The letters MIR stand for Minor Injury Regulation. Yet residents of Alberta normally associate that particular regulation with a 3-letter word: cap. According to the MIR, compensation for minor injuries should be capped at $4,000.00.
How do the MIR’s authors define a minor injury? Their definition makes reference to a sprain, a strain or a whiplash-associated disorder without neurological issues. Accident victims should know about that exceptions to the capping regulation extend beyond the list of major injuries.
The significance of such exceptions
A listing of exceptions includes any significant impairment that continues for months. At the same time, there are other disorders that might be suffered by a victim, and those same victims should not feel affected by the capping regulations. A listing of those disorders would include things like chronic pain, jaw issues, fibromyalgia, concussions, headaches and psychological issues.
So, how can a victim feel confident of the veracity of a ruling, regarding the classification of an accident-caused injury? Victims that hire an injury lawyer in Edmonton can enjoy a high level of confidence. A lawyer can insist on a thorough review of an injured client’s medical records.
The proper time for such a review
Understand that a lawyer’s intervention does not prove especially effective, if it enters the picture after the insurance company has made its determination. That is why a smart victim should consult with an injury lawyer before accepting a suggestion from the insurance company.
Keep in mind the lawyer’s ability to seek out testimony from experts. That expert could be a professional in the medical field. The expert’s testimony could throw new light on the issues associated with a specific impairment or disorder. That new light might expose an issue that the insurance company had overlooked.
What lawyers should know about testing
Certain new tests can be used to prove the existence of a significant impairment, one that a lawyer’s client might have suffered for 6 or more months. Those new tests measure the degree to which a strain has affected a patient’s muscles. In other words, advances in technology provide lawyers with a way to prove that a strain has developed into more than a minor injury. Is there a name for those advances in technology? If so, what is that name? Furthermore, does mention of advances suggest that there is more than one test?
Indeed, there are two different tests that can be used to measure the degree to which a strain has affected a patient’s muscles. One is called shear wave ultrasound; the other goes by this name: shear wave elastography. An injury lawyer’s familiarity with the word elastography should startle any insurance insurer that views a policy holder’s strain as only a minor impairment.