Robert MacKay

Robert MacKay has over 30 years of experience. If you need an Edmonton car accident lawyer - he can help you.

Robert MacKay is the head of the car accident and injury litigation department of Snyder & Associates. He has over 30 years of progressive experience and handles the most serious of accident and fatality cases. He has been a member of the Alberta Bar Association since 1978. He has ten years experience working as an insurance defense lawyer - followed by fifteen years as a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer. He belongs to the Canadian Bar Association and to the Civil Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. MacKay can get you compensation for pain and suffering, lost income, out-of-pocket expenses and medical costs. Contingency fee basis.

Mr. MacKay also assists clients in making insurance claims of all kinds, whether arising from automobile, life, disability, fire or whatever.

Generally – though by no means always – the lawyers only get involved if a car accident was an injury accident. Sometimes however there are important legal questions involved even if there are no injuries. The extent of property damage involved, or questions as to whose fault the accident was may be important enough to warrant the involvement of counsel even if there were no injuries in the car accident.

The legal consequences that result from car accidents are generally in proportion to the severity of the accident.

In Canada, the criminal code makes it is a criminal offence if you are involved in a car accident and you fail to stop and give your name and address – and if anyone requires assistance, to offer assistance – with the intent to escape civil or criminal liability. This is commonly known as “hit and run” and it is contrary to the “Failure to stop at scene of accident” part of the criminal code. This is section 252 of the Criminal Code. It can also a provincial offence in Alberta.

If you are injured in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation, depending on the situation and whether you were the passenger or driver of the vehicle.

You would likely be entitled to compensation (from insurance) in all of the following examples:

• You were the driver of a car which was hit by another car and the accident was all – or partly – the other driver's fault.
• You were a passenger in the above example – in either vehicle.
• You were a passenger in a car and that vehicle was involved in a single vehicle accident – for example, it crashed into a parked car, a telephone pole or it “hit the ditch” because the driver fell asleep.
• You were crossing the street on foot and were hit by a car.

There are many, many more examples. The point is that you should always obtain immediate legal advice from an experienced car accident lawyer upon being involved in any accident, no matter how small.

The USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a website that contains an abundance of statistics on car accidents. Here are some of the statistics for the USA for the year 2005:

• Rear Impacts: 1,824,000 accidents,
• Angle or side impacts: 1,779,000 accidents,
• Fixed-object impacts: 992,000 accidents,
• Collisions with animals: 275,000 accidents,
• Rollovers: 141,000 accidents,
• Head-On collisions: 123,000 accidents,
• Collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists: 114,000 accidents.

The rollover, head-on and pedestrian/bicycle accidents made up only 6.1% of the accidents, but 34.5% of the fatalities. If you or someone you love has been in a car accident of any kind you should obtain immediate legal advice from an experienced car accident lawyer. If there has been a fatality or an injury in that accident you absolutely must obtain legal advice without delay.

For a really incredible collection of black and white car accident photographs that features car accidents from the 1920’s to the 1950’s, click here.

It is important, in considering who your Edmonton car accident lawyer is going to be, that you select one that is practical, experienced and knowledgeable of exactly how things work in Edmonton. They should have an office in Edmonton which is staffed full time and has been there for some time. The best Edmonton car accident lawyer are those that will take your case on a contingency or percentage fee basis.