Hamilton Ontario Personal Injury Blog

Those who are disabled as a result of an accident can face many barriers throughout their lives. One of the challenges people can face when they have a long-term disability is the ability to seek an education. This especially affects those who are injured when they are still young. Ontario's Human Rights Commission recently broached this subject, saying it is updating its education policy for people with disabilities.

The update to the policy is the first in 14 years. The commission is also making recommendations on accessible education in hopes of helping people address the evolving approach and understanding of disability needs in educational settings. The move is the result of changes in both legal and social understandings of disability.

When someone is badly injured, will they be able to return to work? According to a recent report, the answer to this question is not only dependent on medical diagnoses. The research shows that supervisors play a significant role in whether a person who has suffered a short or long-term disability in the workplace will be able to return to work. These findings are valuable for Ontario business owners, supervisors and workers alike.

The study took a sample of 869 Australian workers who had received workers' compensation and took time off work as a result of an injury or illness. In the first of at least three surveys, respondents were asked to share the reaction of their supervisor and peers when they took the time off due to their injuries. Interestingly, those who said their supervisor was supportive were 2.3 times more likely to have returned to work successfully.

Both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and suicide are serious problems affecting youth in Canada, but a causal relationship between the two has not been heavily scrutinized by researchers. This may be changing, as recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is suggesting that a disproportionate number of traumatic brain injury victims commit suicide relative to others without this personal injury history. This information may have an impact on how Ontario TBI victims understand the long-term impacts of their injuries.

The researchers reviewed data from Denmark, where over 34,500 deaths between 1980 and 2014 were attributed to suicide. They found that of those who committed suicide in the country, 10 percent also had traumatic brain injury noted in their medical records. This meant that people with TBI were 81 percent more likely to commit suicide than their noninjured counterparts.

How common are serious injuries from falls in Canada? A recent study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information investigated this question. Their results showed a high number of emergency room visits and hospital stays as a result of falling across the country. This data may be of interest to slip-and-fall victims in Ontario.

According the research, almost 1,800 Canadians per day  went to hospital emergency rooms due to a fall in 2016-2017. An average of 417 of these patients stayed overnight due to the fall. Most falls were caused by slipping, tripping or stumbling at home. Those who stayed in the hospital due to a fall were there for an average of 14.3 days, almost double the average of 7.5 days for all hospital visits.