London Personal Injury Lawyers - Sokoloff

Sokoloff Lawyers: Personal Injury Lawyers
for London Injury Victims

In September of 2020, Middlesex OPP reported an alarming statistic: fatal car crashes increased by approximately 40% in the London area. The number of injuries due to motor vehicle accidents and car-pedestrian/cyclist accidents has also risen significantly. Like many other jurisdictions in Ontario, London has adopted a “Vision Zero” approach. Vision Zero is a global movement dedicated to eliminating traffic deaths and injuries caused by vehicle crashes. This program works to promote safer driving and to change infrastructure to maximize road safety.

These recent numbers are discouraging for law enforcement, government agencies, and organizations working for road safety. What is contributing to this spike in the number of serious injuries and deaths? The OPP has pinpointed a number of different factors, including:

  • Speeding
  • Distracted driving
  • Not wearing seatbelts
  • Impaired driving

FREE CONSULTATION FORM

CHANGING DRIVER BEHAVIOUR

One of the challenges any safe driving initiative faces is the fact that driver behaviour can be very difficult to change. Each of the factors named by the Ontario Provincial Police relates to driver behaviour.

Despite heroic efforts by groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Canada still has shockingly high drunk driving rates. Driver.ca reports: “Canada has the worst rate of drunk-driving deaths in the developed world. With an estimated 1,500 fatalities every year, it is Canada’s leading cause of criminal death, well above the 600 to 700 Canadians who die annually in homicides.” An additional 63,000 are injured in accidents involving impaired-drivers. Impaired driving includes drivers with blood alcohol levels above .08% as well as those who drive after using cannabis or other substances that can impair judgement and the ability to operate a motor vehicle. Mixing the two can be particularly deadly: a BC study found that drivers were five times more likely to get into an accident after drinking, and forty times more likely after using both alcohol and drugs.

Distracted driving is also a problem on our roads, with cellphone use posing a particular danger. It’s estimated that someone is injured on Ontario roads once every half hour due to distracted driving. A driver using a phone is four times more likely to be involved in a crash than one who is paying attention to the road. Aggressive driving leads to driver behaviours such as speeding and tailgating, or even “road rage” incidents. A crash at high speed is far more deadly than one at lower speeds, and one of the aims of Vision Zero in the London area is to lower speed limits in specific zones, as well as changing infrastructure to encourage drivers to slow down. Police and government are working together to try to educate drivers on the dangers of impaired, distracted, and aggressive driving in the hope of reducing deaths and injuries on our roads.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED

If you or a family member has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you know how difficult life can become — in the blink of an eye. An injury victim may have suffered the loss of mental or physical abilities, and the prognosis may be uncertain. Your family’s life as you knew it may be altered forever, or at least for the foreseeable future. As well, an injury victim often loses work and the household income is affected; sometimes an injury victim needs special care, and a family member has to stay home to provide it. Financial losses can mean added stress for your family. Even when the prognosis is relatively positive, and finances are not a problem, injuries take time to heal: this can be one of the most challenging periods of your life. During this period, you will want to consult with a personal injury lawyer to see how you will be compensated for your injuries.

Sokoloff Lawyers can help you to explore your options; they can file an insurance claim or a lawsuit for you. They will provide advice and emotional support during this tough period and will work hard on your behalf. Our lawyers do only personal injury cases, so we have experience and familiarity with the medical system, the insurance system, and the legal system. Even though the vast majority of personal injury lawsuits are settled out of court, Sokoloff Lawyers are experienced trial lawyers, so if you need to go to court, your lawyer will be ready. In addition, Sokoloff Lawyers offers multilingual services, one of the few personal injury law firms where you can communicate with your lawyer in the language you are most comfortable using.

Sometimes injury victims are worried about paying for legal advice, but Sokoloff Lawyers works on a contingency basis. This means that we do not charge hourly fees for our services; instead, we contract for a percentage of any compensation you receive. With a contingency fee, we don’t get paid until you get paid. And of course, you can schedule an initial meeting with one of our lawyers for no charge. Meet with a Sokoloff Lawyer, learn more about your situation, and decide whether or not you would like to work with us.

If you’ve been injured, contact Sokoloff Lawyers today and get the compensation you deserve!

Scroll to Top