What coverage is available from your auto insurer if you have been injured in a car accident in Ontario?

In Ontario, every auto insurance policy includes basic Statutory Accident Benefits coverages that are legislated under the law.  These benefits provide assistance to you following an accident regardless of fault if you, your passengers, or pedestrians are injured or die as a result of the accident.  In some cases, such as an accident that occurs while committing a crime (impaired driving for example), not all benefits are available.  Furthermore, some benefits and coverages are optional and only available if you have contacted your insurance company to request optional benefits.  You can read more about that here in our blog post about the cost of optional benefits.  Optional benefits are not expensive and we think they are worth the extra few dollars per month for improved coverage.

Basic and optional Statutory Accident Benefits that you may be entitled to include:

  • Income replacement:  Replaces a very modest portion of your employment income while you are recovering from your injuries.
  • Caregiver:  Provides compensation if you are required to leave work to care for an injured member of your household.
  • Non-earner:  Provides compensation if you are completely unable to carry on your normal pre-accident life, and do not qualify for income replacement or caregiver benefit.
  • Medical and Rehabilitation:  Pays for the medical and rehabilitation costs associated with recovering from your injuries.  This is the benefit that pays for car accident physiotherapy and other rehabilitation services.
  • Attendant Care:  Pays for some of the costs of an aide or attendant for personal care tasks.
  • Compensation for other expenses:  May pay for the cost of family visits during recovery, some home maintenance and cleaning, the repair or replacements of items lost or damaged in the accident, or lost educational expenses.

If you have questions about accessing physiotherapy and rehabilitation after a motor vehicle accident please do not hesitate to contact Physio In Motion.  We have been working with the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) for more than two decades and we would be happy to share our knowledge with you.