Articles

It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.
-- John Cheever

Unfortunately, as splendid as our summer mornings here in Toronto and the surrounding area are, many things can go wrong! Aside from the usual car accidents and pedestrian accidents, we now have an influx of cyclists, tourists, open swimming pools…the list goes on and on.

With the massive popularity of social networking websites, individuals may unwittingly be generating a trail of documentary evidence about themselves that could be used at some point against them in the courtroom. Increasingly, insurance companies are recognizing the legal value of social networking websites in providing potentially valuable evidence in cases where insurance lawyers are seeking to challenge the benefits sought under a personal injury claim.

The effects of winter seem to have resonated to the enjoyment of pastimes. Just as there have been a large amount of pedestrian deaths in 2010 thus far, there seems to have been an unwanted number of snowmobiling related accidents and deaths as well. Let’s face it, this winter in Canada has been unusual, especially in Ontario where we did not see an accumulation of snow until February.

It has long been said that technology is a distraction for motorists, which is why new legislation was enacted that bans the use of hand-held devices in cars, or so-called “Distracted Driving”. The legislation came with a grace period, which came to an end on February 1, 2010. Police will no longer be issuing warnings, but will be issuing tickets for texting, phone calls or using handheld devices while driving. So, apparently, we have another measure in place to promote safe driving.