{"id":12119,"date":"2022-02-24T13:52:13","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T13:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/?p=12119"},"modified":"2022-02-24T14:03:37","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T14:03:37","slug":"filing-a-lawsuit-for-an-incapacitated-victim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/filing-a-lawsuit-for-an-incapacitated-victim\/","title":{"rendered":"Filing a Lawsuit for an Incapacitated Victim"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is it possible to file a personal injury claim on behalf of a family member who has been incapacitated? The quick answer is yes, and you can take legal action against a negligent party for injuries suffered by an incapacitated victim.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, here, \u201cincapacity\u201d refers only to the mental abilities of an injured victim. If a person suffers severe physical injuries in an accident but otherwise remains mentally capable of making decisions, they are not considered to be incapacitated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, when a family member suffers brain injuries or any other injury that makes them mentally incapable of pursuing a lawsuit, a legal guardian with power of attorney can do so on their behalf. Find out about incapacitated victims&#8217; legal options and rights to learn if you are eligible to take legal action on their behalf.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><b>Determining When Someone is Incapacitated<\/b><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 45 of Ontario&#8217;s<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/statute\/92s30#BK77\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substitute Decisions Act, 1992<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Section 4 of the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/statute\/96h02#BK4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Health Care Consent Act, 1996<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> define incapacity as someone who lacks the mental ability to make personal care and health decisions for themselves and who doesn\u2019t understand the consequences of their choices.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Examples of incapacity include someone who sustained traumatic brain injuries in an accident or a child who sustained birth injuries.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, an incapacitated person may be any one of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An infant<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A child under 16<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person with developmental disabilities<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person with<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/practice-areas\/brain-injury-lawyers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">severe brain injuries<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A person in mental decline<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, except for infants and children under 16, you cannot simply decide that a family member is incapacitated and make decisions for them. Ontario law<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/mental-capacity\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">assumes adults have the mental capacity to make decisions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unless otherwise proved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can request a capacity assessment of a family member from a professional, known as a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca\/english\/family\/pgt\/capacityoffice.php#list\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">capacity assessor<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to determine a person&#8217;s capacity for legal purposes. If incapacity is so proven, you can apply to the court to be appointed as litigation guardian before filing, for example, a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/diamondlaw_faqs\/how-to-file-a-lawsuit-against-negligent-hospital-staff\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">personal injury claim against negligent hospital staff<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><b>What Is the Role of a Litigation Guardian?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A litigation guardian has the legal authority to make decisions that are in the best interests of a personal injury victim incapable of making those decisions themselves. Generally, the litigation guardian will appoint a personal injury lawyer to file an incapacitated victim lawsuit. Other decisions that a litigation guardian can make include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accept a settlement<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proceed to trial<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discontinue a claim<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><b>How to Act as a Litigation Guardian in Ontario<\/b><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyone over the age of 18 (parents may be younger) and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/laws\/regulation\/900194#BK56\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appointed by the court<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may stand as litigation guardians provided they themselves are not otherwise incapacitated. If applying in Ontario, the litigation guardian must also be a resident of Ontario.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, a litigation guardian has grounds for their authority through kinship, marriage, or domestic partnership. The applicant may be a legal guardian, parent, spouse, partner, or other family members. When applying to an Ontario court to be appointed as the litigation guardian of an incapacitated person, you must provide the following information:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nature and date of the cause of action<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nature and extent of disability<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residence of the incapacitated person<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relationship to the person under disability and residence in Ontario<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must also execute an affidavit stating the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You consent to act as litigation guardian<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are the proper person to be appointed<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are not an interested party in the proceedings that are against the best interests of the person under disability<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You know that you may incur unrecoverable costs<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"f_infoboxes_sc\" id=\"info_b_sec\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/01\/Screenshot_1.png\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--  -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-11\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- <i onclick=\"document.getElementById('info_b_sec').style.display = 'none'\" class=\"far fa-times-circle\"><\/i> -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Did you know?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>An adult who is unable to make their own decisions may have a legal guardian appointed by a court. A person unable to make medical or financial decisions for themselves may require a guardian to act on their behalf.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><b>Dealing with Canadian Lawsuits of an Incapacitated Victim? Contact Diamond Law Today.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As defined by applicable legislation, an incapacitated victim is unable to assert his or her rights and claim compensation for the losses caused by the negligent acts of another party. As a concerned family member or legal guardian, you may have the right to act as litigation guardian and hold the parties liable for financial damages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, you might encounter difficulties navigating Canadian lawsuits of this nature, so it would be an excellent idea to go to the Diamond &amp; Diamond website for helpful information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While you&#8217;re there, you might want to get one of our experienced Diamond Law personal injury lawyers give your case a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/free-case-evaluation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free expert evaluation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We can help you navigate the intricacies of incapacitated victim lawsuits in Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you ready to take the next step? Give us a call at 1-800-567-HURT or<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/get-a-free-consultation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact us today and let&#8217;s talk<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 dir=\"ltr\"><b><i>Is your loved one suffering from an injury that has left them incapacitated? Contact the experienced personal injury lawyers from Diamond &amp; Diamond to help you file a lawsuit.<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is it possible to file a personal injury claim on behalf of a family member who has been incapacitated? The quick answer is yes, and you can take legal action against a negligent party for injuries suffered by an incapacitated victim.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 However, here, \u201cincapacity\u201d refers only to the mental abilities of an injured victim. If&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondlaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}