Fort McMurray Car Accident Lawyers

Published: June 11, 2024 | Last Reviewed: July 30, 2026

Driving is a necessary part of daily life for many people in Fort McMurray. Residents regularly travel along Highway 63, Highway 881, Thickwood Boulevard, Confederation Way, Franklin Avenue, and roads connecting nearby work sites and communities. These routes can become especially challenging during heavy traffic, poor visibility, winter storms, and changing road conditions.

Despite ongoing efforts to improve road safety, the risk of a serious collision can never be completely eliminated. Highway 63, in particular, has a long history of severe and fatal accidents. A collision can happen within seconds, but the resulting injuries, financial losses, and emotional effects may last for months or years.

If another driver’s careless or negligent conduct caused your injuries, you may have the right to pursue compensation. Our Fort McMurray car accident lawyers can review what happened, explain how Alberta’s insurance and personal injury systems may apply, and help you determine what steps to take next.

Contact Preszler Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation. Our phone lines are available 24 hours a day at 1-888-494-7191. 

Key Takeaways for Fort McMurray Car Accident Victims

• Fort McMurray collisions may involve highway speeds, shift-work fatigue, heavy trucks, industrial vehicles, wildlife, winter storms, and long distances between services.
• Call emergency services when needed, seek medical care, and accurately record the crash location, direction of travel, road conditions, and nearby landmarks.
• Preserve dashcam footage, vehicle data, driver logs, work schedules, inspection records, photographs, and witness information as early as possible.
• Section B benefits may assist with qualifying treatment and disability losses regardless of fault, but serious injuries can result in expenses well beyond the policy limits.
• A collision that occurred during work-related travel may involve automobile insurance, employer disability benefits, and potentially a WCB Alberta claim.
• Claims involving work-site or commercial vehicles may extend beyond the driver to an employer, contractor, fleet owner, or maintenance provider.
• A settlement should account for the possible long-term effects of brain injuries, spinal injuries, chronic pain, psychological trauma, and an inability to return to oil sands or industrial work.

Let us put our experience to work for you

Tell Us What Happened

We are here to help Albertans get the compensation and benefits they deserve after being injured in an accident. We take this responsibility very seriously. Book your free call with our personal injury lawyers today and let us help you.

Our phone lines are open 24/7.

1-888-494-7191

Car Accidents Can Have Lasting Consequences

Many people assume that a serious accident will never happen to them. However, even a careful driver can be injured when another motorist speeds, drives while distracted, follows too closely, enters an intersection unsafely, or fails to adjust to road and weather conditions.

Accidents in the Fort McMurray area may also involve long stretches of highway, commercial traffic, heavy trucks, shift workers, construction vehicles, wildlife, fatigue, snow, ice, and limited visibility. These factors can increase both the likelihood of a collision and the severity of the resulting injuries.

A motor vehicle accident may leave an injured person unable to work, drive, care for their children, perform household tasks, or participate in activities they once enjoyed. Recovery may require medical appointments, rehabilitation, medication, mobility equipment, counselling, and help from family members.

Financial compensation cannot undo an accident. It may, however, help address the expenses and losses caused by another party’s negligence.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Fort McMurray

The moments following a collision can be confusing and stressful. Your immediate priority should be protecting your health and the safety of everyone involved.

Remain at the scene and move your vehicle out of active traffic when it is safe to do so. Turn on your hazard lights and contact emergency services if anyone may be injured. Alberta law may also require an accident to be reported when the total property damage exceeds the applicable reporting threshold, a vehicle cannot be driven, or one of the drivers does not have valid insurance, registration, or a licence.

Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if your symptoms initially seem minor. Adrenaline can temporarily mask pain, and injuries involving the brain, spine, muscles, joints, or internal organs may not be immediately apparent. Prompt medical care can protect your health while also creating a record of your symptoms and treatment.

When possible, collect information from the other drivers, passengers, and witnesses. Photographs or videos of the vehicles, road surface, debris, traffic signals, weather conditions, skid marks, visible injuries, and surrounding area may later become important evidence.

You should also notify your insurer and keep copies of all accident-related records. This may include medical reports, prescription receipts, repair estimates, correspondence from insurers, employment documents, and notes describing how your injuries affect your daily life.

Before accepting a settlement or signing a release, consider speaking with a Fort McMurray car accident lawyer. Once a claim is settled, it may be difficult or impossible to seek additional compensation if your injuries become more serious than originally expected.

Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Our Lawyers Handle in Fort McMurray

Since 1959, Preszler Injury Lawyers has represented people who have suffered serious and life-changing injuries. Our Fort McMurray car accident lawyers assist clients with claims arising from many different types of collisions.

These may include:

• Passenger vehicle accidents involving cars, SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks
• Commercial truck and transport vehicle collisions
• Motorcycle, moped, and motorized scooter accidents
• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
• Public transit and shuttle vehicle collisions
• Off-road vehicle accidents involving ATVs, snowmobiles, and utility vehicles
• Accidents involving construction, industrial, or work-site vehicles
• Hit-and-run and uninsured motorist claims
• Fatal accidents and wrongful death claims
• And more

The legal issues involved will depend on how the accident occurred, which parties were involved, and the extent of the injuries and financial losses.

Common Causes of Fort McMurray Car Accidents

Determining why an accident happened is an important part of establishing legal responsibility. In some cases, the cause is clear. In others, a detailed investigation may be necessary.

Distracted driving remains a common concern. A driver may be distracted by a phone, navigation system, passenger, food, or another activity that takes their attention away from the road. Even a brief distraction can prevent someone from responding to changing traffic conditions.

Speeding and aggressive driving may also contribute to severe accidents. Drivers who travel too fast for the conditions have less time to react and require more distance to stop. Excessive speed can also increase the force of impact.

Fatigue can be particularly dangerous on highways and routes used by shift workers. A tired driver may have slower reaction times, reduced awareness, or difficulty remaining in their lane.

Winter conditions create additional risks throughout northern Alberta. Snow, freezing rain, black ice, blowing snow, and reduced daylight can make driving difficult. Motorists are expected to adjust their speed and following distance when conditions are poor.

Other causes may include impaired driving, unsafe lane changes, failure to yield, tailgating, running traffic signals, improper vehicle maintenance, defective parts, and inadequate commercial vehicle training.

More than one person or organization may be responsible for a collision. Depending on the circumstances, a claim may involve another driver, an employer, a vehicle owner, a commercial transport company, a contractor, a maintenance provider, or a manufacturer.

How Our Fort McMurray Car Accident Lawyers Investigate a Claim

A successful motor vehicle accident claim usually requires evidence showing how the collision occurred, who was responsible, and how the injuries affected the claimant’s life.

Our legal team may begin by reviewing police records, collision reports, photographs, surveillance footage, witness statements, medical documents, insurance correspondence, and vehicle damage. In more complex cases, additional evidence may be required.

For example, a commercial vehicle claim may involve driver logs, maintenance records, electronic data, inspection documents, employment records, and company safety policies. A disputed collision may require assistance from an accident reconstruction specialist or another qualified expert.

Our Fort McMurray car accident lawyers can also gather evidence of financial loss, including employment records, income statements, benefit information, treatment invoices, and future care assessments.

Evidence can become more difficult to obtain as time passes. Vehicles may be repaired, witnesses may forget details, footage may be deleted, and accident scenes may change. Seeking legal advice early can help preserve information that may be important to the claim.

Alberta Accident Benefits and Section B Coverage

Alberta drivers are generally required to carry automobile insurance that includes third-party liability coverage and accident benefits.

Section B accident benefits may be available regardless of who caused the accident. These benefits can help cover certain treatment expenses, disability-related losses, income replacement, and death-related expenses, subject to the terms and limits of the policy.

Accessing benefits is not always straightforward. An insurer may question whether treatment is necessary, whether an injury was caused by the accident, whether a person is unable to work, or whether additional rehabilitation is required.

Section B benefits may also be insufficient in cases involving catastrophic injuries, permanent disability, long-term income loss, or extensive future care needs. When another party was responsible for the accident, an injured person may be able to pursue a separate claim for losses not fully covered by accident benefits.

Our Fort McMurray car accident lawyers can review the available insurance coverage, communicate with insurers, and explain whether additional compensation may be pursued through a personal injury claim.

Injuries Caused by Serious Motor Vehicle Collisions

The severity of an injury may depend on the speed of the vehicles, the location of the impact, whether the occupants were wearing seatbelts, and whether the collision involved a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcycle, or commercial truck.

Common injuries may include fractures, soft-tissue damage, torn ligaments, spinal injuries, nerve damage, chronic pain, burns, scarring, amputations, and injuries to internal organs.

Traumatic brain injuries may affect memory, concentration, judgment, communication, mood, balance, and the ability to work. Symptoms can be subtle and may not appear immediately after the accident.

Spinal cord injuries may result in partial or complete paralysis and can require lifelong medical treatment, rehabilitation, assistive devices, personal care, and changes to the home.

Motor vehicle accident victims may also experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disruption, or fear of driving. Psychological injuries can be just as disruptive as physical injuries and should be properly documented and treated.

Our lawyers consider the full effect of an injury rather than focusing only on the initial diagnosis.

Compensation After a Fort McMurray Car Accident

The compensation available after a motor vehicle accident depends on the facts of the case. Relevant factors may include the severity of the injuries, the expected recovery period, the person’s age and occupation, the treatment required, and whether the injuries affect future employment.

A claim may seek compensation for medical and rehabilitation expenses, lost income, diminished earning ability, pain and suffering, out-of-pocket costs, housekeeping assistance, attendant care, future treatment, and other accident-related losses.

In cases involving permanent disability, compensation may also account for future medical needs, home modifications, mobility equipment, reduced independence, and the long-term cost of care.

Family members may be entitled to make certain claims when they provide extensive care or when an accident causes a fatality.

Every claim is different. A Fort McMurray car accident lawyer can assess the available evidence and explain which categories of compensation may apply.

Car Accidents and Long-Term Disability in Fort McMurray

Some accident victims are unable to return to work for an extended period. Others may return in a reduced role, work fewer hours, or permanently lose the ability to perform their previous occupation.

In addition to accident benefits and a personal injury claim, an injured person may have access to short-term disability, long-term disability, employer benefits, or Canada Pension Plan disability benefits.

These claims are separate and may have different application requirements and deadlines. An insurer may deny benefits because it believes the claimant does not meet the policy’s definition of disability or has not provided enough medical evidence.

Our Fort McMurray long-term disability team can examine how a personal injury claim and a disability benefits claim may overlap. Coordinating these claims can help reduce disputes and ensure that the full financial impact of the accident is considered.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fort McMurray Car Accident Claims

Can driver fatigue lead to legal responsibility?

Yes. Fatigue may affect reaction time, attention, judgment, and lane control. A claim involving a fatigued shift worker or commercial driver may require work schedules, hours-of-service logs, dispatch records, electronic data, and evidence about the driver’s rest before the collision.

What happens if the other driver denies fault?

Fault can be determined using police reports, witness statements, vehicle damage, photographs, video footage, expert evidence, and the rules of the road. The other driver’s version of events is not automatically accepted.

Do I need a lawyer for a minor accident?

Not every accident requires a lawyer. However, legal advice may be useful if injuries continue, fault is disputed, the insurer denies treatment, you are unable to work, or you are asked to sign a release.

How long will my motor vehicle accident claim take?

The timeline depends on the complexity of the accident, the severity of the injuries, the length of medical recovery, and whether liability or compensation is disputed. It may be unwise to settle before the long-term effect of the injuries can be properly assessed.

What if I was a passenger?

Passengers may be entitled to compensation when they are injured because of a driver’s negligence. Depending on the accident, a claim may involve the driver of the vehicle they occupied, another motorist, or multiple parties.

Can family members bring a claim after a fatal accident?

Certain family members may be able to pursue compensation after a wrongful death. These claims may include specific statutory damages and compensation for financial losses, funeral expenses, and other costs.

Speak With Our Fort McMurray Car Accident Lawyers

A serious collision can affect every part of your life. You may be dealing with pain, reduced mobility, missed work, financial pressure, insurance disputes, and uncertainty about the future.

You do not have to navigate the claims process alone. Our Fort McMurray car accident lawyers can review the circumstances of the collision, explain your legal rights, and help you pursue the compensation and benefits that may be available.

Preszler Injury Lawyers represents clients on a contingency fee basis. This means legal fees are generally not paid unless compensation is recovered.

Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation. Our phone lines are open 24/7 at 1-888-494-7191.

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