When an Ontario accident results in catastrophic injuries, injured motorists are entitled to receive accident benefits from their auto insurance companies. Contrary to what many injured car accident victims in Kingston believe, injured motorists have to file a claim with their own auto insurance companies. Many injured drivers believe that all of their financial recovery comes from the at-fault drivers. This is not true. Injured motorists have a claim with their insurance companies to recover accident benefits, in addition to a tort claim against the at-fault drivers.
In order to receive accident benefits, injured motorists have a lot of forms to complete, and it can be overwhelming and frustrating. If the forms are not completed correctly, injured motorists may not receive the maximum amount of benefits they are entitled to, including the medical and rehabilitation care benefit and income replacement benefit.
OCF-3 – Disability Certificate
One of the most important forms injured motorists must fill out is the OCF-3 -Disability Certificate. This form is important because it tells the insurance company about the motorist’s injuries. It also tells the insurance company how the injuries affect the individual’s ability to return to work. Below are some tips on how to complete the form.
The form must be completed by a qualified health practitioner.
Injured insured motorists are required to fill out a portion of the form. It also requires the motorist’s health care providers to complete the remainder of the form. The form can be completed by any of the following health care providers:
- Chiropractor
- Dentist
- Nurse Practitioner
- Occupational Therapist
- Optometrist
- Physician/Doctor
- Physiotherapist
- Psychologist
- Speech-Language Pathologist
If the form is completed by an individual not in the above list, then the form is not completed properly.
Provide a good description of your injuries.
Part 3 of the OCF-3 requires injured motorists to “[g]ive a brief description of the accident and what happened to you. Please describe any injuries you sustained as a direct result of the accident.” The space provided to fill in the description is small. Many people try to be brief and fit their answers in this section. However, there is a box injured drivers can check stating that they are attaching additional sheets for answering this part of the form.
This section is important because it is where injured motorists tell the insurance company about their injuries and how the accident happened.
The description should not be condensed or leave out specific details because it can affect the amount of accident benefits catastrophically injured motorists may receive. How you fill out this part of the form may also affect the damages claims when a tort claim is filed against the at-fault driver.
Help from Experienced Catastrophic Car Accident Injury Lawyers
If you were in a car accident in Ontario cities, such as Kingston, Ottawa and Whitby, and need help with your accident benefits claim, call the lawyers at Bergeron Clifford to schedule a FREE consultation. 866-384-5886
