than any physician or psychologist’s supports.

It is you during the whole process that person puts his or her 110% trust and faith in.

(Re-printed with permission and thanks!)