Photo: CCHL
Former Smiths Falls Bear Neil Doef’s lawsuit against Hockey Canada and its insurer for $6.5 million is expected to go to court later this year.
Doef was playing for Team Canada at the World Junior A Challenge at the time of his injury back in 2014.
He suffered a crushed vertebrae in his cervical spine after being hit head-first into the boards.
The Ottawa Citizen reports that Doef contends in his lawsuit that Hockey Canada breached its duty to him as a player by failing to obtain appropriate insurance coverage to pay for the costs associated with his injury. His lawyer calls it a classic negligence case.
Documents filed as part of the lawsuit show the AIG, the insurer, rejected Doef’s claim for a $1-million settlement in 2015 because he was not a paraplegic. They had offered him a settlement of $30,000 for the loss of the use of his left leg. He was paid that amount, and it will be deducted from any settlement or ruling.
Doef launched the lawsuit as he was convinced he was wronged based on the extent of his injury, which his the suit claims will cost him upwards of $7.9 million in future care.
Hockey Canada says its coverage was reasonable and appropriate.
A two-week trial in the case if expected to begin Sept. 19th.
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