Car crash injury payout cap triples
Posted Apr 28, 2010 03:05:33 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Nova Scotians injured in car crashes could see more money for their injuries.
Finance Minister Graham Steele examined the cap on soft-tissue injuries and heard repeatedly that it was unfair.
“They told us that the amount of the cap isn’t high enough the legal definitions are confusing and it is difficult to get legal representation for cases that might involve minor injuries.”
Changes to the Insurance Act will triple payments awarded to those with minor injuries from $2,500 to $7,500. It will also change to definition to include strains, sprains and whiplash disorders.
“The new definition will much more closely reflect what ordinary people would think of as a minor injury,” says Steele.
The amendments come into effect today although insurance companies have until July 1 to catch up.
The Progressive Conservative John Hamm government voted in the $2,500 cap in 2003 in hopes of lowering insurance premiums in the province.
