If He Crashed 12 Hours Earlier, He Wouldn't Face Bankruptcy

Adam Bari got just a fraction of the compensation he would have the day before
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 11, 2016 4:27 PM CDT
Crash Hours After Insurance Change Leaves Family Reeling
Adam Bari and his family.   (GoFundMe)

They say timing is everything. That seems to be distinctly, horribly true in the case of Adam Bari. The 34-year-old Canadian man was riding his motorcycle June 1 when he was T-boned by a car, CBC reports. Bari's family is now facing the possibility of bankruptcy, but that wouldn't be if the crash had happened just 12 hours earlier. Bari suffered brain trauma, broken bones, and more in the crash, in which he was determined not to be at fault. He was so severely injured that police initially pronounced him dead. The father of two was in a coma for nearly a month and was only released from the hospital a few weeks ago. Bari's injuries would have been considered catastrophic—had Ontario not changed its auto insurance guidelines the day before.

Under the old guidelines, Bari would have been entitled to up to $2 million in compensation from the accident, lawyer Mike Smitiuch says. Instead, Bari received just $86,000. "Adam has the same amount of money available to him as somebody who broke their toe," his wife, Courtney Bari, says. Adam Bari is currently unable to work—it's unclear if he'll ever be able to return to his old job—and Courtney Bari has had to go down to one day a week while she takes care of him. Meanwhile, medical bills are piling up, and supporters have resorted to a GoFundMe page that seems to have drawn renewed attention after the media coverage, as well as charity golf tournaments. (More insurance stories.)

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