Ottawa Accident Lawyer’s Insurance Bloopers of 2010
Reflecting on Insurance Company Practices in 2010
As we wind down 2010, the Ottawa Personal Injury Lawyers at our law firm wanted to share some of the “low lights” of our dealings with insurance companies on behalf of our clients in 2010.
Here are our top four this year:
- The insurance company cut off benefits saying the claimant had not pursued a specific treatment AFTER the insurance company denied that the treatment was reasonable and necessary. The treatment was recommended in an assessment by the insurance company, the treatment provider filed the forms with the insurance company, the insurance company denied the treatment, and then cut off benefits!
- The insurance company refused to pay benefits to a claimant saying that the claimant had not undergone a insurer’s assessment, when the insurance company had repeatedly failed to give the claimant notice of any assessment telling her where and when to show up. The insurance company kept scheduling appointments with the assessors and then forgot to send the notice to our client.
- The insurance company told a man who now uses a wheelchair for mobility that they did not have to ensure he had an accessible washroom because he lived in a rental home. (Renters don’t have to go, I guess?)
- The insurance company refused to fix a teenager’s teeth which were broken in an accident saying they had no proof of the damage despite being provided with before and after photos. Imagine having your graduation photos taken with broken front teeth. Not nice.
The accident lawyers at our firm are either working on or have resolved each of these issues for our clients. If you had an accident and didn’t have a lawyer, would you know how to fix these issues? (Hint: rational discussion usually does not work.)
