Ontario legal information · Sources appear with each important rule
One collision may produce two claims—and more than one policy may matter
Accident benefits can respond without waiting for fault to be resolved. A liability claim is different: it asks who failed to use reasonable care and what damages followed. Employment disability coverage, workplace insurance or family-protection coverage may also need to be checked.
For automobile policies entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2026, medical, rehabilitation and attendant-care benefits remain mandatory while other accident benefits are optional. The policy and declarations page therefore matter from the beginning.3
Start with five facts
- Who was injured and what road user were they?
- Which vehicles, drivers, owners and employers were involved?
- Which automobile and disability policies may respond?
- What has the insurer approved, requested or denied?
- What has changed in treatment, work and daily life?
Look beyond the last driver who made contact
Responsibility may involve a driver, vehicle owner, employer, commercial operator, maintenance contractor, road authority or another participant. The facts determine which parties should be investigated. Ontario law can divide responsibility when more than one person contributed.4
A useful investigation separates what is known from what is inferred. Traffic controls, sightlines, vehicle data, video, witness position, road conditions and the sequence of impacts can matter differently in each type of collision.
The evidence should connect the crash to health, function and money
Medical records should describe symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. They are stronger when paired with concrete evidence about walking, driving, concentration, sleep, self-care, household roles and the ability to sustain work.
Reports, photographs, video, witnesses and vehicle information
Clinical records, imaging, referrals, treatment response and prognosis
Specific before-and-after examples from home, work and the community
Income records, expenses, replacement services and future needs
Report promptly and track each claim on its own clock
Ottawa Police gives different reporting directions depending on injury, vehicle condition and the circumstances of the collision.5 Insurance notice, accident-benefit disputes and a civil action do not necessarily use the same deadline.
Ontario’s basic civil limitation period is generally two years from discovery, but discoverability is fact-specific and shorter notice or procedural periods may apply.6 A general date calculator is not a substitute for reviewing the actual documents.
How a personal injury lawyer may help after this collision.
The lawyer's role should be tied to this accident: identify who may be responsible, find every policy that may respond, preserve evidence and build the claim around the person's actual recovery and loss.
- Investigate responsibility and preserve collision evidence.
- Coordinate accident benefits with the claim against the at-fault party.
- Develop medical, functional and income-loss evidence over time.
Sources and legal references
The numbered footnotes link to the official sources used on this page.
View 6 sources
- Ontario — Insurance Act
Ontario’s automobile-insurance framework, including statutory accident benefits and liability coverage.
Back to footnote ↑ - Ontario — Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule
The current regulation governing Ontario automobile accident benefits.
Back to footnote ↑ - FSRA — Customize liability and accident-benefits coverage
Official consumer explanation of mandatory and optional coverage from July 1, 2026.
Back to footnote ↑ - Ontario — Negligence Act
Ontario’s statutory framework for shared responsibility and contribution.
Back to footnote ↑ - Ottawa Police Service — Collision reporting
Current Ottawa collision-reporting directions.
Back to footnote ↑ - Ontario — Limitations Act, 2002
The basic civil limitation period and discoverability framework.
Back to footnote ↑