Starting July 1, Ontario auto insurance policies are set to change. Certain benefits for accident victims – whether they are at fault or not – which were mandatory under Ontario insurance laws will soon become optional for existing policy holders.Other changes include :Income replacement – provides payment for income lost due to injuriesDeath and funeral expensesMedical, rehabilitation and attendant care cost reimbursements Caregiver and non-earner benefitsBut many in the legal community are sounding the alarm about another big change.“I think the number of lawsuits that we’re going to see people file is going to substantially increase as a result of these changes,” said Senior Lawyer Rajiv Haté with Kotak Personal Injury Law. As it stands now, if you’re a pedestrian or cyclist hit and injured by a driver and don’t have your own auto insurance policy, you can claim benefits from the driver that hit you. Come July 1, that changes.“The pedestrian or cyclist is going to be limited to only medical rehabilitation and attendant care benefits. They will not have access to any of those other optional benefits, like income replacement or death and funeral expenses, that are available under the policy,” said Haté.He says this could lead more victims to sue at-fault drivers who, under the law, must carry a minimum of $200,000 dollars in liability coverage.“When coverages are so limited now, it’s only going to result in the victim saying, ‘well, how else do I get compensated? How else do I recover what I have lost out on as a result of this accident?” he said.More lawsuits are not good news for an already overburdened court system, said Haté. Plus, lawsuits and any potential payout could take years.“Imagine the scenario in which you’re struck as a victim and you cannot work, you may not have access to income replacement,” he said. “Yes, you may be able to sue the driver on the tort side of the claim, the at-fault claim, [but] that compensation is not immediate by any means whatsoever.”Haté and others in the legal community are speaking out about the changes while also urging those with auto policies to carefully consider any changes.“It is just not worth, in my opinion, to opt out of these coverages,” he said.Policy holders are being urged to speak with their broker or insurance providers to look over the new options available.If you have an issue, story or question you’d like us to look into, contact us.