Muskoka Personal Injury Lawyers - Sokoloff

Sokoloff Lawyers: Personal Injury Lawyers
for Muskoka Injury Victims

SOKOLOFF LAWYERS: PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS FOR MUSKOKA

Muskoka is one of the most beautiful areas in Canada, and those of us who live in the region know how lucky we are. But compared to other regions, Muskoka has a high motor vehicle accident rate, and many of those accidents result in injuries. Approximately one-third of us who live in Muskoka commute to work, which means that a lot of us are on the road every day, in all kinds of weather. In addition, our region is a popular place to ride recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles and ATVs, which unfortunately have high injury and death rates. Motorcycle accidents are the third most common cause of injury in the region, followed by pedestrian accidents and cycling accidents. There are a variety of factors contributing to motor vehicle accidents in our region, including impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, weather, and road design.

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IMPAIRED DRIVING?

One of the most preventable — and most deadly — causes of motor vehicle accidents in this country is impaired driving. MADD Canada reports that every day on average, four Canadians are killed and 175 are injured in impairment-related crashes. The organization estimates that between 1,250 and 1,500 people are killed and more than 63,000 are injured each year in Canada in impairment-related crashes. Impaired driving includes drinking and driving as well as drugs and driving. Impaired drivers are far less likely to be able to control a vehicle.

Drinking and driving has long been a problem in Canada. Alcohol affects a driver’s judgement, reaction time, and perception. With a blood alcohol level of .02, far below the legal limit, visual functions are impaired, and a driver’s ability to perform two tasks at the same time declines. At .06, drivers show reduced coordination, reduced ability to track moving object, difficult steering, and a greatly reduced ability to respond to emergency situations. By .08, the legal limit, Drivers have seriously impaired concentration, reduced information processing capability, difficulty controlling speed, and even short-term memory loss. Anything over the legal limit represents a significantly reduced ability to control a vehicle. Impaired drivers are also far more likely to engage in risky behaviours, such as speeding or not wearing a seatbelt, which means that when an accident occurs, injuries are more severe.

While the dangers of drinking and driving have been well publicized, the driving under the influence of cannabis or other drugs is just as deadly. Cannabis use reduces concentration and attention span, slows reaction time, and alters a driver’s perception of time and distance. A 2013 BC study found that cannabis use by the driver increased the likelihood of a motor vehicle accident by a factor of five. When a driver used both cannabis and alcohol, the chance of an accident increased by a factor of forty.

Law enforcement, health, and advocacy organizations work to reduce the numbers of impaired drivers on the road — and off. Unfortunately, many recreational snowmobilers and ATV drivers often engage in drinking or drug use while operating these vehicles. A 2021 report from Statistics Canada notes that approximately half of snowmobile deaths between 2013 and 2019 involved alcohol or drug use, and the OPP recently reported that Ontario suffered a higher number of ATV deaths in 2020 than in any of the ten preceding years; over 40% of those deaths involved drugs or alcohol.

IF YOU’VE BEEN INJURED

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident, whether or not an impaired driver was involved, you should call Sokoloff Lawyers as soon as possible. At our firm, we understand that an injury can turn your world upside-down and that you will need time and peace of mind in order to heal. Yet obtaining compensation for your injury will involve filing an insurance claim, and possibly even initiating a lawsuit, and these are complex and exacting tasks. You will need a good personal injury lawyer on your side, and Sokoloff Lawyers can help.

At Sokoloff Lawyers, we put the client’s needs first and we go above and beyond to be sure that you get the advice and support you need while you recover. Our lawyers offer services in a variety of languages; we pride ourselves on being a multilingual law office and can help you with your personal injury case no matter what language you speak.

Sometimes people are reluctant to contact a lawyer because household finances are under pressure due to the injury victim’s inability to work and/or medical expenses. But Sokoloff Lawyers work on a contingency fee basis: we don’t charge hourly rates, rather, we receive a percentage of any damages that you receive. And an initial consultation with one of our lawyers is free, so you can ask questions and decide whether or not to work with us without spending a cent.

Call Sokoloff Lawyers today and learn more about your options.

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