Personal injury is now the leading cause of death among children and young adults, and is among the leading causes of hospitalization for children, young adults and seniors. However, few people who are injured actually seek compensation.

According to information released recently by Statistics Canada, personal injury is now the leading cause of death among children and young adults, and is among the leading causes of hospitalization for children, young adults and seniors. However, according to Benjamin Levinter, attorney with Levinter & Levinter (www.levinter.ca), few people who are actually entitled to seek compensation for injuries, actually do.

Says Levinter, "Whether you have suffered a personal injury in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall, or in any other way, you must have an aggressive and experienced law firm on your side in order to be fully compensated. But so many people suffer in silence and experience high medical bills that cripple their finances, when they could get the responsible party to step up to the plate and compensate them for their losses."

Many people hesitate to pursue damages, says Levinter, because they are unfamiliar with what they are entitled to. "Unless you are a law student, you probably do not know the laws describing personal injury claims. The average person doesn't know what they are truly entitled to and could be taken advantage of by an insurance firm. Hiring accident lawyers in Toronto can help you to interpret and apply applicable laws to your case." Levinter continues, explaining, "Insurance companies have their own agenda and they're not out to help the injured person, but to settle the case for the lowest bottom dollar. Many insurance firms will automatically offer low-ball settlements to people who are not working with car accident lawyers in Toronto. Because of this, it's advisable to retain a personal injury firm before you have been offered a settlement."

Levinter explains that of those who do hire personal injury attorneys, many only do so when they are disputing an unfair claim submitted by the insurance company. To save time, he explains, it's preferable to have a personal injury attorney on your side from the very beginning, one who can dispute the settlement in court if necessary. Levinter adds, "Car accidents are a fact of everyday life, especially in view of the vast number of vehicles on highways, inexperienced drivers, inattention paid while driving and carelessness, which can cause severe personal injury, pain and suffering, substantial income loss and medical expenses. If you have been injured, you might wonder if you have a claim. The bottom line is, find out from someone who knows."