Paul Hergott

Hergott: Getting fair compensation for accident-related setbacks

Here the second part of your priorities for when you have been involved in a vehicle crash.

Hergott: Think ahead about how to respond to a vehicle crash

If we don’t have a plan of action figured out, our effectiveness can be non-existent when an emergency occurs

Hergott: Some soft tissue injuries just don’t heal quickly

The bad news is that any time there is a high percentage with excellent outcomes, there is necessarily a lower percentage with poor ones…

Hergott; Dealing with crash injuries like training for marathon

After passive rehab therapies, active rehab kicks in.

Hergott: Negotiating a settlement difficult without legal advice

Without having a clear negotiation goal, and holding a wet noodle instead of a sword…

Paul Hergott

Financial injury claims not always simple

'Fair financial compensation for loss' isn't always simple.

Paul Hergott

Hergott: Inattentive driving becomes the norm

Years of driving without that horrible, perfect coincidence of vehicle placement and movement can lead us to driving on autopilot.

Herott: At-fault drivers should see the injuries they’ve caused

I look offending drivers in the eye, and ask what they know about my client’s injuries. Not one of them has even bothered to inquire.

Hergott: In medical malpractice cases, get a second, or third, opinion

If there was an error in my medical care and I suffered a devastating outcome, I would want a second, or perhaps third, legal opinion.

Hergott: Let’s focus on things we can do something about

May each of us direct the powerlessness we might feel about things we cannot control, like cancer, into things we most certainly can.

Hergott: Maintaining acceptable boundaries

Policy stirred up controversy in a culture where physical contact between coaches and players is a regular occurrence.

Hergott: Not ready to get off my soapbox

Over the years…column topics have shifted gear towards road safety as a campaign of “One Crash is Too Many” began taking shape.

Hergott: Misleading to focus on ‘dollars and cents’

A “huge settlement” means huge loss, and is therefor the worst outcome.

Hergott: ‘Yeah, but’ puts victim unfairly on defensive

The law requires ICBC to provide full, fair compensation for those symptoms that would not have occurred absent the collision.

Hergott: Witnesses knew you before your life-changing crash

The critical witnesses I am referring to are those people in your life before the crash “witnessing” the way you related back then.

Hergott: Legal aftermath of rear-ender accident case

The defence managed to avoid compensating the plaintiff for a future of chronic pain…with…the “magic pill defence.”

Hergott: Courts recognize domestic duties should be valued

Does our legal system provide for some sort of compensation for lost capability to do unpaid domestic chores?

Hergott: Look at what car rental companies call ‘insurance’

I don’t feel comfortable unless I’ve got at least $2 million of liability insurance…

Hergott: One universal guideline

Follow the medical recommendations of your treatment team as if your ICBC claim didn't exist.

Hergott: Technology has turned us into lazy drivers

The irony (of last column) is that technology can be blamed for the car crash epidemic in the first place.