Car Accident Lawyer in Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill has grown from a commuter town into one of the busiest cities in York Region, and its roads show it. Yonge Street carries heavy traffic from Oak Ridges to Langstaff, Highway 7 and Highway 407 cross the city's south end, Highway 404 runs along its east side, and arterial roads like Major Mackenzie Drive, Elgin Mills Road, 16th Avenue, Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street fill up every rush hour. Construction along the Yonge corridor and frequent winter storms add to the risk.

MAZI LAW is a personal injury firm at 4950 Yonge Street, at Sheppard Avenue in North York — a straight drive down Yonge from Richmond Hill. We represent people hurt in collisions throughout the city, from Oak Ridges, Jefferson and Bayview Hill to Mill Pond, Richvale and Langstaff, and our team speaks Farsi, the first language of many Richmond Hill families, along with English, Russian, Hebrew, Hindi and Punjabi.

Every collision is different, but the same patterns appear again and again in the files we open for York Region clients. Rear-end crashes are common in stop-and-go traffic on Yonge Street and Highway 7. T-bone collisions happen at busy signalized intersections when a driver runs a late amber or turns left across oncoming traffic. Merging and lane-change crashes occur on Highway 404 and at the 404/407 interchange, and winter weather makes the hilly northern roads around Oak Ridges especially slippery.

Who investigates depends on where it happened. Collisions on city and regional roads in Richmond Hill are handled by York Regional Police, while crashes on provincial highways such as Highway 404 and the 407 ETR are generally handled by the Ontario Provincial Police. Any collision causing injury — or combined property damage over $2,000 — must be reported to police. Seriously injured people in the area are often taken to Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital or Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, both part of Mackenzie Health.

Some collisions involve more than driver error. A pothole, a missing sign or a badly maintained intersection can contribute to a crash, and roads in Richmond Hill are maintained either by the City or by York Region. A claim against a municipality about road conditions requires written notice to the clerk within 10 days under section 44 of the Municipal Act, 2001, so tell us quickly if the road itself played a part.

Ontario uses a hybrid system. Whoever caused the collision, you can apply for statutory accident benefits from an auto insurer — usually your own. If someone else was wholly or partly at fault, you may also have a tort claim against that driver and the vehicle's owner. The two claims run side by side, with different rules, different insurers and different deadlines, which is a large part of why injured people benefit from having a lawyer coordinate them.

Since July 1, 2026, many benefits — including income replacement, non-earner and caregiver benefits — became optional for policies issued or renewed on or after that date. If you are off work after a Richmond Hill collision, whether you can replace your income through accident benefits now depends on what your policy includes, and the claim against the at-fault driver becomes the main way to recover lost earnings. We review your policy at the start so there are no surprises.

• Treatment and rehabilitation — physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, psychological counselling, medication and assistive devices
• Attendant care and help at home while you recover
• Lost wages, lost self-employment income and loss of future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life
• Out-of-pocket costs such as travel to appointments and damaged personal items, where covered
• Claims by spouses, children and parents for loss of care, guidance and companionship

Insurers often classify injuries as "minor" to cap treatment at $3,500 under the Minor Injury Guideline. Chronic pain, concussion symptoms and psychological injuries frequently justify removal from that cap, and we gather the medical evidence to show it. If an insurer refuses, we take the dispute to the Licence Appeal Tribunal — see examples on our decisions page.

• 7 days — tell an auto insurer you intend to apply for accident benefits (or as soon as practicable).
• 30 days — send in the completed application after receiving the forms.
• 120 days — give written notice to the at-fault driver of your intention to sue.
• 10 days — notify the municipality in writing if road conditions contributed to the crash.
• 2 years — start a lawsuit, and start any Licence Appeal Tribunal dispute within two years of a refusal.

1. 1

   Check for injuries and call for help

   Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Move to safety if you can, especially on Highway 404 or the 407.

2. 2

   Report the collision

   Report injury collisions to police and get the incident number. Non-injury collisions may need to be reported at a collision reporting centre.

3. 3

   Document everything

   Photograph the vehicles, the intersection, traffic signals and your injuries; exchange insurance details; collect witness names and numbers; and ask nearby businesses about camera footage.

4. 4

   See a doctor within days

   Whiplash, concussion and back injuries often surface later. Early medical records connect your injuries to the collision.

5. 5

   Call us before signing anything

   Insurers sometimes ask for recorded statements or offer quick settlements. A free consultation first can protect the value of your claim.

Richmond Hill car accident lawyer — FAQs