Iacobelli Law Firm named a Three Best Rated personal injury law firm in our community in 2019.  We are thankful for having been selected among the Three Brest Rated law firms again this year.  We also received this honor in 2018.  

Three Best Rated® identifies the top 3 local businesses, professionals, restaurants, health care providers, etc., in any city. Businesses named are handpicked based on reputation, reviews, history, complaints, ratings, nearness, satisfaction, trust, cost, general excellence, and reputation.  

Iacobelli Law Firm is committed to pursuing justice and advocating for our clients with fairness, integrity, and civility. We are privileged to serve our clients, and our community.  We are thankful for the recognition and positive feedback.  

In this series of posts, we will discuss some of the common misconceptions that people have after a car accident injury. 

​Misconception 1: I have insurance, so I don’t need a personal injury lawyer.  

Following a car accident injury, many people believe that their insurance company will take care of everything for them.  While most people do not need a lawyer to deal with the insurance claim for the damage to their car or truck, it is a misconception to think that a personal injury claim is the same.  Injury claims, however, are not the same as property damage.  The entitlement to benefits is complicated by numerous definitions and tests for eligibility.  Often times, injury claims, will involve multiple insurance companies.  Even if the insurance company makes an offer to an injury victims, caution should be exercised before accepting and settling the claim.  It is important to remember that insurance companies are a for-profit business. As such, an initial offer from the insurance company to settle your claim may be less than the full amount that you may be entitled to. Negotiating with the insurance company could result in an unfair settlement.   Furthermore, the insurance company may ask you to provide a statement, which could be later used against you to undermine or defeat your claim. If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident, it is always in your best interest to talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer— a lawyer who is working for you.  An injury lawyer can evaluate your claim help you to make informed decisions for your future.  

To learn more, contact the injury lawyers at Iacobelli Law Firm. 

During the first week of 2019, there were 19 impaired drivers charged in York Region.  According to York Regional Police, all 19 drivers were charged with criminal driving offences.

The names of the drivers charged can be found on the York Regional Police website.

Iacobelli Law Firm reminds drivers to be responsible and avoid driving if you may be impaired.  If you or a family member has been the victim of an accident caused by an impaired driver you may have rights.  To learn more about your rights,call us for a FREE consultation.  

The injury lawyers and team at Iacobelli Law Firm extends a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our clients and colleagues.  We understand that this time of the year can be particularly difficult for victims of serious injury, and for families that have lost a loved one, due to a careless accident.  We hope that all of our clients will find comfort and some measure of joy this Holiday season and throughout 2019.  

Sincerely,
Iacobelli Law Firm

Canadians travel frequently to the United States to visit friends or family, for vacation and for work.  When a Ontario resident is involved in a car accident while visiting the United States, they will often have access to Canadian and US insurance benefits. Quite often, when a Canadian is injured in a car accident in the USA, the claims for losses are primarily paid by a Canadian auto insurance policy.   

Fortunately, auto insurance policies issued to drivers and automobile owners in Ontario, provide coverage throughout Canada and the United States.  These policies include first-party accident benefits, as well as coverage for liability and underinsured and uninsured motorists. 

​With respect to the first-party benefits, an Ontario resident will have the option of electing benefits of either Ontario or the State where the accident occurred, in the case of a car accident in the United States.  The election cannot be changed, so it is important to understand the difference between Ontario benefits and the place of the accident before making an election of benefits on your accident benefits claim.  

Most US states also have lower minimum insurance requirements for their drivers and vehicles.  As such, many Canadians from Ontario will also need to consider advancing an Underinsured or, sometimes, Uninsured motorist claim.  These claims must be commenced in the Province of Ontario, even though the accident occurred in the United States.  Canadian courts have recognized that Ontario residents injured in an accident in the United States have a direct right to commence the  Underinsured or Uninsured claim independently of any claim they might also have against the at-fault driver in the United States. See, Somersall v. Friedman, 2002 SCC 59 (CanLII), [2002] 3 S.C.R. 109; Johnson v. Wunderlich (1986), 57 O.R. (2d) 600, 1986 CanLII 2618 (ON CA), 1986 CanLII 2618 (C.A.); Forsythe v. Westfall, 2015 ONCA 810.

It is important for Ontario residents to realize that they may need an Ontario car accident injury lawyer, even if they have hired a personal injury lawyer in the United States.  Although the U.S. lawyer will be able to advance the claims against the at-fault driver in the United States, they will not likely be familiar with the first-party claims for accident benefits, and underinsured motorists benefits.  

Iacobelli Law Firm regularly represents Canadians in their insurance claims following a car accident in the United States.  Lawyer Andrew Iacobelli has experience in Ontario and the United States, and is licensed in Ontario, Michigan and Florida, and is a member of trial lawyer organizations in Canada and the United States.  We have relationship and a network  with many lawyers throughout the United States, giving us the ability to assist Ontario residents with representation in Ontario, and we can also introduce you to lawyers in the U.S. to advance any part of the claim that must be commenced in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred.  

If you are a Canadian (Ontario) resident and have been injured in a car accident in the United States, we may be able to assist.  We provide FREE CONSULTATION with no obligation to prospective clients.  The Consultation is Free, Confidential and without any obligation on your part.  Call us any time, day or night, to learn more about your rights or to request a free consultation with a lawyer by calling 1-866-234-6093 or completing our contact form here.  

On November 15, 2018, a pedestrian sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario.  According to York Regional Police, this pedestrian accident occurred at 9:20 am at the intersection of Tenth Line and Main Street. 

The victim, a 78 year old woman from Stroufville was struck by a White Hyundai Tucson.  The female pedestrian was transported to hospital in life-threatening condition.  

First and foremost, the injury lawyers at Iacobelli Law Firm sincerely hope that the victim of this pedestrian accident makes a complete and speedy recovery from her injuries. 

Ontario Drivers Owe Duty of Care to Pedestrians
When a pedestrian is struck by a car or other motor vehicle in Ontario, there is a presumption of negligence against the driver.  This reverse onus for pedestrian accidents is created by the Highway Traffic Act.  
 
In accidents involving serious injuries or death due to pedestrian and motor vehicle collisions, it is extremely important to have the advice and counsel of an Ontario personal injury lawyer.  Early preservation of facts and witness accounts is critical to the issue of liability.     

Pedestrians injured as a result of a car accident may be entitled to compensation from two sources:

•     Accident Benefits from your own automobile insurance policy or from the insurance for another vehicle involved in the accident

•     Tort Claim against the at-fault driver for compensation, including damages that are not available through accident benefits, such as pain and suffering. 

To learn more about your rights following a serious accident, contact the experienced personal injury lawyers at Iacobelli Law Firm for a FREE, No Obligation Consultation.  We will meet with you and answer your questions.  Call us 24/7 at 416-900-1070 or complete our online contact form here to request a call back. 

Iacobelli Law Firm is pleased to have the honour of contributing an article in the Sharing Our Recovery Newsletter.  The article appearing in the 2018 Fall Edition of the Sharing our Recovery Newsletter deals with Long Term Disability Claims.  The lawyers at Iacobelli Law Firm are experienced in representing individuals that have had their Long Term Disability claims denied or delayed.  Sharing Our Recovery is a quarterly newsletter published by Picking Up Pieces designed to support victims, survivors, caregivers and loved ones of motor vehicle collisions.  To read the article, visit the Sharing Our Recovery Newsletter here.

The personal injury lawyers and staff at Iacobelli Law Firm would like to wish all of our valued clients,colleagues and friends a safe and enjoyable labour day long weekend.   Police will be in full force during the long weekend to crack down on impaired and aggressive driving.  If you plan to consume alcohol, please remember to have a designated driver or take a taxi or Uber home.  

In Ontario this weekend also marks the week that students return to school - so we also want to remind motorists to drive carefully over the coming week.  Please be on the lookout for children walking to and from school, and drive appropriately through neighborhoods and school zones.  

If you are looking for the Ontario injury law firm that advertises and yet actually works on your file from inception to conclusion, you have reached the right place.  If you call the telephone number on our advertisements, you will talk to a representative from our office and consult with one of our personal injury lawyers.  If we accept your case, it will be our personal injury lawyers working directly with you to advance your claim.  We do not use actors or slogans in our advertisements, and we do not refer out files to the highest bidder. 

There has been increasing advertising of personal injury lawyers in Toronto and across Ontario. The opinions on  advertising are varied, and there has been negative media treatment toward some firms that advertise.  Some of these law firms have been exposed as being primarily referral services that seek to generate high call volumes and then sell cases to other lawyers that are willing to pay for the referral.  Others have been found to use actors in place of lawyers, or use slogans that may be misleading.  At Iacobelli Law Firm, we seek to make our advertisements as straightforward as possible.  The photo on our ad is of an actual Ontario injury lawyer, Andrew Iacobelli.  If you call, and we are able to assist with your matter, you will meet with either Andrew Iacobelli or another lawyer at our office. We will never collect your information and shop your file around.  If we cannot assist with your matter, we may suggest the names of some other lawyers that can assist with your matter.

If you have been involved in a car accident, or slip and fall accident call us for straightforward advice.  We will meet with you and listen to you and answer your questions.  Our consultations are FREE and confidential.  There is never any obligation to hire our firm.  To learn more, contact us at 416-900-1070.